being able to see beyond the seams
and breathe a new lease of life into
otherwise discarded garments. This
tutorial will show you how simple it
can be to completely transform one
of the most common things you will
find in a charity shop – the oversized
T-shirt. And in doing so, you can
open up a whole world of possibility
and imagination...MATERIALS & TOOLS:
- oversized secondhand T-shirt
- T-shirt that already fits you well for reference
- usual sewing supplies
HOW TO MAKE:
1 Lie your T-shirt flat and cut horizontally
across where you want the seam to be.
Put the bottom half aside.2 Turn the T-shirt inside out and use an
existing T-shirt of yours that fits to draw
out a new armhole and side seam.3 Fold the T-shirt in half lengthways so
that you can cut each side identically.
4 Cut away the excess bodice from the
sleeves you cut off, unpick the hem and
underarm seam and press the sleeve flat.
Cut right down the middle of the sleeve.5 We’re now going to re-attach the
sleeves to the new armhole. With the
T-shirt flat and right side up, pin the
sleeve into place, overlapping the two
cut sides of the sleeve head. Sew into
place and repeat for the other sleeve –
make sure that you overlap the same side
each side! You can sew the seams on a
regular sewing machine with a shallow
zigzag stitch, or on an overlocker if you
have one.6 With right sides together, sew the
new underarm and side seam in one fell
swoop, doing your best to match the
underarm intersection.
7 Take the bottom half of the original
T-shirt that you cut away at the start.
Unpick the hem, press and cut in half
along the width. Cut the side seams
(so that you now have two long strips
made up of two fronts and two backs)
and discard one front or back section
so that you have three panels that you
can then sew together to form one long
continuous loop.
8 Run two rows of parallel basting
stitches along the top, back stitching
at one end but not the other.Pulling gently on the un-backstitched
bobbin threads, gather the loop until it is
the same circumference as the waistline
of the T-shirt.
9 With right sides together, join the
gathered panel to the T-shirt’s waistline.
J Finish by hemming your new top (or
not if you prefer to leave it raw like I did),
tying the open ends of the sleeves into
little knots.Elisalex de Castro Peake is
the head of design and
co-founder of By Hand London.
An independent pattern
company, it produces gorgeously
designed, high-quality patterns
that are available as PDF
downloads through the site
http://www.byhandlondon.comABOUT
ELISALEX
Top tip!
Make sure you have the
right needle for your sewing
machine! Ballpoint needles
are best for sewing
with knits28 Dressmakers.indd 29 19/09/2017 17:12