Cut-Up Workout T-Shirt Tutorial

Do you have old, boxy t-shirts you'd wear to exercise in if they only had a more flattering fit?  This easy, no-sew tutorial will teach you how to alter (and ventilate! ;-)) your t-shirts into two different styles of cute workout tops--perfect for lifting, climbing, dancing, riding, squatting, jumping, punching, kicking, running or walking!

I teach an exercise class a couple of mornings each week, and several gals who attend asked me about these shirts.  I told them to bring shirts and scissors to class one day, and we did a live tutorial right there in the gym after class!  Two of my favorite things combined into one class!! I was on Cloud 9!

Now, on to your tutorial:

All you need for either of these styles is a cotton jersey knit t-shirt and sharp fabric scissors. 

Style 1: Back Diamond Weave T-Shirt

1. Lay shirt out flat.

2. Cut through top and bottom layers of shirt along bottom of front neckline. 

3. Cut one sleeve off; then turn the piece you cut off to use as a guide for cutting off the second sleeve.

4. Turn shirt on its side, lining up shoulder seams and flattening. 

5. Beginning at the top of the back side, cut 1 inch wide strips all the way down the back. Start with pretty deep strips--4-5 inches from the fold (they will double when you unfold). Then gradually get smaller as you work your way down. My last cut is usually only about 1 inch deep. 

6. Turn shirt so the back is on top. Stretch out cuts so the fabric rolls in on itself. 

7. Take top strip and make a loop. 

8. Take next strip and pull it up through the top loop.

9. Make a loop with the strip you just pulled through. 

10. Continue looping and pulling the strip below through all the way down the shirt. 

11. Leave the last strip loose. 

12. Take the second to last strip (that is pulled through the one above it) and make sure it is turned in a loop.

13. Cut the bottom strip in half. 

14. Pull one side of the bottom strip up through the bottom of the last loop.

15. Pull the other side of the bottom strip down through the top of the last loop. 

16. Tie a double knot with the two sides of the bottom strip. 

17. Finished back!

18. Finished front!

Style 2: Side Weave T-Shirt

1. Lay t-shirt out flat. 

2. Cut through top and bottom layers of shirt along bottom of front neckline. 

3. Cut one sleeve off; then turn the piece you cut off to use as a guide for cutting off the second sleeve.
4. Beginning 1 inch below the sleeve opening, cut 1 inch wide slits into the sides of the shirt. I begin with about 2 inch slits, gradually get bigger toward the middle of the shirt, then taper back to smaller slits at the end. My last cut is only about 1 inch across.
5. Turn shirt on its side, lining up shoulder seams.
6. Stretch the strips so the fabric curls in on itself.
7. Pick up the top strip (this should be the bottom part of the sleeve), and turn a single loop in it.
8. Pull the next strip up through the loop.
9. Turn a loop in the strip you just pulled through and continue pulling and turning all the way down the shirt. 

10. When you get to the bottom, leave the last strip alone.

11. Cut the bottom strip in half. 

12. Take the second to last strip (that is pulled through the one above it) and make sure it is turned in a loop.

13. Pull one side of the bottom strip up through the bottom of the last loop.

14. Pull the other side of the bottom strip down through the top of the last loop. 

15. Tie a double knot with the two sides of the bottom strip.
16. One side: DONE!
17. Repeat on other side.
18. Cute workout top!

  

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T-Shirt Pillow Tutorial

Several months ago I was at a friend's house and complimented her on a cute pillow on her living room couch. It had pretty, metallic detail that really made it the perfect accessory for the space.  I was looking for a similar pillow at the time, and after being sticker shocked at stores like Pier One,  I was wondering if I would be able to find anything affordable that I liked. 

So, I asked her where she found her pillow. "Oh, I made that one--from an Old Navy tank top!" 

I think some angels began to descend from heaven singing a hallelujah chorus behind her about then and rays of light were shooting out of her head.  Why had I never thought of that?!? I am always repurposing stuff, but it had never occurred to me to use discarded t-shirts to make trendy pillows! Brilliant!

It took me several months to actually get to it, but I finally made my blingy t-shirts into pillows! 

Here's what I did: 

1. These are the two t-shirts I started with. I actually bought the first thinking I would wear it. And I did--once--but I felt like a clown or a jockey the entire time. It was one of those cases of "the model wore it better." 

I found the sequin tank in a bag of discarded clothes a friend was tossing and invited me to rummage through. I grabbed it with a pillow in mind. 

2. Once you have your shirt(s), you'll need pillows. I would just take the shirts to the craft store to make sure they are the right size. I decided to go with a square and a round because of the shapes of the shirts I had. 

3. For square/rectangle pillows: Carefully measure and cut the dimensions recommended on the pillow form package. Since t-shirt material is stretchy, choose the smaller dimension if a range is given. If you don't have dimensions, just measure and add 1" for each side (so a for a 12"x12" square, cut a 13"x13")

 4. For circular pillows, measure the diameter and divide by 2 to get the radius. Add 1/2 inch to that. Cut a string about twice that length, then tie around two pencils so they are exactly the radius+1/2" distance apart with the string taut.

5. Find the center of the garment, and using one pencil as the pivot point on the center, use the other to carefully draw a circle around the garment. (It helps to have someone hold the garment in place as you do this).  Add a few pins to hold the two layers together, then cut out the circle through both layers.

6.  Turn right sides together, and pin around each shape. If you would like to add a zipper (which I NEVER regret doing), the next 5 steps will walk you through how to. 

(I used a separate zipper and fabric to teach this tutorial since a white zipper on white fabric doesn't show up well.)

 7. With the pillow pieces laying right sides together, begin pinning the zipper from the top about 1/2 inch from the edge of the pillow pieces. Right sides of the zipper should be facing the right sides of the pillow pieces. The zipper should just be open a few inches.

 8. Unzip a few more inches of the zipper. 

 9. Continue pinning along the edge of each pillow piece, RST. 

10. Unzip a few more inches, add pins, and continue this until you are at the end of the zipper. 

11. Pin the ends of the zipper below the pull. 

Once you are done pinning, use the zipper foot on your sewing machine and sew 1/4 inch seam allowance along the length of each side of the zipper, removing pins as you come to them. 

12. Zip up the zipper. Sew around the rest of the pillow, taking your stitches all the way up to the metal base and top of the zipper (but leaving room for the pull to swivel). 

*I was pleasantly surprised to learn while doing this project that the sequin fabric was easy to cut and easy to sew! My (not industrial) machine went right over the sequins with no problems!!

Voila! A professional-looking zippered pillow! Now I can easily remove the cover to wash! 

So, the next time you clean out your closet, keep this idea in mind! What you don't want to wear any more may look fabulous as a pillow! 

Participating in these link-ups. 

Contrast Sleeve T-Shirt Tutorial

I have an abundance of T-shirts. If I see them on sale for $5 or $6, I grab them because they are my go-to comfy top. But the same old solid tees get boring, so I decided to do some sprucing up to a plain t-shirt by adding contrasting sleeves.  I've seen similar shirts at boutiques all over the place for $20-30.  This shirt was about $5 and the fabric I used was from my scrap pile! 

This is one my most basic tutorials--a perfect one for beginner sewists!! I will walk you through each step so you can add fun color or print sleeves to any of your plain ol' solid color t-shirts!

My gorgeous jewelry is from African Promise Foundation. I have a dear friend who started this foundation years ago to provide education opportunities to children in Uganda. The beads are handmade from recycled paper. Each piece of jewelry is a unique and amazing work of art created by women trying to improve their family's opportunities. 

You will need: 

• T-shirt
• Seam ripper/ small, pointy-nose sharp scissors
• Stretchy fabric--jersey knit, stretchy lace, poly-knit, etc.  Less than 1/4 yard will work for cap sleeves. If you want to use this tutorial to do long sleeves (This method will work!), you'll want more fabric--probably 1/3-1/2 yard). 
• Corresponding thread
• Straight sewing pins
• Sewing machine (a serger is nice, but not necessary)

1. Remove the sleeves from your T-shirt.  Use a seam-ripper/ small-nosed scissors to rip out the seams.  

Here are the two sleeves removed (I left one folded). Don't rip out the seam for the hem around the cuff of the sleeve. 

2. Using one of the sleeves as a pattern, cut out two pieces of the contrasting fabric, adding on 1 inch to the cuff-side of the sleeve.

Here you see the two sleeves and the extra I added on the contrasting fabric. Since I am using lace for this project, I will be layering it over the original sleeves. If you are replacing the original sleeves completely, you'll still need the extra 1 inch. 

3. (This step is for doing an overlay with contrasting fabric. If you are replacing the sleeves completely, move on to the next step.) Pin the new sleeves (wrong side) to the old ones (right side). Sew along the long, curved side (not the cuff side).  Try to sew right along the old stitch marks. 

4. Use a zig-zag stitch (or serge stitch if available), to sew right along the edge of the contrasting fabric's shorter (cuff) side. This is to prevent fraying and help the cuff lay flat. Repeat for second sleeve.

5. Fold and pin the contrasting fabric over 1/2 inch, wrong sides together. 

6. Top stitch the new cuff in place. Here I am showing the right and wrong sides of the new sleeves after the top-stitch. 

7. Generously pin the new sleeves to the old t-shirt, right sides together. Stitch in place, turn right-side out, and you are done!! SO EASY, and now you have a new shirt!!

Participating in these link-ups. 

Ruffled T-Shirt Tutorial

I have a confession: I'm a bit of an online boutique junkie. I can shop for me, my kids, my mom, sisters, friends, neighbors--all from my home! And the styles are always so hip and trendy--so I (hopefully) don't look like I haven't been in a mall in over a year!

I have another confession: I'm a bit of a cheapskate.  If I see something at an online boutique that I could make fairly easily for a fraction of the price, I'm not buying it. This was the fuel behind my desire to make this trendy, fun, and flattering shirt. 

I saw similar shirts last week at an online boutique for $24. Not a bad deal, but I had a pretty good idea that I could make my own from a shirt and fabric I already had--so it would cost me $0!

Here's what you need: 

• A solid-color, fitted t-shirt. (TIP: This is a great way to make use of any shirts that have little mouse-holes in the front around the bottom of the shirt.) 
• 1/3 yard flowy/silky fabric--chiffon, modal, thin jersey knit, or poly-blend (You won't use all of this yardage, but if you are buying fabric from the store, I'd get this much. If you have scraps already, look ahead to the measurements to see if you have enough).
• Chalk
• Corresponding thread, scissors/rotary cutter, measuring tools, pins, sewing machine

Instructions: 

1. Put on the shirt and mark your waistline (at your navel) with chalk on the front of the shirt.

2. Mark the back of the shirt just above your bum. This will achieve the slightly high-low look (so the shirt falls lower in the back). 

3. Cut the back of the shirt from side seam to side seam.Then cut the front of the shirt starting at the side seam and curving up to the chalk mark and back down to the other side. 

4. Prepare your ruffle fabric. Measure the front of your shirt width. Multiply that by 4. This is how long your ruffle piece should be. Cut an 8 inch wide piece of fabric. If you need to piece two strips together, just make sure they are the same length. The seams can be lined up with the seams on the shirt when you attach it. 

5. Sew right sides together at the ends to make one big loop. Finish the edges of your fabric (if you are using a fabric that frays), with a rolled hem. 

6. Sew a gathering stitch along one edge of the fabric. Pull the bobbin thread to gather the ruffle to the same width as your shirt. 

7. Pin the ruffle to the shirt, wrong side of ruffle onto the right side of shirt.  Be generous with the pins. Be sure to match the seams of the ruffle to the shirt side seams. Sew a zig-zag top stitch across the pinned gathers to attach the ruffle to the shirt. I made two passes to make sure it was sewn securely. 

8. Measure and cut a 4 inch by 5 inch piece of fabric for the pocket. 

9. Press and pin a 1/4 inch double fold around the entire pocket back. I used one factory-finished edge, so I only did one fold on that side.  

10. Top stitch what will be the top of your pocket. 

11. Pin the pocket to your shirt. Again, be generous with your pin usage. You want your stitches to be small and close to the edge.

Done!  You have a fun and frilly shirt! Cute with jeans or shorts, pencil or maxi skirts! Great way to accentuate your true waistline and hide any "extra" you don't want to show off underneath! 

Participating in these link-ups.