The T-Shirt Hack (Or: How to Revamp an Old T-shirt With Nothing But Scissors)

How to make an old hum-ho t-shirt (that you ignore in the back of your closet til everything else is in the wash) into something funky & unique that you'll want to wear all the time! Using nothing more than scissors. (Pen optional.)

Step 1: You Will Need...

You Will Need:

• a hum-ho t-shirt that needs a second life
• scissors
• (optional) a pen

Step 2: Choosing Where to Cut

There are lots of places you can 'hack' on your t-shirt: I've done sleeves, sides, and 2 different kinds of back, and I can see applications for a frontal hack as well (maybe just halfway down).

For the purposes of this instructable, we are doing an hourglass spine hack.

If you would like precision, grab your pen and mark two rows of dots on the back of the shirt to indicate where you're cutting to and from.

I've placed mine wider at the top and bottom to create an hourglass effect - helps my figure look curvier! (or so I theorize at this point)

You can make a narrow hack, say - the width of your spine, or you can hack from side seam to side seam - its up to you. It doesn't have to be centred either - I just like it that way.

In short: Decide where you'd like your Hack to go!

Step 3: Start Cutting

cut from dot to dot.

Or randomly where you have chosen.

the idea here is to make strips. they must be longer than they are wide, otherwise they'd be too hard to manipulate for the under-over-y bit.

Step 4: Trimming Bits Off Etc.

cut the bottomest strap/piece in half.

cut off the neck band.

I hated the arm cuffs so I cut those off too :) Besides, it made it more uniform - matched the neckline that way.

Step 5: The Under-Over-y Bit (that I Mentioned Earlier...)

ok, this is simple - but hard to explain. So I've made a wee video of me doing it, which may do the explaining better than pictures and words.

Step 6: Tying Off

ok, now your end result should look like pic1 of this step.

pull the chopped halves of the last strap through the last loop, as in pic2, and knot off in the corners (pic3).

Your end end result should now be pic 4!

Step 7: Stick It on and Dance Around!

Note to readers: it is hard to photograph your own back. :)

But it looked something like this, when I'd finished my T-shirt Hack!

I did a second one, with two rib hacks instead, and have the final result picture of that for you here as well.
How to? same as the hourglass spinal hack we just walked through, but on the sides.

Good luck! :)