Shirt Project - Level - Easy

As I mentioned in my last post, the style of 2011 seems to be creative shirt cuts. Some shirts have flowy cape-like backs or longer sides. It allows designers to take simple patterns and vibrant colors and add some flair to a look. After all, haven't we had enough with differing necklines? Playing with shirt lengths and cuts can be wonderful for different body types. The only problem is that if you want some of the cooler looks, you are going to have to buy them at higher prices since average retailers have either reserved their right to deny, or perhaps just don't feel it will cater to their audience. So, with that said, I thought I would teach you guys how to quickly turn a t-shirt into a fun new trendy style.

You will need: scissors, a long t-shirt you like, but don't mind destroying, a yard stick or straight edge that goes the width of the shirt and a tool to mark your fabric, needle and thread or sewing machine.

Step 1: Start by finding a flat and clean surface. Lay your shirt down inside out so that it is not wrinkled and you have the shirt flat as can be. You want to ensure you can see the seems on either side.

Step 2: Using your straight edge, place it maybe 2 or 3 inches above the bottom of the shirt

across the width of the shirt. You can change up the height depending on how drastic you want your style to look.

Step 3: Using your marking tool begin at the left side of your shirt and make a dotted line on an arc just about an inch or half an inch above the bottom of the shirt. Stop once you have hit your preferred bottom and do the same on the other side of the shirt. Once you have mapped out your arc, finish by making an arced or semi-circular line across the bottom of the shirt. Thus far, it should look like the picture to the left. As you can tell, I used magazines for my straight edge. I used a really thin cotton shirt, you may prefer something a little stronger and better quality for your shirt. Also, the shirt I used isn't a very baggy shirt of which this style may look better. My lines in the picture below are somewhat off, but remember you want to use your line as guide if it is turns out straighter on one side.

Step 4. Using your scissors, carefully cut along your dotted line. Don't worry about crooked cuts because you will be sewing the bottom to finish your look. If you want a more casual and rugged look you may want to be careful about how your cutting is looking.

Step 5. Once you are done cutting take a look at your shirt, are the cuts as deep as you want? Or do you want a more dramatic look? I wasn't happy with my first attempt, so I used my scissors and position them as the second picture shows. An easy way to make sure both sides are even is to fold your shirt over and cut the second side using the first side as a guide. See my second picture below for how that would look.

Step 6: Once you are happy with how dramatic the cutting is, and you want to finish the look. Grab your shirt and lay it flat again. With the shirt inside out, fold a small piece of fabric over and sew a seam. My picture below shows about how much you want to fold over. If you notice the rolling, this is something you do not want, which is why I suggest a shirt with a thicker fabric.

Step 7: Enjoy your new fun clothing item. As you can see below, I cut my front tail across making the shirt extra original. I will have a longer back and short front. For mine, I probably wouldn't wear it out this way, I would have sewn the bottom, but I ran out of thread. Can't win 'em all.

You can experiment with different looks as well. If you do, just don't use something you love just in case it doesn't come out right.