Give Your T-Shirt a Second Chance

This course will teach you to upcycle your old T-shirt by creating a new shape and look. Explore how to change some details and give the garment a second chance instead of throwing it away. We will introduce you to the course instructor, Sophie Springer, who has over fifteen years of experience teaching international fashion and owns her own collection of handbags. Learn to examine your T-shirt to find which section needs work. Then we provide a list of tools and materials to help with your design. Finally, we explain each tool and its functions in detail.

The following section explores the T-shirt’s neckline and increases its width. We guide you in obtaining a symmetrical neckline using black styling tape and pins. We highlight ways to determine if the neckline should be bigger or deeper. We explain how to find the centre, front and back of the neckline and show you the appropriate angle to mark and cut the centre-front of the neckline. Learn how to create a bias strip for your new neckline and find the angle to cut the cotton fabric to make it elastic and biased. We discuss how to fold and give roundness to the bias strip before stitching, add elastic to the shoulders and sleeves to your T-shirt and the various types of stitching you will probably need to fix up some areas of the shirt.

Lastly, you will learn how to twist the back of your T-shirt by draping an elastic band behind the extra fabrIc. We demonstrate strategies to hide the elastic band behind the twist and use a hand stitch to make a beautiful ribbon behind the back. You will then study how to create a cap sleeve for your T-shirt and learn how to measure, mark and cut both sleeves to make them look identical. We have specifically tailored this course for anyone who wants to give their T-shirt a new look. No prior experience in any field is required. If this is something that interests you, sign up today and learn these fantastic upcycling techniques.