Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Turn a Men's Shirt into a Women's Tank Top Tutorial

Photobucket
So I've mentioned a few times how awesome my older sister is. And she totally is. Today, however, I want to talk about my amazing little sister! Roxanne is the kind of sister that is always doing those things that you always dreamed about doing but never did. Things like taking trips to Tahoe, marching in civil rights parades, getting an apartment downtown and living it up.... Not to mention she's gorgeous, talented and adventurous.
Yeah, she's pretty cool.
AND she's a wiz on a sewing machine! She's agreed to share with us a tutorial on how to turn a men's t-shirt into a woman's tank top. :)

Photobucket
The before.

Things you'll need for this project-
Scissors
Sewing machine (or needle and thread if you're feeling ambitious)
Ruler or measuring tape
Pins
Craft pencil or something to mark on the shirt with (I used a crayon)
One of your old tank tops

Photobucket
Cut around the collar to remove it from the shirt.

Photobucket
Then decide how wide you want the straps of your tank top to be. Put the edge of the ruler or measuring tape next to the collar and mark on the shoulder where you want the tank top edge to stop.

Photobucket
Make a straight line from your mark on the shoulder to the armpit of the shirt and cut along it to remove the sleeve from the shirt. Do the same thing to the other side.

Photobucket
I marked it here with a pin.

Photobucket
Afterwards it should look like this.

Photobucket
Then turn the shirt inside out and put it on. Make a mark where you want the neckline to hit.

Photobucket
When you take the shirt off, pull the shoulders together and fold the front collar to the side.

Photobucket
Starting from your mark in the middle of the shirt start cutting up towards the shoulder in a curved shape.

Photobucket
If your shirt doesn't have a pattern on it then you can just skip this part.
If it does than go around the edges of it with some pins.

Photobucket
It should look like this when you're done, with the design outlined in pins.

Photobucket
Turn the shirt inside out and using the pins as a guide, outline where the edge of the design is.

Photobucket
This outline will help make sure that your shirt won't be uneven on the sides.

Photobucket
Take one of your tank tops and put it on top of the shirt. This will work as a basic pattern to make sure that the new shirt will fit you.

Photobucket
Using the tank top as a guide, mark on the shirt where you want the armpit on the new shirt to hit.

Then using the sides of the tank top mark the sides of the shirt. Remember to leave yourself extra room on the sides for your seam. 1 or 2 inches is usually good enough.
And remember to check your marks around the front design to make sure everything is centered.

Photobucket
Next pin along your line.

Photobucket
And then sew.

Photobucket
Turn the shirt right side out and check out your handiwork. Run a hand along the edges you just sewed to make sure there are no gaps or weak points.

Photobucket
Only thing that's left is the sleeves. Fold them against each other and cut off any extra excess.

Photobucket
Almost there.

Photobucket
And then you're done!

Ok, so I think you'll all agree with me that my sister is awesome. Cause there's no denying it. Thanks Rox for being so cool!

7 comments:

  1. Aw shucks, sisters, thanks. I think you're both pretty awesome yourselves.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Awesome blog . I enjoyed reading your posts. This is truly a great read for me.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Very nice tutorial :-) you can buy dresses for teenagers and womens from top leading brands at http://www.majorbrands.in

    ReplyDelete
  4. Excellent ! This is a nice post. You know exactly what you're talking about, exactly where other people are coming .Thanks 
    tank top

    ReplyDelete
  5. Customized t shirts are my first preference. Prints and designs on all my tees are praised by my friends. Pair them with Designer Leggings for gym and college. Colors can be mixed and matched accordingly. Searching for tanks with stretch and deep cuts at the back. My friend suggested going for long sports bras with light pads also.

    ReplyDelete