Make this easy Elmo-inspired t-shirt!

Last week, we celebrated M’s birthday party, with a cheerful Elmo theme. I made him this DIY no sew Elmo tee to wear for the occasion. You can bet that he did not wait to wear it. The moment he saw it, he insisted on putting it on! It’s ridiculously easy – and cheap – to make, and wear is not limited to party time.

If you’ve been following along with Mom’s & Crafters until now (you should), you’ll know that M, my fun two year old tot, is obsessed with Elmo – so much so that he said it before he said “Mommy.”

We therefore threw him a fun Elmo bash on a budget – and I plan to share with you some of the fun ideas and DIY’s. When I say “on a budget” I mean it for real. I spent about $50 on food, and about $15 on paper goods, decorations, and other supplies. I will share with you the tutorials, and then a post that summarizes everything we did for this fun party – so follow along! (You can now check out our gelatin cups here, and print the treat boxes we used for free here. You can also see some more adorable Elmo gift ideas here.)

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links.

Throughout the theme, I made Elmo using just his eyes and nose so that he kind of looks like he’s “peeking”. The idea is to have very simple shapes to work with for inspiration, and not to actually recreate the character.

As you can see, it goes perfectly with a bowler hat to complete the look!

I started with a plain red tee that I had lying around. I hadn’t used it much (it was probably thrifted) and it was time to put it away. Since my fast-growing toddler is unlikely to fit in the same thing next year, I decided to try a fun update that I knew he’d love, and so, the Elmo tee was born!

Since the weather is getting chilly, I layered it with a plain white long sleeved tee. It came out so cute that I decided to keep it out until he outgrows it. Layering will keep him warmer, anyway!

I made the Elmo tee using scrap felt I had leftover from costumes and such. I kind of needed black, but the closest I had was dark green, so I colored it with a black paint marker. It worked out well, and while some of the color did fade, it looked very black.

What you need to make a DIY elmo tee for your toddler:

A plain red tee
White, black, and orange felt. Note you can purchase a mix pack or even smaller pieces. You’ll likely get the colors you need (though there’s no guarantee of course). The smaller pieces should be big enough too, but again, I haven’t tried it so I’m not sure. Measure your shirt first to see if it will cover the area you need.
E6000 glue
Good scissors for cutting and trimming
A marker or pen for marking, and something round to trace. I used a 7 oz. plastic cup for the white of the eye, and a disposable shot glass for the black.

How to make a no sew Elmo tee shirt:

1. You need a plain white shirt. Make sure to lay it out and smooth it so that you have the actual center exposed. Use the seams under the sleeves to help you.

2. Use a cup to measure two large white circles of felt and cut them out.

3. Use something smaller to measure two smaller black circles of felt and cut them out.

4. Draw out a proportionate oval for the nose. I did trim it so that it’s slightly narrower at the top.

5. When you are happy with the arrangement, glue all the parts in place with E6000. Make sure to spread the glue until the edges so that it will wash nicely.