Dora the Explorer Beach Cover-Up

Invite Dora & Boots to the beach with your little beachcomber! Turn an adult's T-shirt into a beach cover-up for your child with just a few cuts, fancy ribbons, and a Dora iron-on.

Catch Dora every day on Nick & Nick Jr.

Materials

• Dora Beach Cover-Up Templates
• Plain men's T-shirt (ones with bright colors--white, yellow, blue, etc.--work the best)
• Scissors
• Ruler
• 2- to 4-yd. ribbons of your favorite design
• Fabric glue
• Small blue, orange, white, beige, and brown felt swatches
• Fabric paints (assorted colors)
• Googly eyes (optional)
• Iron-on transfer paper
• Dora's Beach Cover-Up Iron-on Image (Non-Reversed)
• Dora's Beach Cover-Up Iron-on Image (Reversed)

Directions

1. Step 1

   Print the Dora Beach Cover-Up Templates and cut out the shapes for tracing onto felt.

2. Step 2

   Using the diagram included in the templates, cut open the T-shirt at the front. This will make the t-shirt into an open-front cover-up. At the bottom of the T-shirt, make a mark in the center and mark 1/2 inch on either side. Draw a line from the mark on the left to the top of the neck opening on the left side. Do the same on the right side. Cut out the enclosed area. You'll now have a long strip of cloth you can use for a belt later.

3. Step 3

   Starting from the bottom of either side of the cut-open T-shirt, glue the ribbon along the cut edges (shift slightly outward to cover up the jagged cutting line). Continue gluing the ribbon around the back neck line, and then come down along the edge of the other side of the T-shirt.

4. Step 4

   Glue ribbons to the sleeves' edge, if desired.

5. Step 5

   Trace the decorative shapes onto felt and glue the shapes onto the cover-up wherever your child likes. Draw in details with fabric paints. Glue on the googly eyes or simply draw the eyes.

6. Step 6

   Print the iron-on image onto iron-on transfer paper. Iron the image onto the back of the cover-up following the instructions provided on the iron-on package. If you're using iron-on transfer paper that requires you to print the "mirror image," print Dora's Beach Cover-Up Iron-on Image (Reversed) and iron it facedown. Some transfer papers do not require a mirror image. If so, print Dora's Beach Cover-Up Iron-on Image (Non-Reversed) and iron it faceup.

7. Step 7

   Let your child try on the cover-up and mark where her waist is. To make belt loops, cut out two strips of cloth about 2 inches long from the strip of cloth cut from the front of the T-shirt. Apply glue to both ends of the strips and place them on either side of the cover-up at waist height. Alternative: Instead of gluing on two loops, you can cut two waist-high slits about 1-inch long on each side of the cover-up to allow the belt or a ribbon to go through.

8. Step 8

   After the glue has dried, put the garment on your child again and thread ribbon or the remaining cloth strip through the two loops and make a belt. It's time for a beach party!