When summer arrives, there is nothing more comfortable than a sleeveless shirt. Sure, you can run to the store and spend some money, but why pay for a sleeveless shirt when you can make your own in minutes? Here's how to do it.
Steps
Step 1. Find the right shirt
Pull out your favorite T-shirts and decide which one you want to turn into a sleeveless shirt. Try them on, and see which one looks best for you.
Step 2. Try the style
Roll the sleeves up as high as you can, or tuck them into the shirt around the seam to see if it fits sleeveless.
Step 3. Decide how you want to cut it
There are two main ways: leave the seam between the sleeve and the shirt, or cut it.
- Leaving the seam intact will prevent the shirt from rolling up and looking frayed and the armholes will be smaller. This is the best solution for a loose shirt.
- Cutting the seam also gives the shirt a more casual look, and because the hole is wider, it will also be a little more comfortable.
- If the armholes are too loose, adjust your cut. Instead of following the seam around the sleeve, when you are 2/3 down the sleeve, cut at an angle as shown in the figure, leaving a sleeve triangle at the bottom of the hole. Adjust to measure.
Step 4. Lay the shirt on a flat, free surface
If you are also cutting the seam with the sleeves, mark the line with chalk. If you are holding the seam, cut the sleeve with scissors about 3mm from the seam.
Step 5. Cut carefully around the sleeve
If you keep the seam, cut close to it, about 3mm all the way around. Be careful not to cut too close to the seam, or it may come loose after a couple of washes.
- If you also cut the seam, follow the chalk lines and cut as straight as you can to avoid jagged edges.
- Repeat on the other sleeve.
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Keep the sleeves for future projects.
Make a Sleeveless T Shirt from an Unused T Shirt Step 6 Step 6. When done, you can sew the edges if you like, or leave them trimmed
They will roll up a little and soften with use and keep you cool all summer long!
Make a Sleeveless T Shirt from an Unused T Shirt Step 7 Step 7. Finished
Advice
- Cutting the sleeves in half instead of full length will cause the fabric to roll outward. You may like it or not.
- For a neater look, sew the sleeves - either with a sewing machine or by hand - to avoid rolling up your new sleeveless shirt.
- Use leftover sleeves for future projects. They can be used as headbands, mini pouches, cut into squares and used for sewing quilts, or kept as scraps for many other projects.
- If the shirt is loose, mark with chalk where the cut will look best. With baggy shirts, the best cut is about two inches from the seam, towards the neck. The fabric usually rolls inward.
- Keep the hem neat by pulling the sleeve away from the body of the shirt and use a craft knife to cut the hem threads. The sleeve will snap back into place after cutting the threads in a couple of places along the seam.
- Sleeveless shirts, generally a masculine style, can also be used by girls. Sleeveless shirts for girls shouldn't be too soft because loose shirts leave an armhole that is too loose.
