Call it altered, refashioned or upcycled, a repurposed t-shirt can be the best thing since… well, since you bought the shirt in the first place. Try some of these ways to modify your old t-shirts and make yourself a whole new wardrobe!
My friend Sherri has been deconstructing her band T-Shirts for years. I always wished I had her talent. A while ago, I did a search on Pinterest to see how many ways there were to create a new shirt from a simple old tee. There are so many great tutorials out there! This is an excellent way to make a T-shirt into something spectacular and even though the sun is not out too much right now, they still look great layered over long sleeves. This would make a great project to do with your teen or tween this weekend! Here are a plethora of awesome ways to DIY an upcycled T-shirt.
10 Awesome Ways to Deconstruct a T-Shirt
Sew What’s Happening has a great tutorial for making a very simple Asymmetrical Tank with Bow. This one looks super simple and requires only minimal sewing.
I love this Reverse Applique T-Shirt Refashion from Swoodson Says. The cut-outs are formed by first sewing around your letter stencils, then carefully cutting away the top fabric to reveal the print on the bottom.
Creative Fashion Blog lives up to its name with this DIY Ruffle Shirt made from a plain black t-shirt.
Wobisobi is like the queen of all sites dedicated to T-shirt deconstruction. Check out this simple tutorial for a T-Shirt Halter Top. (She also has a Skull Cut-Out Tee.)
Creating Laura has a very nice No-Sew Bow Back Tank on her site. Very minimal skills needed for this one and so cute!
Create a whole wardrobe of these T-shirt to Tanks from Crafterhours. They look simple and require very minimal sewing.
For chilly days ahead, Melly Sews has a tutorial on how to restyle a long-sleeve jersey tee into a Cowl Neck T-shirt.
She also has an awesome Smocked Tee Tutorial that makes a t-shirt look great as a child’s dress.
Trash to Couture has a way of restyling a t-shirt by adding a DIY Crochet Seam Inset to the sides. Although the result looks intricate, the actual upcycle only requires a few cuts and straight stitches.
Another Trash to Couture treasure is this upcycled Basket Weave T-Shirt design.
This DIY Ruffle T-Shirt Refashion from Heather Handmade uses the bottom three inches of the t-shirt to make the ruffle (turning the shirt into something of a crop-top).
This Wrap T-Shirt Refashion from Bonnie and Blithe proves that practical can be stylish.
Tatertots and Jello used a $4 t-shirt and a tea towel from the dollar store to make this DIY Anthropologie-inspired Ruffle Shirt. It looks difficult, but the tutorial says it’s beginner-friendly!
Do you deconstruct T-shirts yourself? I would love to know which patterns you would like to try!
More Ways to Upcycle Old Clothing
Turn Thrift Store Finds into Christmas Gifts
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Anita says
Never did see the grey tank here yet clicked away & gave up…
Alea Milham says
There are 2 grey shirts. The skull cut-out tee and the No-Sew Bow Back Tank. I checked and the links are working for both of those shirts.