Reuse your husband's old t-shirt!

I finally got my husband to clean out his closet and dresser drawers and he accumulated quite a pile of clothes.  So before I donated them, I picked out some nice t-shirts that I wanted to add to my wardrobe.  These t-shirt were in good condition, he just didn't wear them anymore.  All I needed to do was tailor them a little so they would fit me better!

I like to sew, but I don't really know all the correct techniques of sewing.  I pretty much make it up as I go.  I did take 2 sewing classes in high school so I know the very basics.  I try to do things as simple and easy as I can.  So forgive me for not knowing the correct sewing techniques or terms.

This is what you need:

Big t-shirt (husband's t-shirt)

Smaller fitted t-shirt (for tracing template)

Sewing machine

Thread (similar color as big t-shirt)

Fabric pen/marker (a washable pen/marker that is used for marking fabric to tailor clothes)

Scissors

Straight pins

Here is what I did:

This is my husband's shirt which is too big and wide on me.  I just wanted to take it in on the sides and under the arms.

1.  Take your husband's shirt or a big t-shirt and turn it inside out.   Lay your smaller fitted t-shirt on top of your bigger t-shirt to be used as a tracing template.  Use a fabric pen/marker to trace the outside of the smaller fitted t-shirt.  I made little dash marks along the outside of the smaller t-shirt.  I only traced the sides of the shirt and the under arms.  I left the length of the sleeve as is.

  

2.  After tracing the smaller t-shirt, take straight pins and pin along the trace marks.  This is to hold the t-shirt together while sewing.

3.  Next, sew a straight stitch along the trace marks (if you prefer another stitch, go for it, I just usually use a straight stitch).  Remember to back-stitch at the beginning and end of the straight stitch.  When finished sewing both sides of the t-shirt, turn it right side out and try it on.  If you like the fit, turn the shirt inside out and trim the excess fabric fairly close to the stitch you just sewed.  If you feel the shirt should be taken in some more, sew another stitch in closer to make it more fitted.  

There you go, now you have a new fitted t-shirt!

Here is my new fitted t-shirt!  I kept the sleeves the original length.  But you can always hem them up to a shorter length if you like.

I hope you enjoy and get a new use out of your husband's old and beloved shirt!