Learn How to Do 5 Epic T-shirt Upcycles

Tools and materials:

• T-shirts
• Shoulder pads
• Tie/lace 
• 3-5 yards of fringe
• 3-4 yards of grommet tape
• Pant legs
• Fabric scissors
• Fabric glue
• Pins 
• Sewing machine 

The first shirt I’ll be refashioning is a super cute and trendy, padded shoulder T. I thrifted a fun X-men T-shirt and got started by cutting open the underarm seam.

I turned the T inside out and laid a little glue down for the shoulder pad. I made sure that the rounded edge would be lying out by my arm and that the straight edge would be on the inside by my neck. A great tip is to try and line up the curved side with the shoulder seam of the T-shirt.

Next, I turned the T right side out and put some glue on the shoulder pad. I then tucked the sleeve inside so that the fabric would stick to the shoulder pad. I used my hand to check that the material was lying nice and flat. If the sleeves are a little too long, you can always cut off the ends of them. 

I am absolutely head over heels for this shoulder pad T! 

For the next T-shirt trend, I decided to make a split T. I didn’t want to use a graphic T-shirt but I absolutely loved the idea of using tie-dye. 

First, I needed to decide which side of each top I would use. Once I had decided I placed down my ruler leaving a small amount of seam allowance and used a rotary cutter to cut the fabric. 

Next, I made sure the two sides were right sides together before I pinned the front pieces in place. I then turned the T-shirts over and pinned the backs together in the same way.  

The first stitch that I did was a wide, straight stitch just to make sure that the new T-shirt worked. 

I tried on the T and it was perfect! I then set my sewing machine to overlock and once that was finished, I cut off any excess material. 

The last thing I did was fold over the seam allowance and topstitch it down. This left me with a clean, crisp front, making this new T look really professional. 

This split tie-dye T is totally amazing! It’s such a fun look! 

For this new, peek-a-boo long sleeve dress, I first decided where exactly I wanted to crop this long sleeve T. 

Once I had pinned the top, I used my handy rotary cutter to cut it exactly where I wanted it.

In order to attach my gorgeous, red grommet tape, I placed it on the shirt, right sides together, and pinned it down. 

I then sewed right along the edge and once the tape was sewed on, I folded the tape down and pressed it so that the material would hold in the right position. 

I then got started on lacing the two pieces together. If you prefer to, you can always just wear this as an awesome two-piece or even just use the top half as a crop top. 

I tried on the dress and realized it was a bit too big for me. I knew it would be an easy fix. I made two darts in the skirt and on the top to take this piece in a little. I also decided to add one big dart in the back, by the neck, making this piece more fitted. 

This long sleeve dress is so edgy and amazing! I just love how it turned out! 

For the fourth look, I used this red T-shirt and the legs of a pair of red sweatpants that I had already cropped into shorts. To get started, I cut off the sleeves of the T, making sure to cut off the seam allowance as well. 

Next, I had to make sure that the legs of the pants would fit into the armholes of the T. I placed the sleeves I had cut off onto the pants and used them as a pattern to cut the pants to size. 

I decided to create a bit of a puff sleeve by gathering some of the fabric before I sewed it. 

In order to attach this awesome sleeve to my new T, I turned the top inside out and put the sleeve in. I lined up the shoulder seam on my T-shirt and pinned it to the shoulder seam of my cute new sleeve. Once the two seams were lined up, I did the same with the underarm seams. I then added lots of pins all the way around. 

I hopped on over to my sewing machine to sew on the sleeves.

I tried on my new top and realized it just didn’t work with the drop shoulder. I seam ripped the sleeves, folded the T in half, and cut the original sleeves of the T-shirt. I repeated the process of attaching the new sleeves and made sure to press the fabric once the sleeves were on. 

I am totally in love with these puff sleeves! 

For this last look, I wanted to make an oversized T into a gorgeous fringed dress. I made a huge mistake when attaching the fringe because I glued it onto the outside of the T-shirt. If you plan on recreating this style, make sure to glue or sew it to the inside of the shirt. 

I then cut off the sleeves of the T and used my fabric glue to stick some fringe on the armhole. 

I am so obsessed with this fringed T! Tell me which look you liked best in the comments below!