How to Design Your Own T-Shirts

How To Design a No-Sew T-Shirt

There are so many t-shirts out there with great graphics and funny sayings but all those tops still sort of look the same don't they? Ribbed neckline, square sleeves, shapeless. But if you can lace a pair of sneakers, use a ruler and scissors you can learn to give a standard t-shirt a whole new look.

Here are some easy instructions to remake a regular t-shirt with a few snips of your scissors.

Things You'll Need

• 2 T-shirts
• Scissors
• Ruler
• Pencil
• Pins

Instructions

1. 

   Gather together your supplies to transform your t-shirt. I love to recycle, upcycle and re-purpose. So, recycling clothes from your own closet to give them a new look is always the best idea. You can also get great t-shirt for cheap money at thrift stores and Good Will outlets.

   The t-shirt in these instructions was made with an upcycled long sleeved t-shirt and strips off the bottom of a recycled white t-shirt were used for the laces.

   To make the laces to tie your t-shirt, cut four 1" strips off the bottom of a coordinated color t-shirt.

2. 

   Turn your t-shirt inside out. Using your scissors, cut the neck off your t-shirt. Use the stitching as your guide.

3. 

   If your shirt has a bottom hem you are going to cut that off now. Keep the t-shirt inside out and use the stitching as your guide. Cut the hem off the shirt with your scissors or a rotary cutter.

4. 

   The t-shirt I started with had long sleeves with ribbed cuffs. I decided to make my sleeves 3/4. Depending if you start with a long or short sleeved shirt you can cut the sleeves to any length you choose.

   Use your ruler and pencil to measure and mark where you want to cut your sleeve.

   Turn your t-shirt right side out with the sleeves folded in half at the shoulder. Using your scissors slice up the fold from the end of the sleeve up through the neckline. Now pin the two of the t-shirt sides together.

5. 

   Now you are going to cut down the middle of the back of your t-shirt. Fold the back of your shirt down the middle. If your shirt is the size you are happy with all ready just use your scissors and slice up the fold.

   I wanted to make my upcycled t-shirt a bit more fitted so using a rotary cutter and quilter's ruler I cut in 1" from the fold. Therefore I cut 2" out of the back of the shirt. If you do not have a rotary cutter just measure how much you want to remove from the back of your shirt, draw a line with your ruler and cut with your scissors.

   Remember your fabric is folded in half so if you want to make your shirt "thinner" by 4" you only need to cut off 2".

6. 

   Pin your t-shirt together at the back where you've just cut open. The neckline of this top is actually lower in the back than the front. Measure how low and wide you would like the back to be and mark with your pencil. Draw how you want the back neckline to look and cut it out with your scissors or rotary cutter.

7. 

   Now you are going to mark the sleeves and back of your t-shirt for piercing to put your laces through. First decide how far apart you want your laces to be. I wanted mine fairly tight so I made my marking 1/2" apart. You don't really want to go any smaller than that. The wider your holes the farther apart your laces and the more skin you will be showing.

   Using your ruler and pencil mark on the back and shoulders of the t-shirt where you want to pierce for your laces.

   Using your scissors, preferably with a very pointy tip, pierce the fabric where you've marked. You can also pinch the fabric at the marking and make a little snip. I do mean little since the jersey fabric will stretch as you run your laces through.

8. 

   Lace up the sleeves on your t-shirt. Start at the shoulder and work your way to the hem. Or start at the sleeve hem and go up to the shoulder of the t-shirt. It all depends where you want the laces and bow to be.

9. 

   Lace up the back of your t-shirt. Since my recycled t-shirt was fairly long I tied two of my white laces together and started at the top of my t- shirt and worked my way down to the hem. If you are working with a shorter shirt you may only need one lace. You can start lacing at either the bottom hem or neckline.

   Now you've remade an ordinary t-shirt into an upcycled top. It may be recycled material but it's new to you.

Tips & Warnings

• Laces made form a recycled t-shirt are a great way to loosen a too tight top or tighten a too loose t-shirt. Just tie as tight or loose as you want to achieve the look you are after.

• For a different look change the placement of the laces on your t-shirt. Instead of running up the back of the shirt, move the laces to the side or front.

Resources

• Other examples of upcycled t-shirts