My friend Caitlyn is the encyclopedia of music. She has seen every show of any alternative band you have ever heard of, she has also seen all the bands you have probably never heard of. I’m a huge fan of listening to music… surface level stuff. But Caitlyn, she knows the ins and outs of the bands …their band members, their children, their EPs, where they are right now, what they listen to… It’s pretty awesome. She was born with a gift.

Luckily I was born with a gift too, I have creative genes which I recently used to help her out.  You see, she had all these t-shirts from shows that she has seen, but she would never wear them because who wears t-shirts all the time? I do actually, but I get claustrophobic in those crew necks, which is why I resort to cutting them. Now I would like to share this skill with you.

T-shirts can easily be cut into a variety of shapes and sizes to fit the need

 The Regular Cut  
Cut along the outside of the stitch line along the sleeves and collar.
This is the most basic cut, I use it to start all of my shirts to get the bulk of the seams out of the way.

 

Cutting Back
There are many ways of cutting out sleeves in the back of your shirt.  Begin with the Regular Cut  to get the sleeves out of the way.  Then flip your shirt over and trim away at the back, working your way out from the bottom of the armhole and up towards the top of the shirt.  Above are cutting suggestions. Remember, the shirt will be more baggy the roomier you cut it. Also, Only cut the back – Do not to cut the front in too far, you do not want to expose your breasts!

The Sleeve Cut
1) Cut off sleeves along stitch line
2) Turn shirt around and cut back of armhole wider, as seen in the “Roomier” cut (above).

 The Scoop Cut

1) Regular Cut

2) Cut neckline deeper

To keep neckline symmetrical cut to the center of the neckline then fold the excess fabric in half over the remaining and cut along the new edge.

The Crop Cut
1) Regular cut
2) Trim neckline thinner (see Scoop Cut-Step 2)
3) Crop 1 inch below the waistline, turning up at ends

This look is great with high-waisted shorts and skirts.  To know where to the waistline is you can try the shirt on and draw a small mark at your waist, and cut 1″ below.  Always start lower if you are unsure and work your way up, you cannot add fabric to a shirt that is too short!

These are a few, of many, ways to cut t-shirts.  I have been cutting them for years now, but have recently enjoyed watching all the different trends and looks people are sporting.  The T-shirt is one of the easiest fashion statements to make, so brush the dust of those old closet souvenirs and get snipping!  Rock your style and express yourself in the clothes you already paid for but never actually wore.

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