Who doesn’t love T-shirts? They’re perfect for working out, lounging around the house and wearing on your lazy days. It’s so simple to get a free T-shirt in college too. Most of the time, all you have to do is show up at an event and you walk away with another wardrobe addition. However, great as T-shirts are, it always seems like they’re piling up until they have completely outnumbered the rest of your clothes.
With all those T-shirts piling up, what are you supposed to do? How about upcycling some of those old T-shirts? This is such a fun, easy and creative thing to do. It’s also great because upcycling old shirts is so much better than taking up space or maybe even throwing them away.
I cut one shirt into a sleeveless crop top that ties in the front. It took maybe 10 minutes at the longest. Each of the following steps depends on how you want the shirt designed. To get started, find a shirt you’re fine with cutting. Grab a ruler, pair of scissors and you’re ready to get started.
First, cut the sleeves off. To start, I cut the sleeves to the outside of the seam. This way you have the option to cut more. Next, cut the collar off. Again, it’s safer to cut less at first. I cut just outside of the collar. For both the sleeves and collar I ended up cutting more off after trying it on.
To crop the top, measure six inches from the bottom. This brings the bottom of the shirt to the navel area. I ended up cutting it to about eight inches after trying it on. This especially depends on how comfortable you are with showing your stomach. Make a small cut just as a reference guide at around six inches.
From this guide, measure two inches inward. Cut both the front and back in two inches on both sides. Stop here! Do not cut the front of the shirt anymore. Move the front of the shirt out of the way by folding it towards the top of the shirt. Continue cutting along the six inch line on the back of the shirt.
Once the back is cut, you can start cutting the front again. Cut the remaining front into a V shape with the point directly center. From that point, cut vertically until you reach the length you cut the back. Use the V and tie in the front. And just like that, you have a brand new shirt with absolutely no cost. This is just one of hundreds of ways to upcycle your T-shirts.