Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Super easy, fast, shirt-saving fun!

Refashioned shirt

Liked the shirt. Didn't like the stains on the sleeves. And how many t-shirts does one girl need? Better question: how many things can one girl do with t-shirts?

I started by getting scissor happy. Sleeves, be gone! Then I haphazardly cut off the neckline as well. Who needs a neckline? Remember, I'm not going for perfection, I'm just going for "cute!"

This isn't the best tutorial, so just bear with me and fill in the blanks with mental pictures. You can do it!! (Hear me cheer you on?)
Turn the shirt inside-out and sew up the open sides, where the sleeves were. Just sew straight down from the top.
Next step has no pictures. Sorry, I get rollin' and forget about the camera.
Measure above your bust with a cord of elastic. Cut as much as you need. Now, with the shirt still inside out, just turn the fabric under slightly (baby hem, as I call it) and sew along that hem all the way around. Then stick your elastic on that, fold down again, and sew right under where the elastic is, to make a casing for it. Yeah, yeah, I know you technically should fold, fold, sew, and thread elastic through. But who has time for that, when shortcuts work just as well. Even great seamstresses, like my Mimi, will tell you that. (And when someone experienced suggests sewing tips, I never look back!)
What do you think? A cute 'lil "tube top," still very modest. I paired it with athletic shorts and my new jean apron. I'm setting new fashion trends. :-)

If you adore the front design of a shirt, but it's too large, just take in the sides first. Or, if the shirt is too small to start with, you could cut the sides apart & sew strips of coordinating fabric in between, to give it more width.
I'm not pinching my sides, really. I'm merely trying to hide my chipping red fingernail polish. ;-)
Imagine the possibilities!

4 comments:

Christine said...

so cute!! love it!! you are so creative!! and have such a cute little body! how's p90x going?!!

Christine said...

So, could we maybe get together for some sewing lessons sometime? I have all these old prom dresses and would love to either cut them off or cut them up like you did... And I want to learn how to sew pillows and other simple things. I have a sewing machine, just don't really know how to sew. I would love to learn from a master. :)

Wendy said...

Chris, you bet!! That would be so much fun. I hope you realize, through my wing-it half-pictured tutorials, that I am no master seamstress!! I just like to put stuff together with stitches! :-)

Shanda said...

Very cute! I do not own a sewing machine...one day (I keep telling myself!) I had the world's WORST Home Ec teacher/experience and it has taken me years to even WANT to try to sew. You make it look fun. Maybe a few more months of "blog therapy" will inspire me to attempt it!