T-shirt Mashup

Mashups are all the rage these days. You see Google mashups, song mashups, someone somewhere is even talking about business mashups... This Instructable describes a simple way to mashup clothing. There are of course a million other ways to do this.

Suppose you have two tshirts. One fits you but has a boring image on it. The other is too small, but has a cool image. Here's a quick and easy way to combine them into one excellent shirt that fits.

Step 1 Tools and Materials

Materials:

• Two T-shirts as described in the intro

T-shirts come in various weights and qualities of fabric. This technique works best if the two shirts are made of similar fabric, but small variations will be fine. I don't recommend using woven fabric for the second shirt since it won't move in the same way as the knit, plus the edges will unravel and the patch will probably come off. Two woven shirts would work, but you'll need to keep the edges from ravelling either by hemming, serging, fabric glue, or some other method.

Tools:

• scissors
• sewing machine (this can also be sewn by hand)
• tape measure - optional

Get an idea of what the finished shirt will look like by folding up the one with the good image and laying it on top of the one that fits.

Comments

[spr_otter]

well i made one using 2 shirts onto a new one(I <3 NY, nirvana and a black T)... added a stencil, added the sleaves, collar and bottom from my white shirt, added some bleach, i love making my own shirts now!

[Hatsumomo20]

Thanks for sharing! Looks really good and gave me some fresh ideas.

[rachel]

Very nice, I love it! You took this mashup idea and really ran with it. Thanks for showing us the result!

[SGAC]

Thanks again for the EXCELLENT instructable.  I utilized a mesh jersey shirt as a base and a kids T-shirt for the applique.  I found that if you are working with two different types of fabric for both shirts, the overlock stich on a sewing machine is very forgiving.  Rather than sew up the holes though, I took the opportunity to applique Americana stars on the design for a more custom look.  I also saved the tag from the kids shirt to cover the vinyl iron on logo (a Starter shirt HEAVILY discounted) into a preppy Marvel logo that any Marvel Zombie would be proud to show off.  Considering that licensed shirts already made cost anywhere from $80-$150 brand new, my husband is proud to have for $11 - not including the custom quickie Arc reactor that he now had to make due to my creative inspiration from your instructable.

Thanks for such a good one!  Five STARS! 

[rachel]

That looks awesome!  I know a number of Iron Man fans who'd kill for it :)

[littlebluegnoll]

Very nice tutorial. I made two shirts, I found that's easier to sew if you use the same type of fabric for both shirts, it looks better and stretches the same way.

[rachel]

That is a good point, similar fabric types will produce better results. Speaking of which, yours look great! Thanks for the pix!

[duck-lemon]

add to t-shirt mods!

[theadamlevy]

you say wear it proudly yet your not wearing it how sad

[theadamlevy]

oop i missed the second picture nvm then

[spr_otter]

cool, i think i'll be trying this soon, i'll post pics when i do...

[Smexy Dead]

Nice job, it's great to see more clothes hackers in this joint! T-shirts are some of my favorite things to mess with.

[Kitten Kaboom]

There's also a product sold at fabric stores by Sulky called "KK2000" (that # might not be exactly right, but it's a small, white, aerosol-ish can) that I've always used for this same type of modification. You spray it onto the back of your cut-out piece and it gets really sticky. Stick your piece on and sew - no pins needed. Within either 28 or 48 hours (I'm moving and my can is packed away somewhere...) the Sulky stuff just dissipates into the atmosphere and is gone forever. It's great for all sorts of things. Also, I sometimes like to sew the edge with a zigzag stich of a contrasting color to make it even more thrown-together, handmade looking or whatever. I'm always trying to explain this to people and you've done a great job of posting it here! Thanks!

[rachel]

I haven't heard of that before, it sounds really useful. Does the needle get the stickiness on it at all? I once sewed through something, glue or tape, that gummed up the needle and it was a real mess. Even so, I'm gonna have to get some and try it, maybe the Sulky people have solved this. Thanks for the tip!

[sadtrapofgravity]

You could also try Stitch Witchery (sp?). It's a fusible interfacing sold by the yard. You iron the two pieces of fabric you want to stay together with the stitch witchery in between and it's enough to not only keep your fabric from slipping when sewing, but indefinitely. I use it for applique, so sort of the same idea. But keep in mind that it will tend to feel like a patch, since it's thicker (maybe not the most appealing). This is probably what I'll end up doing with my torn-up/stained/too small shirts... You trim after you sew it up??

[JanxAngel]

When sewing knits, you need to use a ball-point (yellow shank) needle & a zig zag stitch. Also if you stretch the fabric as you sew you'll have stretchy seams too. This is a good one.

[rachel]

Thanks JanxAngel! I find that I can usually get away without changing to a ball point needle on t-shirt knits, but you're right that a ball point is recommended and it never hurts. Sometimes these are also called "stretch" needles. Generally knits with thinner fibers such as silk or rayon will be more likely to need a ball point needle. Stretching as you go will definitely produce stretchier seams. The downside of this is that they tend to stay stretched, and you get a kind of ripple effect and it doesn't lay flat any more. Experiment on the shirt you cut up and see what works for you.

[JanxAngel]

I actually made a few costume pieces for a friend out of knit and had never worked on knits before doing it. Just lots and lots of cottons and some satin here & there. Yeah if you stretch it too much you do get the ripple, but I soon worked out just how to do it.