Upcycled Halter Top

Have you ever found the perfect item at the store, even on sale, annndd... in just the wrong size? More often than not, it's too small, but sometimes, it's too big. Or maybe your guy has an awesome tee he doesn't want to wear anymore, which, for you, is also too big. I found this on sale at Target and fell in love with the color and the script-y font. The size? You guessed it. Too big. Sadness. Or... maybe not?

If all you need was a little sewing wizardry, would you save that shirt? Maybe it just needs a spring time update!

To start, grab your favorite T-shirt. You should like the fit on yourself, and it should be a similar stretchiness to the shirt you're going to work in. Put your tee on and mark just where it falls under your bust. Note this placement, measuring from the bottom of the tee to just under the bust. We'll use this measurement on the oversized tee.

Take that same measurement and mark it under the bust of your oversized tee. This will be the line we trim to make the bottom of the tee, but first, it's an opportune place to add some fun scribble embroidery. We wouldn't be able to embroider it after trimming, so we must do it before.

If you can print a template, it's quite useful tool for placement. If you'd like to use the Draping Decadence design, it's best to line up the top with the marking you just made. You'll be able to get perfect placement by using a printed template, or by taking the measurement of the design, cutting it out on paper, and adding a crosshairs to find the center.

Place your template or paper with the top edge lined up with your mark. Put a crossed piece of tape roughly underneath the center of the design, then use a pen to poke through the middle to find the exact center and mark it on the tape below.

To make your shirt easier to hoop and sew, you can cut up both sides of the tee, but remember NOT to cut past the line you marked! This is very important.

Hoop up your tee with a piece of no-show mesh stabilizer. Regular stabilizer will work too, but it's more likely to leave a big square mark under your nice light summery tee. No-show mesh is best if you can find it, and will work just dandy with scribble designs. I'd recommend scribbles for something stretchy and light like this, as it's less likely to pucker and weigh down the fabric.

I grabbed some metallic gold thread, and let my design stitch away merrily. When it's done, trim away the excess stabilizer from the back.

Now we can trim up the shirt right up to the embroidery. Snip the shirt right across the line you marked before. You can put the bottom half pieces aside for now.

Now we're on to the top! Start by cutting off the sleeves, but carefully, leaving as much fabric behind as possible. It's always best to have more of what you need than less. Once you've trimmed the sleeves, you can cut up one side of the shirt, snipping the side and the top shoulder so you can open it up.

The next part will give you the best results if you measure it on yourself. Women come in all shapes and sizes, and finding the perfect fit for you can only be done if you make it on yourself. Open up the shirt, and wrap it around your top. The side seam will now be at the center of your back, with the rest wrapping across your front. Fold over the edges to get a shape you like, and then mark it with pins. This will start to give you an idea of the shape you want.

This is a basic idea of what the shape should be like. Once you find a shape for the front fold you like, fold your piece in half at the back seam and re-pin the sides to match each other. You'll have a much nicer looking shirt if you make it all even. Pin the raw edges under along the top. You can leave the bottom edge of the shirt raw for now.

Sew a seam along the pinned edge. Fold it back around yourself, and see if you like the shape it makes, especially the tops where the straps will start. Don't be afraid to adjust it and sew a seam again. It's much easier to adjust now then later. When you're happy, mark where each side folds across your front with a pin, and then re-pin it in place for sewing.

Now we need to finish the bottom to attach it to the top. Take your favorite tee again and lay it on top of your embroidered tee, lining up the bottom edge. Take care to place it so you like where the embroidery will fall on the tee. Do you want the embroidery in the middle? Or off to the side? I put mine slightly off to the side. 'Cause I'm all jaunty like that.

Before you cut, make sure your T-shirt and your folded top match up for width. Using your tee as a guide, you should be fine, but check to make sure and adjust as necessary.

Snip about 1/4 inch or more outside your shirt, for seam allowance. You should have some strips of fabric left from the sides of your oversized tee when you're done. Keep these for later.

Man, skully looks like he's got a killer headache goin' on...

Pin your newly trimmed pieces right sides together, and sew a seam down each side. Turn it right side out again.

Pin the top of your shirt piece to the bottom of your wrap top, right sides together, like shown. Take care to make sure the fold of the top falls in the middle of your shirt, so when you wear it everything will be straight and neat. Sew a seam all the way around your shirt, attaching the top and bottom pieces together. You can turn it right side out and try it again now, and see that everything fits all pretty.

Now, for those long scrap bits you had left from the shirt ... waste not! We're going to turn them into the straps for our halter. I had one large piece off to the side, so I cut it into two strips, and then took each strip and cut it into three small strips each, like shown.

Take three strips, and tape the end of them down to your table. Now you can braid them into a simple and useful strap for your halter, all out of the same fabric!

At one end of your braid, tie a knot, or secure it in some other way to your fancy. For the other end, keep the loose ends flat but close to each other, and sew a seam across them to keep everything in place. Having a flat end to your tie will make it much easier to sew on your halter.

Pin your halter ties in place, and before you sew, test one more time to see if you like how they pull the fabric tight. If everything is looking right as rain, then sew your ties to the top of your shirt. Wait! You're not done yet. Well, you can be if you like, but we have one more level of awesome yet to bestow on this shirt.

Take your charms, or simply take apart an old dangly necklace, and using matching or invisible thread, tie on a few embellishments to your stitched ones! The illusion is simple but cute, and really ads a wonderful extra touch to the shirt.

NOW you can put it back on. Look at what you've done! A simple oversized tee has become a sexy and glamorous halter top. Using all parts of the shirt, plus a few awesome embroidered (and non-embroidered) embellishments, you've got of a stylish piece perfect for the warming weather.

That little bit of extra bling is really what will make your shirt shine. Literally too, depending on what charms you chose! A little “draping decadence” is just what something like this needs to bring it up to a whole new level of cool.

You're ready for spring, summer, and all the sun nature has to offer. It may just be turning spring here, but the weather is warm enough (shocking for Minnesota, believe me) to wear this with a cute little jacket and you're set for style of almost any season!