A Stylist’s Clever Old T-Shirt Upgrade Hacks

If you have old shirts that you no longer wear but can't bear to get rid of, try this simple DIY!

Red More Joy T-shirt

If you have an unflattering shirt that you want to make fit better, this DIY is the one for you. My shirt is too big and boxy for my liking even though it is a size small. Uses these steps to make your shirt

DIY Steps

  1.  With it on, I will fold and pin where I’d like it to end.
  2. *** always try it out first before you cut!
  3. Using a ruler and chalk, measure down from the underarm to your pinned hem – repeat on the other side.
  4. Draw a chalk like to mark across where you need to cut to ensure it is straight.
  5. You can fold the two sides together to shorten the distance you need to draw a line across the two marks.
  6. Now you are good to cut!
  7. When you pull the fabric, it will naturally roll up which is how I like it. You can also hem it, or use other tacking solutions.Sleeves
  8. Super tricky so pin and try on and pin and try on until you are ready
  9. AND THEN you need to deal with the sheer volume of the sleeve now that it is shorter.
  10. Same tactic – pin, try on and then measure both sides to ensure symmetry and cut.
  11. BUT the sleeve is now shorter, it needs to be narrower so it doesn’t pop out all peaky:)
  12. In the past, I’ve pinned it but end up with a clump of fabric.
  13. Now I cut a V with the single point of the V being at the underarm seam.
  14. Then easily stitch the sides back together to make it more narrow fitting.

Worn Vintage Rock T -shirt 

This DIY is perfect if you need more workout shirts but don’t want to spend the money. Repurposing and old shirt that you would never wear out is a great starting point. The problem with my shirt is it’s too thin and worn/sheer for me to want to wear as is BUT it’s a perfect work out in the gym t shirt It’s light weight and thin with a stretch worn collar so won’t feel constraining when working out. With shirts like this, I cut a big hole in the back to keep me cooler and show off a fun sports bra.

DIY Steps

  1. With a sports bra on and the t shirt on, mark with chalk how low you would like the cut to be in the back
  2. Using a bowl or something to make the circle, make around the shape on the t shirt being sure to NOT cut into the seam.
  3. Rearrange the shirt by matching the shoulder seam and the side torso seam together to effectively have the shirt in half.
  4. following your circle marking, cut out the hole – again, being sure to not cut the collar seam detail.
  5. And done!