Transforming Shirts: Diy Tank Top Tricks And Tips

There are many ways to transform an old T-shirt into a tank top. This can be done by cutting the sleeves off, cutting the neckline, cutting the backside, and making ties for the back. This is a great way to upcycle an old T-shirt into a unique tank top, especially if it has a fun colour or cute print. It is also a good way to get more use out of T-shirts that are unflattering or uncomfortable.

Cut the sleeves off

To make a tank top by cutting the sleeves off a T-shirt, you will need a T-shirt, a washable marker or pen, a sports bra or a tank top to trace, and scissors.

First, lay your T-shirt flat on a table or on the ground. Smooth it out, lining up the seams. Take a ruler or measuring tape and mark, with a washable marker or pen, two inches from the seam at the neck of the T-shirt on both sides. Next, mark two inches below the seam of the sleeve, on both sides. If you want a more open tank top that shows more of your rib cage, you can go lower than two inches below the sleeve seam.

Now, it's time to cut! Use your scissors to cut just one sleeve off. Start at the bottom mark under the sleeve. Follow the natural curve of the sleeve seam, aiming for the mark you've made at the neck.

Fold your T-shirt in half, lining up the neck seams. This will allow you to trace your first cut and make an identical cut on the opposite side. You can use your pen or just eyeball it.

Make your second cut. Don't throw away the sleeves yet—you're going to need them later.

Take one of the sleeves that you've cut off. Now, cut a 0.5"-1" wide strip of fabric from the sleeve. If you cut it carefully, you'll have yourself a loop. Cut that, and you want one straight piece. Depending on how far you want the back of your tank top to go down, you may need two pieces. Cut both sleeves, just in case.

Now, grab the back of your T-shirt and bunch it together at the spot where you'd like the "racer back" portion to begin. Tie your long strip of fabric in a tight knot, holding the bunched fabric together. Leave a longer end to the tie, as you're going to wrap this into the shirt to prevent it from unravelling.

Begin winding the long piece of fabric "string" around and down the bunched racer back portion of your tank top. As you go, tuck the short end of your string underneath as you go, to hide the excess fabric.

If you get to a point where you'd like to continue, but your string is long enough, tie another one on, and keep going!

When you've gone as far down the tank as you'd like, tie another knot in the fabric. Then, use your finger to weave and tuck the excess fabric beyond the knot back into your twist. This will help prevent it from coming untied or unravelling in the wash.

And that's it! You've made yourself a tank top by cutting off the sleeves of a T-shirt. You can now make any adjustments you want to the length or fit. You can also bedazzle it, cut off the bottom cuff, or add other creative touches—it's your tank top, so feel free to get creative!

Cut the neckline

Cutting the neckline of a T-shirt to make a tank top is a simple process. First, lay your T-shirt flat on a table and smooth it out, lining up the seams. You can use a ruler or measuring tape to mark the neckline, placing it where the shoulder seam meets the collar and marking two inches from the seam at the neck of the T-shirt on both sides.

If you want a super open tank top that shows more of your rib cage, you can go lower than two inches below the sleeve seam. You can also cut the sleeves off your T-shirt before cutting the neckline, following the natural curve of the sleeve seam and aiming for the mark you've made at the neck.

Now, for the neckline, fold your T-shirt in half, lining up the neck seams. This will allow you to cut a symmetrical neckline on the front and back of the shirt. You can use your pen as a guide or simply eyeball it.

When cutting the neckline, make sure to only cut through one layer of fabric at a time, especially if you are creating a racerback tank top. Lift up the back of the shirt and cut along the lines you drew, being careful not to cut through both layers.

If you want a deeper or wider neckline, you can always cut more fabric after you're done cutting the initial neckline. However, remember to leave a seam allowance if you plan on hemming the neckline.

After cutting the neckline, you can choose to hem it for a more finished look or leave it raw, as T-shirt fabric typically does not fray.

Cut the backside

Now for the backside of the tank top. Grab a sports bra with a wide, solid racerback strap, or a racerback tank top. Use this as a stencil. Line up the shoulders of the tank top to the top of your soon-to-be-tank top. Trace the parts you can, and eyeball the rest.

Using the lines you just drew, lift up the back of the shirt, and cut out the backside of the shirt only. Be careful not to cut through both layers or you’re going to have a funny and potentially awkwardly shaped tank top.

Now, take one of the sleeves that you’ve cut off. Cut a 0.5″ – 1″ wide strip of fabric from the sleeve. If you cut it carefully, you’ll have yourself a loop. Cut that, you want one straight piece. Depending on how far you want the back of your tank to go down, you may need two pieces. Cut both sleeves, just in case.

Grab the back of the tank and bunch it together at the spot where you’d like the “racerback” portion to begin. Tie your long strip of fabric in a tight knot, holding the bunched fabric together. Leave a longer end to the tie, you’re going to wrap this into the shirt to prevent it from coming unraveled.

Begin winding the long piece of fabric “string” around and down the bunched racerback portion of your tank. As you go, tuck the short end of your string underneath as you go, to hide the excess fabric.

If you get to a point where you’d like to continue, but your string is long enough, tie another one on, and keep going!

When you’ve gone as far down the tank as you’d like to go, tie another knot in the fabric. Then, use your finger to weave and tuck the excess fabric (beyond the knot) back into your twist. This will help prevent it from coming untied or unraveling in the wash.

Tips

• Make any adjustments you want to length or fit now. Bedazzle it, cut off the bottom cuff, whatever you want. It’s your tank top, so get creative!
• The cuts will get softer with washing, rolling slightly inwards to appear less sharp/harsh. These tank tops only get better with time!

Make the ties for the back

Now for the fun part: making the ties for the back! For this step, you will need the sleeves that you cut off earlier. Cut a 0.5"-1" wide strip of fabric from one of the sleeves. If you cut carefully, you will have a loop of fabric. Cut this loop to create one straight piece of fabric. Depending on how far down your back you want the ties to go, you may need to cut a second strip of fabric from the other sleeve.

Now, grab the back of your tank top and bunch it together where you would like the "racer back" to begin. Tie your strip of fabric in a tight knot around the bunched fabric. Leave a longer end to the tie, as you will be wrapping this into the shirt to prevent it from unravelling.

Begin winding the long piece of fabric around and down the bunched racer back portion of your tank. As you go, tuck the short end of the string underneath to hide the excess fabric. If you need to add another strip of fabric to continue, tie the two pieces together and keep going!

When you have gone as far down the tank as you would like, tie another knot in the fabric. Then, use your finger to weave and tuck the excess fabric beyond the knot back into the twist. This will help prevent the tie from coming undone or unravelling in the wash.

Sew the fabric

If you want to finish the armholes with a rolled hem, I recommend cutting the sleeve outside the seam, leaving about a 1/4-inch seam allowance. This will give the armhole a little reinforcement and feel like you've added binding to it. If you want a deeper cut, that will work too.

Try on the shirt before cutting, just to make sure it fits well and cut where you want it to be. If the armholes are a little gappy and loose, note that after you hem or add binding, it will pull and be more fitted.

Once the sleeves are cut off, fold the fabric edge over the sleeve seam (1/4 inch) and then fold it over again. Thread your sewing machine with a matching colour of thread to the t-shirt. Starting at the underarm seam, sew all the way around using a straight stitch, sewing just inside the outer fold to hold it in place. Do this for both armholes.

If the shoulder seams are too wide and you want to bring them in a little, you can add a little gather to the shoulder seam. Simply take a needle, double the thread, knot the end, and take two rows of big gathering stitches to gather to your liking. Knot to secure in place.

You can also use a ribbon to gather the shoulders by tying a bow around the shoulder top and tacking it in place with a needle and thread.

Binding

Using stretchy knit fabric strips from other upcycled knit clothing can add a lot of character to your tank tops.

Decide where you want to cut the armholes. Cut out and try the tank top on to make sure that's where you want things to be.

Measure the armhole, starting at the shoulder seam and going down to the side seam. Double that measurement and then subtract 1 inch. This will be the length to cut the armhole binding.

Cut 2-inch strips, on the stretch of your binding fabric. Cut them to the armhole measurement. If you don’t have strips long enough, you can piece them together.

Place the strips right sides together and sew the short ends together using a 1/4 – 3/8 inch seam allowance to form a ring. Do this for both strips.

Fold the rings in half to find the halfway point and mark with a pin. Do the same thing with the armholes. Find the halfway point from the side seam and mark with a pin. It’s not always going to be the shoulder seam. Most likely it’s a little off to the side.

Now you’re ready to sew the binding to the tank top. With the shirt wrong side out, line up the binding seam with the side seam. Pin that in place. Line up the halfway points and pin them in place. The binding piece will be shorter than the tank top piece, so you will be stretching the binding slightly as you sew.

Take it to the sewing machine and, starting at the underarm seam, sew all the way around. Use a 3/8 inch seam allowance and a regular straight stitch. Backstitch at the beginning and end of the seam.

Fold the binding over to the wrong side with the seam finger pressed outward and toward the binding. Pin or clip in place all the way around. Make sure the seam is enclosed in the binding. On the topside, stitch in the ditch, which is the point where the shirt meets the binding. Turn your sewing machine handwheel toward you, bringing the needle down to make sure it is placed in that crevice. Start sewing. Ease and stretch the fabric slightly as you sew. Backstitch at the end.

There may be a lot of excess fabric, but that's okay. Very carefully take your scissors and trim the excess fabric close to the seam. Be careful not to cut the fabric underneath! No need to worry, the fabric will not fray.

You can do this in the same manner for the neck if you want.

Frequently asked questions