I love a craft project that saves me money instead of costs more!  You know the ones I mean.  The ones that give you a ton of gratification but until you buy all the odds and ends and the glue gun you lost track of you are spending waaaaaay more than anticipated.

This is a great craft for those t-shirts from high school or a trip that you can’t bear to throw away, but really don’t want to wear as is.  For me, this was a case of a trip to Disney where I wanted us all to have cute Mickey shirts, but I couldn’t find any that I liked that were good for 100 degree weather.  The solution?  An XL t-shirt from the little boys section for $8.99 – jackpot!  ( some great options here for less than $5 each!)

Check out the simple way I changed this shirt up to be lighter for the hot weather as well as a lot cuter!

1.  Start by turning the shirt inside out so you can draw on it and not be as distracted by the print.

 

2.  Draw a design on the front and back of the t-shirt to have clean lines to follow.  For me, I used a liquid chalk marker that will wash right out. I made sure the neck was centered and drew a curve from the neck to the bottom of the arm pit on both the front and back.  I free-handed it, but you can easily use a plate to make a smoother line if need be.

 

3.  Next, use cloth scissors ( or a great new pair of other scissors) and using long smooth strokes, cut off the sleeves.  I found it best to start at the neck by poking a hoke to ensure that was done correctly.  Bonus when you are done?  Awesome hat for your kids…?

 

4.  Take one of the sleeves and cut off the finished hem edge to use as a clean bow/tie-back.

5.  Pull the sides of the back together and tie it with a bow.  If you want it to be a little fancier you could use a ribbon instead, but knowing this will be sweaty and going on rides all day, the cotton bow is perfect!

 

6.  Try it on and be amazed at your awesomeness and creativity!  You can always go the extra step and sew your cut lines, but with this look being in right now I am keeping it as is and am super happy with the results!

 

I don’t think anyone would guess that this is a little boys t-shirt and I am in love!  I know I have a whole bin full of old cheerleading T’s from high school I can rescue from my mom’s house and make some more for workout tanks.  You can also check out some great kids shirts that are half the price of adults!

I hope you enjoyed this and i’d love to see how you used this tutorial to make your own!  Make sure to subscribe so you don’t miss out on any new ideas coming out soon 🙂