Off the shoulder top tutorial

Off the shoulder top

Day 5:  How to make an off the shoulder top out of an old tee shirt 

This is my off one shoulder top, it is very easy to make

I think this is my favorite refashion I have done so far in my 30 day challenge.  I know it's only day five, but still. I love it because it is so casual and comfortable and only took a few minutes.  I could lounge around all day in my new of the shoulder tee or run too town if I need too.  Ok if you want to make one for yourself then fallow along and you will have one in no time.

This is how my shirt looked when I got it at the thrift store, not very flattering, but oh so soft.

Sorry my photographer was M.I.A




Below is a photo of how it will look when you are done.  You can make the off the shoulder effect as strong as you like.  You can also make the tie with as much flair as you like.

Step 1

Gather the supplies.  You will need.

1. A shirt you want to refashion
2. A shirt with a neck that is cut the way you like
3. A rotary cutter
4. A scrap of fabric
5. A safety pin

Step 2

Lay the shirt you wish to refashion down.  Lay the shirt with the neck you like on top.  Then use the rotary cutter to cut the bottom shirt to match. Shown in the photo below.  

*Tip, If you are not sure how much shoulder you would like to show, it is best to cut a little off then, try it on.  You can always cut more away if you want to show more shoulder, but you can't uncut

Step 3

Now cut two little slits in the bottom hem of the shirt.  Cut the holes off to one side, that way your draw string will tie on the side.  Make the slits a little small because they will stretch when you are pulling the string through.  

This is how I cut my two small slits in the shirts hem

Step 4

Now get your long scrap of fabric.  (I used a hem cut off a shirt from a previous refashion that was in a color I liked)  Put a safety pin on one end of the fabric strip.  That way you can easily slide it through the shirt hem, that is now a drawstring casing.

This is how it will look when your fabric is threaded all the way around

TA-DA...This is how it will look when you put it on. 

finished off one shoulder shirt refashioned from a t-shirt 

Thanks for looking at my tutorial on how to refashion a tee shirt into an off the shoulder shirt.  If you have any questions please ask away.  I would love to know what you think, so feel free to let me know.

Thank for looking

Refashion a shirt into vest

  How to make a easy no-sew vest out of any shirt

My New dip dyed vest refashioned from a shirt

This is my fancy before and after photo!  I made it with picMonkey.  I love PicMonkey so far!(A funny side note, Anonymous left me a comment saying this was a badly placed add.  I had to laugh because this is not an add, just my opinion.  PicMonkey has no idea that my little blog even exists.  I just love them and like to spread the word, Maybe I should publish the comment? what do you all think?)

Before and after shirt to vest refashion

This is the shirt I started with, it was a thrift store special.  I liked because of the dip dye effect.  I used my vest "formula" on this shirt to make it a fun ombre vest.  So fallow along and you can make one too! 

 I have a method I always use to refashion shirts into vests.  It will always work.  It can make any shirt into the perfect drapey vest. (Well so far it has always worked).

 I came up with this vest "method" by dissecting a favorite vest of mine.  Then using it as a template.  I used the template a few times and on a few different style shirts and realized it always works.  I like how it works the most on V-neck shirts.

So now I want to share my t-shirt to vest method with you. So you can make yourself a simple no-sew drapey vest.

I am sure I am not the inventor of this method.  It is so simple that I am sure a lot of people use it.  The original vest I used to make the pattern was a brand named Poetry. So lets get started!

Step one

Remove sleeves, bottom hem and cut down the middle.  

This shirt has some ugly studs on it, so I also removed them.  I was not sure how I was going to handle this because I don't usually have to remove more than the selves and bottom hem.

When removing the weird fake studs I was surprised with black fabric.

I was surprised when I removed the ugly studs that the fabric under them was good looking.  In this close up picture  you can see how it looked when I removed the studs.

I liked the raw edge that was left after removing the studs.

Step 2
I like to make my vests a racer back, I feel it is more flattering.  So I use a racer back  that fits well as a guide.(my old vest)  Lay the guide top over the one you want to cut, then trace with chalk.

 I cut only one side away with my rotary cutter. Then I use the cut out scrap portion as a stencil for the other side.(this helps make sure the two sides are the same.  After cutting away both arm holes you should have a racer back.

See how I cut from the top seam to the bottom making a "c" shape

Step 3
After the arms holes are cut into a racer back.  Then fold the vest long ways.  Use the seams from the old shirt to line everything up.

My dog selfishly got hair all over

Then chalk the bottom with a nice curve to show off the bum bum.(this is my favorite part of making the vest.  You can  go as dramatic as you want with this cut, making the back as short as you want.   I used my favorite vest to help guide me.  Then cut along the chalk line with your rotary cutter.

I love the look this cut gives.  It makes the back of the vest shorter and the front longer and drapey

TA-DA there you have it! A very easy and fast no-sew vest.  I love how this one turned out.  I hope you like it and I hope you will give this a try.

DIY dip dye vest

 I really loved the raw edges that were left after I removed the studs, so I just left it.

Raw edges left after removing the studds

In this picture you can see well how the back looks after I made the half circle cut.

Well I hope you liked my second refashion in my 30 day challenge.

I hope you will try to make one of these because they are so easy and fun and always turn out well.  If you do please send me a picture and let me know how it turned out!

I am liking up at hope studios

Update*
This post turned out to be my ver first feature! I was featured over at the Refashion files, an awesome new blog.  I am so excited Yay me!