Mens Tee Refashion

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  Step 1

  Materials needed:
  The boxy tee you want to refashion
  Your favorite shirt
  Knit fabric
  Sewing machine :)

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  Step 2

  Flatten out the shirt you want to remake and smooth out the wrinkles as much as you can. This helps to make sure the cuts are more even for the front and back.

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  Step 3

  Once your shirt is smoothed, cut open the sides.

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  Step 4

  Bring the top layer up so the bottom is exposed and smooth out the wrinkles on the bottom. Lay the front back down and smooth out again. I know this step seems redundant but trust me. Sometimes, after you cut the sides and smooth each layer, you'll notice the fabric is uneven.

  FYI, I don't think t-shirts are made perfect. It seems like t-shirts do not have sides seams and are not always sewn smoothly by the manufacturer. I've noticed with some shirts that no matter how even it looks after you smooth it out, once you cut the sides and smooth again, there's always excess fabric on the back layer. It's almost like more fabric was used for the back than the front. The first couple of shirts I made ended up a bit more on the snug side because I didn't realize the shirts were manufactured unevenly.

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  Step 5

  Lay your favorite shirt on top of the boxy tee, placing the collars as close together as possible. If you like the length of your favorite shirt, use it as the guide to how long you want your refashioned tee to be. Keep in mind, we will be adding about two inches or so to the cut hem with a banded hem. I like my shirt pre-band hem to hit right over my pooch so the finished product is a little bit longer.

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  Step 6

  Using your favorite shirt as a guide and giving an inch seam allowance, cut the sides off and part of the sleeve off. I like my sleeves to be more slim fitting so if you like more arm room, you may want to measure first how big you want your sleeves to be and make the cut accordingly.

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  Step 7

  I placed the cut strip from the left side on top of right side to use as a guide for a more even cut

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  Step 8

  Your shirt should look like this now

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  Step 9

  Cut the collar off. No binding or hemming is necessary as the raw edges compliments the style.

  Keep in the mind tho, the wider the cut, the wider the collar will be. I like my collar on the wide side so if you don't, you can use the existing collar as a guide. It's easier to snip a little more off to make it wider than vice versa :)

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  Step 10

  Now for the banded hem. If the strip from the shirt is at least 4 inches in height, perfect! If not, cut two strips from your knit fabric the same width as the bottom of the shirt but 4 inches high.

  Make sure the strips are the same size as the bottom of the shirt.

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  Step 11

  Sew up the short ends so you end up with a tube. At this point, the tube will end slightly smaller than the bottom of the shirt. This is what you want.

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  Step 12

  Now you open up the tube and fold the top edge to meet the bottom edge.

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  Step 13

  You want your band to be slightly smaller than your shirt.

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  Step 14

  Flip your shirt inside out and starting with one sleeve, match up the edges so they are even. Using a straight stitch, starting from the sleeve, backstitch, sew down the shirt and backstitch again. Do the same for the other side.

  I forgot to take pictures of this step but your shirt should be inside out before you stitch so ignore the fact this picture was taken after it was sewn :)

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  Step 15

  Flip your shirt right side out again. This is what you should have now

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  Step 16

  Now, take the tube and place it outside the tee where it's "hugging" the shirt.

  Pin the tube seam to seam with the shirt and center to center. You should have some loose fabric from the shirt in between the pins. Using a zigzag stitch, sew the edges together, while stretching the band to "fit" the shirt.

  If you are using the tube made from your shirt, place the visible hem facing out. Once the tube is sewn on, it will end up on the inside :)

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  Step 17

  Flip the tube down and Iron the hem to flatten it out some and you are done!

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