Men's to Mine T-Shirt...Part 2

I'm sure you have a few t-shirts folded somewhere that are just too big.  You like the design on the front, but can't bring yourself to put them on, unless your going to paint or do something dirty.  Here is how to make the shirt into a fitted tee, without too much hassle.

Put the shirt on inside out.  Stand in front of a mirror with some safety pins.  Now pin...

 

Start with the shoulders, pin where you want the seam to be

Next pin under your arms, not too snug but not too loose

Pin each side.  I started at my armpit on my right side with one pin, then moved to the left side.  I didn't want the shirt to be uneven, or pulled too much to one side. Work in a zig-zag motion pinning one side and then the next.

Take off shirt and mark the shirt. 

 

Cut. Add a little on the sides and armpits for a seam allowance. 

It is easier to take it in than to wish you had more room.

Lay shirt out flat and pin sleeve to armhole, right sides together. Sew just the sleeve.

With sleeve sewn, put right sides together and pin some more. Sew.

Try on.  This one is a little tight.  Next time I will do the sleeves differently.

Ta-Da!

 

Men's to My Shirt...Part 1

Every time I have walked into walmarto in the last month I have been drawn to the school supplies, not because I have a single child in school, but because the prices are ridiculously low.  Who can pass up 4 glue sticks for a dollar?  Washable markers for $2?  So to help my budget stay on track I have tried to avoid that area and just stick to the food area.  But they got me with other "back-to-school" items, not even school supplies.
Later this week I am teaching a class on how to refashion and re-use old clothing.  I have been on the look out for cheap inexpensive shirts to demonstrate with--and thanks to walmarto, I now have lots.  At first I was looking for colored shirts, but really didn't find shirts that I wanted to pay for.  But I stopped my limo-cart mid aisle when I looked at the men's undershirts on display at the front of the store and calculated that a pack of 7 shirts for $7 meant that the shirts were $1 a piece.  Hmm, sounds good to me. 
So for the next little while I will be posting my projects of refashioned shirts, hence the title Men's to My Shirt


First up...

Basic T

Here's the Men's XL Shirt after it has been washed and dried, I wanted to make sure it wouldn't shrink.

(Do you like the blue in the background? We're trying to figure out colors to paint the kids bathroom.)

Using one of my favorite shirts I traced a pattern on freezer paper.  I added a little to the length and side--easier to tailor a shirt if it is too big, right?

Sewing the shirt was basic.

1. Shoulder to shoulder

2. Sides to sides.

3. Sleeves to armhole (right sides together).

Make sure you cut out the bottom of the shirt along the hem of the shirt so you don't have to hem.  I did this with the body and the sleeves.

Using the sleeves from the shirt I cut off from the top and the inside edge.  I stacked both sleeves on top of each other to do this to make sure the sleeves matched.

Ta-Da!  Fitted shirt with cuter sleeves

 Not too shabby.  Now I have a basic pattern that fits me perfectly. 

Next I will show you another way to make a big t-shirt a fitted shirt.  This time without a pattern.

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