Men's tee into a stripe top tutorial

 Ever since I did this pencil skirt post a year ago, I've been dying to do a shirt version....maybe a dress version will be the next step? Anyway, I LOVE how it turned out and it currently might be one of my favorite tops to date! And you don't have to have a huge belly to wear it. Woot woot!

Supplies:

knit tee shirt

Another tee shirt or 1/4 yard of knit fabric 

sewing machine

thread

scissors

flexible measuring tape

pins

Instructions:

1. Cut the tee shirt just below or around the widest part of you chest. Then cut 1, 5" to 6" section of the white top (this depends on how wide you want your stripes to be). Cut open the strip (not the one with the sleeves) to make a long strip.

2. Cut from another tee shirt or knit fabric,  2 strips that are the same length and width of the tee shirt strip (or 4 wide pieces that are the same width and half the length as the sections you cut from the tee shirt previous).

3. Now take the 1 tee shirt piece and other 2 contrasting pieces (whether from a tee shirt or fabric) should be the same length. Sew the strips right sides together, altering the color. When that is done... sew up the side to create a tube, making sure to match the strips together.

* If needed take out just a little bit of the top shirt's side seam so it will be the exact length of the tube's opening and the top of the shirt's opening.

5. Pull and pin the tube inside the top with the right sides together, sew.

6. Once attached, try the shirt on and mark and sew where you will want it taken in.

7. Cut the ribbing out of the original tee (the collar of the tee shirt) and sew the ribbing's ends together into a closed circle. 

8. Match up the side and shoulder seams and cut out the neckline.

9. Pin the ribbing to the new neckline, right sides together. Remember there will be a lot of stretching on the ribbing's part. This makes it so the neckline doesn't sag.

10. Cut the sleeve.

11. Roll the sleeve and permanently tack with the sewing machine in place.