How to Make Bandana Shirts
Warm weather means easy, breezy clothing that fits your summer lifestyle. There's no need to sacrifice fashion to stay cool in the sun. Next time you find yourself with nothing to wear to the beach, whip up a simple and stylish bandana shirt from a couple of bandanas. Toss this cute top on over a bathing suit or pair with jeans for a casual, summery look.
Things You'll Need
- 2 standard-sized bandanas
- 2 3-yard lengths of 1/2-inch cotton twill tape or ribbon
- Sewing machine or sewing needle
- Matching thread
- Iron
- Safety pin
Instructions
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1
Lay your bandanas flat, one on top of the other, and line up the top and side edges. It helps to have smooth, wrinkle-free fabric to work with, so give the bandanas a quick press if they are wrinkled.
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2
Mark 9 inches down from the top edge on both sides. These will be your armholes, so increase or decrease this measurement based on your size requirements. The top should fit comfortably without hugging the body, since bandanas don't offer much in the way of stretch.
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3
Stitch the bandanas together along the sides from your armhole mark to the bottom edge. Use your needle and thread or a sewing machine.
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4
Fold down both top edges about 2 inches away from you. Press the seams down. This fold should give you enough space to fit your ribbon through, so if you are using a ribbon that is more or less than 1/2 inch, adjust the fold accordingly.
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5
Sew across your folded edges, one at a time. Be sure that you are sewing a single layer of bandana and not sewing the two pieces together. Pull the piece you are not sewing out of the way while you are working.
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6
Attach your safety pin to the end of one piece of ribbon and thread it through the channel you have just created at the top of the shirt. Repeat with the other channel at the back of the shirt.
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7
Tie the ends of your ribbons together into a bow so that you have two bows, one on each shoulder. The bows and gather can be adjusted as necessary once you are wearing the shirt.
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References
- Photo Credit Bandanas image by Jim Mills from Fotolia.com
