Hi everybody, it's Letitia. From this huge trend of throwing things out (thanks to
Marie Kondo) we also have a lot of old t-shirts that don't spark us joy anymore.
I had a lot of old t-shirts that I wanted to redo and turn into something
new that I could make use from. So here are five t-shirt DIYs for you to enjoy. I'd
like to introduce to you my friend Ally.
So today we are going to be upcycling old t-shirts in our closet. I have a bunch of no-sew ideas, fun ideas
for your pet. Be sure to watch Ally's video to see how
she DIYs her t-shirts. This first DIY is the hardest so I thought I'd get it over
with. First I bought these lovely non-refundable cuttings for $80. Yeah, $80
Don't forget the math that you learned in school kids. I found this beautiful
design on Etsy by Tessa Perlow, and I'm recreating it for this abstract rainbow
DIY. Start by opening up the side seam of your t-shirt, then tuck the end of your
first color inside. This is how we will finish a t-shirt and make it look
store-bought. Pin down your first trimming as your main guide line. The
rest of the colors will follow this general shape. Using similar colored
thread, hand stitch the trim from inside the t-shirt, making small stitches to
blend seamlessly with the trim. When you get to the end, just let it dangle off. We
will cut it later. Repeat with the remainder of the colors. This took me
about an hour to hand stitch, and a good episode of Netflix is recommended for
this portion.
Once you've completed the rainbow, turn your t-shirt inside out. On the side of
the tee, make sure all ends of your yarn are sticking out and resew your side
seam with a zig-zag stitch.
For the hem of the t-shirt, cut open the bottom fold very carefully, then zig-zag
stitch the serged hem and yarn together to prevent unraveling. Then, very
painfully for me, cut the excess. I had lots to spare so I'll be saving it for
another DIY. Fold over the hem and restitch the bottom to perfectly finish
your tee. Let's see your shirt okay that's okay I guess for people who can't afford the
$80.00 trim, what's your alternative? Just get a ball of yarn. Don't buy this kind of trim. Here's a much easier one.
I had this leftover faux fur trim from my DIY monster clutch and this double XL
men's pocket t-shirt from the thrift store. After snipping to size, carefully
and very shallowly cut from the back of your faux fur. It is so satisfying to
pull part with no mess after cutting. Then taking some flexible fabric glue,
brush the edges in the middle of your fur patch and pocket. Leave one edge unglued
so that when you place the patch you don't accidentally seal the pocket shut.
Add glue after if needed. I felt like if it was fitted, it's like right over the boob, and it would be very weird.
I keep petting it. Just petting your boob, just casually.
I'm all about reducing my footprint. All the cutaways from today's DIY I will
save as cleaning rags. These washable cotton pads are also environmentally friendly.
Take an old cotton tee, and cut circles through both layers of the t-shirt. Then
zig-zag stitch around the circumference of the doubled-up circles. Like pancakes,
you can expect the first one to be not so perfect. Think of how many cotton
rounds you can make from just one t-shirt. I took Stefan's old t-shirt and
I cut it up and then I was like by the way Stefan, I took one of your old
t-shirts and I cut it up and he was like "Really? Did you have to do that?" Whenever I use cotton pads I feel
like the lint always gets into my eyes. The cotton is so smart.
Another eco-friendly hack here. Turn an old t-shirt inside out and fold in half.
Cut off the sleeves and collar with a rounded shape then stitch along the raw
edges, making sure to start a little farther from the cut edge so that you
can blend the finish seamlessly with the rest of the t-shirt. I double stitched mine
for extra insurance. Then rotate the tee so that what was once a hem is now at
the top. With a ruler, measure and mark every other inch with a dotted line. I
moved down every half inch increment. Near the top, draw a long line in the
middle measuring about 10 inches. Once you've cut everything, start stretching
and pulling on the tee. If yours is super linty like mine after cutting,
I recommend washing it once before use. Now it's a reusable bag, and mine's a
little rock and roll style. Oh yeah put in those Cheetos. Should I
try that for my video? Yeah! Okay what color should I make it though?
This ruffly crop top takes a few steps but is actually quite easy to do. Cut off the top of your
t-shirt, turning it into a tube top. Taking wide elastic, measure a little
above your waist with some tension on the elastic. Do the same for your chest,
but use just a slight bit of tension on top because you don't want the top to
cut into your armpit. For the spaghetti strap, I took stretch cord and measured
roughly around the shoulder, then doubled up and cut for even straps. Turn the tee
inside out and fold over the top cut edge of your tee, and sew around almost
90% of the way. Leave an opening to thread your chest elastic through.
Overlap the two ends of the elastic and sew it down to finish the band, then
close the remaining ten percent of the top. About two and a half inches from
each side, mark the front and back of your top. Pin and stitch your spaghetti
strap, making sure it is not twisted. I stitched at the fold and at the seam we
created for the elastic top.
Now we'll be sewing the waistband around midpoint of the t-shirt, leaving lots of
room at the hem for a nice ruffle. You want to pull the elastic twice as much
as the t-shirt, so that when you sew it down, it will naturally gather. I find the
midpoint of the elastic, and pull it enough to meet the full width of the
front of the t-shirt, and repeat on the back so that the elastic is evenly
adjusted across the front and back. Sew two stitches top and bottom of the
elastic to mimic elastic casing, and you're done. I hope you guys enjoyed this
video, you have to see all the other DIYs that we put together. If you want to see
more collabs between Ally and I, let us know in the comments below and give this
video a big thumbs up. Thanks for watching everybody, bye!