Believe it or not, I'm a t-shirt girl through and through. I wasn't always, though. Before I could sew, I hated t-shirts. Finding a good (cute) fitting t-shirt was hard for me, and honestly, I had written them off for quite a while. Now that
my sewing machine and I are on good terms, I never pass up a cute tee. If it doesn't fit, I just chop it down and stitch it up until it does.
Both of these shirts came from Olivia Mew's shop
Stay Home Club (cuz she's the best and makes the best everything). The one on the left started out the same size as the one on the right. Here's how to size it down:
Turn your tee inside out and cut where I've shown. Don't
just cut the sleeves off, but make sure and completely get rid of the seam. We'll create a new one.
I stitched this shirt with white thread so you could see where I sewed it. Not only did I stitch the arm holes a little smaller (we don't want it to look like a workout tee), I did size down the body slightly. I always leave my edges raw when resizing tees, but you can definitely hem the edges if you want a more professional looking result. I personally like the way a cut-up t-shirt looks.
And now I'd like to go off on a DIY rabbit-trail for just a moment...
I used to hate sewing with a machine before I bought a reliable one. It seemed like my sewing machine always needed something fixed or oiled or tweaked, and it made sewing seem like a chore. Now that I have a machine that's easy to use and easy to troubleshoot, I really enjoy sewing projects. I get a lot of questions about my machine (it's a
Brother CS6000i) and how I like it, so I'll just tell you now: thumbs up.
If you're interested in either of these t-shirts you can find them over at
Stay Home Club. Happy sewing!
Darling! Love what you did with it. Keep up the creativity!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing! I have a camo tee sitting on my chair waiting to be chopped up!
ReplyDeleteColour Me Classic
what a cute way to restyle a t-shirt...
ReplyDeleteValentina
Valentina Duracinsky Blog
-- Facebook Page
oooh, love this! one to remember!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the sewing tips! I will definitely use them, as so many times I find t-shirts that I love but do not have the fit I would like! :)
ReplyDeleteI have a Singer sewing machine, also quite happy about it! (although I should use it way more than I do right now...)
Damaris
The cat, you and us
That sewing machine is THE BEST! I have it and I love it.
ReplyDeleteAlso, that t shirt with the face totally reminds me of the online comic toothpastefordinner. Hilarious.
That is exactly why I don't enjoy sewing anymore. My old (and really good) machine broke down a few years ago and while I was freaked out because of the fact I couldn't afford to buy a new one, I ended up buying a cheaper version and sadly it doesn't function very well. It does make sewing, like you said, a chore. Not fun. Perhaps I should invest in a new and better one like you! :)
ReplyDeleteOh man, thanks for this! I've done things like this, but it never seemed to look right. I never thought to sew down the sides to fit it better!
ReplyDeletehttp://cuddlyasacactus.wordpress.com/
love this!!
ReplyDeleteThis DIY is so so fun!
ReplyDeleteXo, Hannah
sweetsweetnoir.net
brilliant job! i love your denim too!
ReplyDeletexx
Just bought two tshirts from Stay Home Club, and now I know exactly what to do with them!
ReplyDeletexo
Diana
http://unusuallylovely.com
I have the Brother X-5 sewing machine and for my first machine it's simple and a dream to use. :) Thanks for sharing this, I've got a few shirts I want to make sleeveless but I was worried I'd mess the shirts up until I saw this! :)
ReplyDeleteSuper cute. I'm definitely glad that I'm able to alter clothes. It's a good skill to have!
ReplyDelete-Becca
Ladyface Blog
ah I love stay home club t shirts! and I do the same thing to all my t shirts, always always chopping the sleeves off!
ReplyDeleteGreat little tutorial! Love it! Tee shirts can be so "hit-or-miss". This is great! :)
ReplyDeletehttp://sometimesgracefully.com
Awesome! I wish I could sew. Maybe I need to invest in a sewing machine and learn it myself :)
ReplyDeleteGreat diy tutorial! The t shirt is so cute! x
ReplyDeletehttp://hipslikecinders.blogspot.co.uk/
Just finished chopping up a t-shirt that I've never felt right in, and now I can wear it again! Thank you!
ReplyDeleteI have a drawer full of tshirts I don't wear anymore. Maybe I should try cutting them up.
ReplyDeleteAdorable shoes, btw!
http://www.thefreckledmask.com/
Such a cute idea, I love it and will definitely have a try with this!
ReplyDeleteI love her designs! Been eyeing the no new friends shirts for a bit... Maybe after the wedding I'll place an order!!
ReplyDeleteHeather
southernnort.com
This is so cute! I am terrible with sewing machines, but maybe it's because I don't have a good one. I once sewed straight through my thumb nail in high school home ec sub sewing and home crafts (it was an elective). Seriously my teacher was like how did you do that? I failed all the sewing parts except buttons, but I was awesome with the hot glue gun.
ReplyDeleteMana
Fashion and Happy Things
Great tutorial Katie, so simple as well :)
ReplyDeleteRosie x | Every Word Handwritten
So simple and cute! Love it!
ReplyDeleteI LOVE what you did with this shirt. -Hanna Lei
ReplyDeleteThis is very creative and resourceful. Make your own designs from old shirts and make it for new style is perfect. Thank you for sharing this idea. Two thumbs up!
ReplyDeleteCool! I can make use of this tutorial on some of my old casual wear shirts to make it on style these days. I love it.
ReplyDeleteI love your idea, I do have a tie dye shirt with me however I just don't have the sewing machine and I don't know how to do it with hands. Hope you can share some that doesn't new to do much of sewing. I'll keep following your post. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteI stitched this shirt with white thread so you could see where I sewed it. http://www.mundocosturas.es/maquinas-de-coser/maquinas-de-coser-guia-definitiva/
ReplyDelete