How to Cut the Seams of a Shirt to Make a Pattern

If you’re experienced with sewing clothing, you can use an old, worn-out shirt to make a pattern for a brand new shirt. Since it’s not very practical to remove every seam of an old shirt and make it back into individual pieces, one of the quickest ways to turn an old shirt into a pattern is to cut it apart. When you cut apart the seams, remember that you’ll have to add seam allowance, or an extra 5/8 inch around the edges of each piece. You can use the old shirt as a pattern by pinning the cut up pieces directly to the fabric, or by placing them on a piece of paper and tracing around them.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• old shirt
• scissors
• measuring tape or ruler
• large paper or piece of fabric
• pencil or straight pins

How to Cut the Seams of an Old Shirt

1. Lay the shirt on a flat surface.

2. Unbutton any buttons and spread the shirt open, if applicable.

3. Cut off the collar or neckband. Discard a t-shirt collar and purchase a new one to make a t-shirt. For a button-down shirt collar, cut the upper part of the collar from the lower half of the collar.

4. Remove the sleeves by carefully cutting along the armhole seams. Cut open the seam in the lower edge of the sleeve, and cut off any cuffs.

5. Cut along the side seams in the shirt from bottom to top.

6. Cut apart the front and back of the shirt at the shoulder seams.

7. Cut open any darts or pleats in the front of the shirt.

8. Cut off any pockets on the front of the shirt. Ignore the hole in the front of the shirt when making the pattern.

How to Make the Shirt Pattern

9. Place the back of the shirt on a large piece of paper or piece of fabric.

10. Measure 5/8 inch from the edge of the old shirt to mark the cutting line for the new shirt back. Use a pencil to mark this distance on the paper, or use a pin to mark it on the fabric.

11. Repeat step 2 all the way around the shirt back, so that the pencil or pin markings for the new shirt piece are 5/8 inch larger than the old one all the way around.

12. Repeat steps 1 through 3 for the sleeves and cuffs, if any. For cuffs, you’ll need to cut two pieces of fabric for each cuff and sew them together.

13. Repeat steps 1 through 3 for the shirt fronts. For a button down shirt, also add 3 inches to the button areas, so that you can fold the fabric over to make placards for the buttons and button holes.

14. Repeat steps 1 through 3 for the upper and lower parts of the collar, if applicable. Remember that you’ll need to cut two pieces of fabric for each part of the collar and sew them together.

15. Repeat steps 1 through 3 for any pockets.

Tips & Warnings

• You can also reuse the buttons from the old shirt if you want. Carefully snip the threads holding the buttons in place.
• If you are new to sewing, you may want to purchase a shirt pattern so that you’ll have exact pieces and sewing instructions to follow.
• Only cut up a shirt that you are not planning to wear again.