As my post implies, YES- I AM a roller-derby fan-girl! So I had to get my fave teams t-shirt to wear to the next bout. But of course, it was a plain ol’ boxy tee. Not so cute. So I decided to upcycle it.
Boxy. Not so cute.
Do you know the difference between “upcycling” and “recycling?” Recycling is taking an item destined for the trash pile and turning it into something new and/or useful. Upcycling is when you redesign or refashion an item, but it keeps it’s original purpose. Thought you might want to know!Â
So I cut off the bottom about 3 inches, and then added ruching to the last 3 inches along the side seam.
Underside of seam.
If you’ve never added ruching with elastic, you should try it. You cut the piece of elastic the length of the amount of ruching you want. Then you tack the elastic where you want the ruching to start, and strreeeeeetch the elastic as you zig-zag stitch it. When the elastic returns to it’s original length, you have gathers!
Ruching from the "right" side.
For the neckline, I just cut off the ribbing and made a slight “v” shape. I hate ribbing.
I modified the sleeves by snipping them open along the outside. I also added that gathered ruching along the shoulder seams. I added some side darts to give the shirt some extra shape.
Here you can see my side darts and the ruching at the bottom.
But what makes my tee-shirt the awesome-ist is the crystals…. I added crystal polka-dots!
If you’d like to read the review of the iRock cordless crystal setter- which is what I used to bling it out- just click the link.
And finally…my shirt is ready for Bout Day!
The moral of the story is…. don’t be afraid to play with your clothes. Have fun and upcycle away!
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I too am a Roller Derby fan! Vette City Vixens rock! Definitely going to do this to my Vixens tee. Thanks!
LOVE where you went with the shirt and I have to say that I’m not particularly surprised that you’re a roller derby fan. 🙂
Very cute upcycle!
very cute! some of the team noticed your fabulous shirt! thanks for coming to our bout! go RPUs!
Curious….you didn’t explain what you did to the neckline. I hate t-shirts with that high crew neck/men’s style neckline and want to upcycle several t-shirts that I have.
Carolyn- for the neckline, I cut away that annoying ribbing and cut about 1/2 inch down to make a little “V.” Hope that helps!
Love your updates to the boxy tee! I have several “school/activity” shirts that I’ve bought to in support, but I *never* wear them. I’m not a seamstress by any stretch, though. While I do get the “add elastic for ruching” bit for the shoulders & side seams, I can’t quite figure out what you mean by the “modified the sleeves by snipping them open along the outside” part. Any advice? I really want to try this!
Suzanne- to modify the sleeves, I cut from the hem of the sleeve upward to the seam on the shoulder. Then I PULLED the hem out of whack (yes, a technical term) and tied little knots. You get a cute peek-a-boo effect! Hope this clarifies-Jenny
Thanks — can’t see peek-a boo sleeves in the post pics, so I managed to get myself totally lost trying to picture the sewing involved! Tying the hem takes up that slack of a boxy tee sleeve, I imagine. Love this shirt redo — and I found it just in time for the next fundraiser.