I had a super soft brown UFC t-shirt I bought way back in August of 2006...UFC 62 - Liddell vs. Sobral. It's an extra large and is a bit frumpy on me now...time to cut it up & refashion it.
My first step was to find a good fitting shirt that I liked which will be used as my pattern. It's comfy & flattering...simple too. =)
Then I cut the neck off my shirt...once again using the scrap of soap to mark my cut line.
To create that simple little gather at the bust, I stretched & pinned 2 1/2" of elastic, stretched over 4" of fabric...then stitched it on.
The tricky part is that you have to hold on tight to the elastic while you stretch & sew it. I found it helpful to crank my presser foot down a few notches.
I should have stopped right here...but I didn't! I got the bright idea to cut up the back...wanted to try some lacing. I cut the shirt straight up the middle of the back, then made a "V" shape on top. I tried it on & pinned it to fit comfortably.
I liked it so much at this stage, but really wanted to try that new leather cording I just got my hands on...so I punched some holes in it every inch or so on each side...then laced it up.
I wasn't in love with my bra showing through the back...and I sewed it back up! Much to my dismay, it was now too small...so I'll have to revamp it again. I think I'll make another t-shirt dress with this shirt...but I'll leave that for another post! Can't be afraid to just go for it sometimes...lesson learned! =)
Super cute! Linked over from Wardrobe Re-Fashion and so glad I did. This is exactly what I need to do with some frumpy t-shirts. Just for clarity: you cut a scoop-neck and the elastic transformed that into the v-neckline, right? Can't wait to try this!
ReplyDeleteyes, I actually just cut off the neck & stitched a snippet of elastic (stretched longer while sewing...gotta secure it really good with pins to keep it tight & in place).
ReplyDeleteI'd love to see what you create.