3 Quick & Easy No-Sew Thrift Flips That Will Transform Old Clothes

Tools and materials:

• Sweatshirt
• Scissors
• Pins
• Adhesive fabric paint
• Elastic
• T-shirt
• Needle
• Thread
• Jeans
• Shorts

Thrift Flip 1 - Sweatshirt

The main idea of this thrift flip is to crop this sweatshirt and place an elastic at the hemline. 

First, figure out where you’d like to crop the sweatshirt. Then, cut accordingly. 

Once you’re happy with the length, go ahead and fold the edge up. The sweatshirt should be right sides out. 

Since this is a no-sew thrift flip, I’ll be using adhesive fabric tape. So, place the tape in the fold, as shown. Then, fold the edge over so it meets the edge of the tape and press down. Now, you've created a tunnel for the elastic! 

Tip: I did not leave enough room for the elastic to go through, so be sure to measure your elastic before. This is why you’ll see me using a different sweatshirt in the next step. 

Now, feed your elastic through the tunnel. Cut and tie the ends after. 

Here it is! What an amazing thrift flip idea and the perfect way to transform chunky sweatshirts into something trendy. 

Thrift Flip 2 - T-shirt

For the next thrift flip tutorial, I’ll be cuffing the sleeves to spice up this t-shirt!

All you need to do is cuff the sleeves and sew them in place with a needle and thread. Start sewing from the inside out and repeating until it’s secure. Basically, you want to secure the sleeve so it’s cuffed. Do this in three different places on the actual sleeve. 

Tip: Make sure to use matching thread so the stitches are not visible. 

Yes! Look at this trendy style! I love this thrift flip, it’s easy, and the results look spectacular. The sleeves are super secure and look on fleek! 

Thrift Flip 3 - Denims

Lastly, we are ending this how to upcycle clothing tutorial with a bang (hopefully). This pair of jeans don’t fit right, and they are in need of a transformation. 

So, take shorts that you really like the length of and use it as a guide to cut your denim. I guess trying to freehand this whole cutting thing isn’t working out for me! It’s a good idea to cut them a tiny bit longer in case you mess up; you’ll have room to work with. 

When you’ve cut one side, fold the pants in half and cut the other side. Like this, everything will be even. 

You can take out the thread to give it an edgier look. 

I think this thrift flip turned out really well! I’m pretty happy with the result, especially since summer is right around the corner. 

No-sew thrift flips tutorial

Thrift flipping store items is really fun, and there are some pretty impressive transformations that go with it. I hope you enjoyed these thrift flips; they came out better than I expected!

I hope you now have some inspiration for your next thrift flip DIY. Thanks for joining me, and let me know what thrift flip idea you liked the most!