All you need for this project is an old shirt.  My brother has yet again provided an unwanted tee for this DIY project, so the cost for me was $0!

The first step is to remove the sleeves. Cut on the side of the seam closest to the neckline so you remove the seam completely.

Next you need to lower the neckline. You can wing it, but I recommend turning the shirt inside out and using a pencil or fabric chalk to sketch out where you want to cut.

Once you have sketched out your new neckline, cut the fabric.

Now you can start to visualize what your top is going to look like. The armholes need to be widened so try on the top and pin one of the armholes where you’d like to cut it.

Take off the shirt and cut the pinned armhole. Take the scrap you cut off and use it as a pattern by pinning it to the other armhole and cutting around it. This ensures that the armholes are symmetrical. Err on the side of caution because you can always make them wider later on.

Next, see if you need to take in the sides of the shirt. Sometimes guys shirts have a narrow cut, but this one was like a potato sack. To take in the sides, turn the shirt inside out and pin both sides of the shirt.

Sew along the pins and cut off the excess fabric. (I hadn’t yet trimmed the fabric in this picture.)

Keep the shirt inside out and squeeze together the back of the shirt. Secure with a scrap of fabric.

Turn the top rightside out and try it on. Make any alterations if necessary. I ended up lowering the neckline in the front and back and trimming off the seam along the bottom.

And with that, you have a racerback tank perfect for layering!

Think you’ll try out this project? If so, send in a pic!

Tags: graphic tee, racerback, tank

Categories: DIY, My Style, Tops