HOW TO TURN A BIG SHIRT INTO A HOT HALTER TOP:
In this tutorial, I’m going to show you a very simple but very cool way to turn a big shirt into a cute halter top! This has very little sewing and very basic instructions, but they work. It’s just meant to give you an idea that you can run with and make your own. I did mine with a Bob Marley shirt that I love but unfortunately could not fit because it only came in a large in men’s. So with that I had plenty of room for cutting and using leftovers. I like to use shirts with graphics on them as well. It makes them more interesting. Otherwise colored shirts are just as fun. Sewing this project can be done with a sewing machine or by hand if you have a steady hand. That’s how simple this will be. My finished product is posted at the end.
1) Visualize what you want the front to look like. It helps to sketch it out. For mine, I didn’t need the graphics to be exactly centered so it didn’t really matter where I cut, as long as the graphics remained intact.
2) The first cut depends how long you want your shirt to be, especially if its a men’s shirt. Measure from your chest to the bottom of where you need it to be. Mark it with a pin or chalk on your shirt. Then cut straight across the chest to the other side. If the sleeves are in the way, cut around them so you can use them later. Your shirt should look like a very loose tube top. Put aside that top half you just cut off for now. See example below. Cut where the dotted lines are.
3) Now with your tube top-like bottom half, cut one side completely open. And do the same for the other side. You should have two pieces now. Top and bottom layer of the shirt.
4) Time for measurements (which should be done in the very beginning, but in this case I had a huge shirt so it didn’t matter). Measure around your chest and your hips. I mentioned measuring your hips because this will be one of those long tunic like halter tops that reach a lil pass your hips. Anyway, now divide each measurement in two. Then add two inches to that. Adding an extra inch or so to both sides gives you room to make adjustments as well as room to make your stitches secure. That is how wide you need both layers to be. We will talk about making it fit a lil more later.
Example: Say you measure a 34″ for your chest. Take that number and divide it by 2 (because you have two shirt layers you need to sew together to make one shirt). Then add 2 inches. That way, you are giving yourself an extra inch of leeway for sewing space on both your right and left side. It should look like this:
34/2= 17
17 + 2= 19 inches across for both layers.
Do this to each of your measurements so you have an idea of how much you need to get into it. Since we are working with a t-shirt, I wouldn’t worry about the curves as much…you can practically sew straight down and fit it afterwards.
5) Now from the top of the shirt, fold in an inch towards the inside of the shirt. It helps to iron it flat then sew it straight across. Do that for both pieces. Make sure the fold is going towards what would be the INSIDE of the shirt. You should have a nicely hemmed edge.
6) Now place each layer inside out (with the graphic inside )but still on top of each other. You will use your measurements here. Measure how wide you need to sew. Once you know how wide you need to sew and where, place pins straight down. Some folks like to mark it w/ white chalk before they pin. See example below. This will allow the piece to stay together while you make adjustments to make sure it fits. I actually like trying them on while the pins are there so making adjustments later will be easier. Be careful not to poke yourself!
6) Knowing how it fits and where to sew, you are ready sew this bad boy together. Don’t worry, you can always make adjustments afterwards. Sew from the top all the way to the bottom. Notice how I sewed a little outside of the pins. I’m paranoid that way, I like giving myself room to make adjustments later.
7)Try it on and make any necessary adjustments. To make adjustments, I just pin it where I need it to be taken in, and I sew.
Now to make the straps that keep the darn thing up. This part is easy. Take that left over from the top of the shirt, or the sleeves. Cut two long even straps from it. It depends how long you want them to be, but make them as long as it needs to be to tie it securely in back of your neck. You don’t have to use the leftover shirt. You can use attractive ribbons and decorative straps if you want.
9)Sew those on to the front of the top, evenly on both sides. You don’t need to make the straps all neat with sewn edges, that is beauty of the shirt. Sew each as far apart as the outside of where your neck measures down. And you can sew them straight across or in a nice little box like the example. See example below.
So that should be it. You can alter it to your style or liking, but those are the basics. If you need clarification or if you’re confused about anything, let me know!! You can do this with any shirt. If you don’t like how the top of a tank top looks, cut the darn thing up, hem the top, and attach attractive straps to it!
Looks like an apron but trust me, it’s cute. Maybe except for the happy face. And below is my finished product….
*Illustrations and instructions are original by the author. If you would like to re-post or re-use them, just shoot me an email for permission.
