How to Make a T-Shirt Into a Tank Top Without Sewing

Choose a colorful T-shirt to transform it into a tank top.

When the look you want is not a standard T-shirt and you’d rather have something a little more skimpy, grab the scissors and modify your T-shirt. You don’t need sewing skills or even a needle and thread to remake your frumpy T-shirt into something more daring. Make a T-shirt into a tank top without sewing a single stitch, and you’ll be ready to step out in style.

Things You'll Need

• Fitted T-shirt
• Tape measure
• Fabric marker
• Scissors
• Grosgrain ribbon (1 inch wide)

Instructions

1. Place the T-shirt on a flat surface and find the points on both sides where the sleeves join the shirt. Draw lines with the fabric marker across the front and back of the shirt, from edge to edge, from these points.

2. Cut along the lines with the scissors to remove the top of the shirt. Set the top of the shirt aside for another project.

3. Lay the remaining T-shirt piece on the work surface with the front side facing up. Measure along the cut edge about 4 inches in from both the left and right side edges, and 1 inch below the cut edge. Mark these points with the fabric marker. Repeat the same process on the back cut edge of the T-shirt to make four marks total.

4. Poke the tip of the scissors through the fabric at the four marks to make small holes.

5. Cut two 24-inch-long pieces of grosgrain ribbon. Insert one end of a ribbon piece through the front left hole in the T-shirt, from the wrong side of the fabric to the right side. Insert the other end of the ribbon through the back left hole of the T-shirt. Repeat the process with the other ribbon piece in the right holes.

6. Try the T-shirt tank top on to adjust the ribbons. Pull the ends of the ribbon threaded through the left holes so the ends meet evenly above your shoulder and the length of ribbon sits over your shoulder comfortably. Tie the ends of the ribbon in a bow that sits on top of your shoulder. Repeat the same process with the ribbon threaded through the right holes.

Tips & Warnings

• Decorate your new tank with fabric paints.

• Use a fitted T-shirt for this project to make a more attractive tank top. A fitted T-shirt is slightly tighter than a loose and baggy T-shirt and conforms more to your body.

References

• "Generation T: Beyond Fashion -- 120 New Ways to Transform a T-Shirt"; Megan Nicolay; 2009 (p. 14)