T-SHIRT INTO SUMMER TOP DIY

Source: http://www.trinketsinbloom.com

With summer right around the corner and temperatures already into the 80′s in many parts of the country, it’s a perfect time to start thinking about easy summer clothes. 

This is a fast and easy way to transform a basic t-shirt into a cute summer top.

To see step by step instructions and pictures click here.

Supplies to make your T-Shirt into a Summer Top:

1. 1 Men’s T-shirt
2. Elastic
3. Safety Pin
4. Pins
5. Scissors
6. Sewing Needle
7. Thread
8. Measuring tape

Step 1
Measure your elastic around your chest just under your arms. Pull it a bit snug, the smaller chested you are the tighter you’ll want your elastic to be. Cut your elastic leaving an extra inch or so for sewing. If you’re not sure on the size leave your elastic a little long you can always shorten it.
Attach your safety pin to your elastic then make a small hole in the existing bottom hem of the t-shirt, and run it through the hem. Check your size and sew the ends of your elastic together. Sew the small hole you made in your hem closed.

Step 2
Pin a straight line across the top of the tee where the shoulders are. You will be cutting this off and hemming it.

Step 3
Pin your sleeves flat against the front of your tee.
Pin the edge you just cut and hem with your needle and thread.

Step 4
Sew the arm holes shut.

Step 5
Cut 2 small pieces of your elastic. Just like you used the bottom hem of the tee, you will use the hems on the sleeves for the elastic on the pockets. Cut a small hole in the sleeve hem (on the inside), attach the safety pin to the elastic and run it through the hem. But only run the elastic through about two thirds of the sleeve hem. This time you will need to secure the elastic to the tee, since it’s not going all the way around.

Step 6
I left about 4 ½ inches of the sleeve without elastic. Sew this part to the front of the tee.I’m seriously thinking this needs some embellishing. I may print it or at least splatter it with bleach. If I do I’ll post it. Have fun with this project!

T-shirt shag rug tutorial

Source: http://mollykaystoltz.com/t-shirt-shag-rug-tutorial/

 

 

How to Make a T-shirt Shag Rug

 

Supplies: 1 XL t-shirt, cloth scissors, and lots of small t-shirt scraps

the base with a few scraps threaded through

1. Make the base.

For the base of the rug, lay the X-L t-shirt flat and cut a large rectangle out of the shirt, as large as you would like the size of your rug to be. It’s possible to make a larger rug by sewing more t-shirts together- two to make a runner, four to make a large square, etc. You could also cut it into a circle shape for a circular rug.

 

a rotary board makes cutting easier

 

perfect sized scraps!

2. Make scraps.

If you are me, you have scraps of t-shirts all over your apartment. If you aren’t, you may need to go to the thrift store and purchase a lot of t-shirts to make into scraps. I would go for 10-12 to start, although I’m not positive exactly how many you will need. Go for more rather than less, and choose complimentary colors, or try to purchase t-shirts that are the same color for a monotone rug. 

Cut these t-shirts into strips that are approximately 5-6’’ long and 1-1 ½’’ wide. You can use scissors, or if you are lucky, a rotary cutter and board, which helps make things faster. Some t-shirt fabrics stretch and so you can pull them to make them longer. Others don’t.  Once you cut a few t-shirts you’ll begin to see what works. Also, don’t be afraid to use imperfect scraps-scraps that have odd edges, have a serged edge on them, are ruffly, etc. They add to the shaggy look of your rug.

holes before and after scraps are threaded through 

3. Cut holes into the base.

Starting 1’’ from the edge of the base, carefully poke or snip horizontal and vertical rows of small holes about 1/2 ’’ to 2/3’’ inches apart. It will look like a big Lite-Brite board without the little pegs! You can also do this as you go along while putting the rug together, as I did, or just go ahead and make all of the holes before you start to thread the scraps into the rug. If you want perfect rows, you can mark the holes first using a ruler to mark the spots. 

see how the scraps share each hole? 

4. Start threading scraps into the base.

Beginning at one corner, thread a strip down through the first hole and back up through the second. Take a second scrap and thread it through the second hole (the same hole you just pulled the first scrap up through) so that it shares this hole with the first scrap, and then pull it up through the third hole.

Continue doing this for a very, very long time… Do this while watching movies, television, when you have a really short moment of time and you don’t know what to do. It will take time, but it will be finished!

the back and top side of the rug- pretty on both sides!

5. Give your rug a haircut.

When you are finished, you can give your rag a little haircut to even out any longer scraps that look off, or you can leave your rug uneven for a shaggier look. But remember, these scraps don’t grow back!

The top side of the rug looks great, but so does the bottom side. Flip the rug over for a new look and feel! If a scrap falls out or gets uneven, simply put it back in or pull it until it is even. It’s very easy to maintain. If you would like to wash it, please use a lingerie bag and run it in a delicate cycle as it could fall apart in the wash. However, the fabric is not delicate itself, so if something were to happen, it can be cleaned.

Source: http://mollykaystoltz.com/t-shirt-shag-rug-tutorial/

T-shirt Reconstruction

Tshirt Reconstruction

I actually made this last summer, and just had never made a tutorial for it.  I love this dress, it is sooooo bright!!!  

1.  You will need a very large tshirt.  Cut off the sleeves, and then cut a straight line right below the neckline. The sleeves will become the top of the dress, and the large chunk will become the body of the dress.

2.  Take the two sleeves you cut off, and cut the side seam of the sleeve open on each of them, and lay them flat.  This will give you a nice long strip of fabric. (This will be the top of the dress, so test the rectangle pieces against your bust for coverage. As in-measure from your bra band to however high you want to cover your bust.)   Cut out 2 identical rectangle pieces. Don't cut off the finished sleeve hem- later you can use this as the top hem on the dress.

3.  Match up the top (previous sleeve) portions with the matching body (large chunk) portions.

4.  Sew (right sides together) the top pieces to each body piece.  Then sew up the side seams entirely.

5.  Sew elastic for the waist/under bust.  Sew it it straight onto the dress, stretching the elastic as you sew. (If you hate working with elastic, you could also belt the dress here while wearing it instead.)

6.  Trim access and turn dress right side out.  

 

Source: http://cancandancer.blogspot.gr/2012/03/neon-tshirt-reconstruction.html