upcycling

Pattern Review – Two Free Tank Top Patterns

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I’ve lived in Florida for almost five years now and my summer wardrobe is still lacking in tank tops! I only wear pants and long sleeves for maybe 2-3 weeks of the year and yet I’m pretty sure that I have more long sleeve shirts than tank tops. This summer I hope to remedy that! I’ve had this Lago tank top pattern by Itch to Stitch for over a year and I’m just getting around to making it. I actually printed it out shortly after I got it and then….well, I never made it. So, while I was at JoAnns the other day I found this soft drapey knit that I knew would be the perfect tank top.

The Lago is a super quick and easy tank to sew up! There are five pieces of fabric – front, back, neckband, and two arm bands. I’m pretty sure that it took me less than 30 minutes!

The Lago tank is absolutely free – no code, no Facebook group to join, just head over to her site and “buy” it!

Using free patterns is a great way to learn more about a designer. You get to try out one of their patterns and the only cost to you is some fabric and some time.

Another great free tank pattern is the Stardust by Halla. You have to join their Facebook group and then read the pinned post for the code, but it’s worth it! It’s available for sizes 00-30. There are several free patterns listed there (check out their dolman pattern). This is another pattern I’ve had for a while and never made (are you sensing a theme here?).

This pattern will work with knits that aren’t as drapey – like this cotton lycra print that I bought because I loved it and it just seems so appropriate for Florida! I made this tank top, but the pattern I used wasn’t made for knits that aren’t drapey. So, it ends up looking like a tent…not really a flattering look, plus after I got it made, I didn’t really like the handkerchief hemline. It slowly made it’s way to the bottom of my shirt pile. One day recently I decided to find a pattern that I could use to fix this shirt. Fortunately the Stardust tank top is a similar cut at the top, but a little more close fitting so I can upcycle my new tank top into another new tank top that I will actually wear! Also, I’ve learned to really pay attention to what kind of material a pattern requires!

The first step is to to fold the front and back in half. I’m not changing anything about the the arms or neckline so I don’t want to take it all apart. I unpicked the hem at the center back and center front folds so that it would be easy to rehem when I’m all done.

Carefully fold front and back in half

Since I’m not adjusting the neckline at all, I just lined that pattern up with the neck binding. This meant that the bottom edge of the pattern was exactly even with the part of the hem I unpicked.

Line up the neck.

I lined up the underarm as best I could. When I straighten the underarm seams out, it almost makes it to the edge of the pattern. Since I’m not adjusting the anything until about 3-4 inches down from the underarm seam, I didn’t worry about it. I already know that I like they way this part of the shirt fits.

Lining up underarm

After cutting out the new front and back, they were still attached everywhere but the new side seams. I clipped them together and sewed them.

Clip the new side seam

After I got them sewed, I had a weird curve near the underarm where the old and new pattern didn’t quite line up. I redid my seam (purple line) to straighten it out so that it doesn’t look funny.

Carefully straighten out the underarm seam.

When I tried it on, I loved it! What a difference the right pattern AND the right material make! I’m already planning for make a couple more of these!

Enjoy your new Stardust tank top!

Hop on over to the Halla Facebook group and get the codes for all the free patterns!

*This post contains affiliate links. See my disclosure policy for more details.

Upcycling A Sweatshirt

Sweatshirt to Raglan

My son recently found a Ninja Turtles sweatshirt in a bag of hand-me-downs. It’s too big for him, but he wants to wear it now.

So sad, the Ninja sweatshirt is too big

It’s also long sleeved and we live in SWFL where it’s almost always summer (except for a couple weeks in January where I actually had to turn the heat on…I hate turning the heat on!).

Long sleeves are no good in Florida

Anyway, I found the perfect color of cotton spandex in my recent material order so I can make him a raglan – short sleeves, possibly with a hood.

So happy the shirt can be resized

My first step is always to cut the sleeves off.

Sweatshirt to raglan - cut off the sleeves

Since I don’t want to rehem the shirt, I’m not going to cut the side seams. This makes laying the pattern pieces out a little tricky, but hopefully it will work out. The print on the front was slightly off center meaning that when I cut out the new front, I’m going to cut some of this sword off.

Cutting the front piece out is tricky

The front doesn’t look too bad. I believe the original shirt was a 14/16 and I’m making a 10. Not a huge change, but even so, the design just fits on the front.

Front piece cut out of old sweatshirt.

I’m always worried that the neckline is going to be too big, but I’ve learned to wait until I have the hood or neck band on…it always looks much better!

Sweatshirt turned raglan

With the hood sewn on, the neckline fits so much better and there’s still some growing room (very important!).

A new raglan upcycled from a sweatshirt.

This kid loves making all different faces while I’m trying to take pictures. Plus we’ve got a new cat who thinks he needs to try opening all the doors.

A new raglan upcycled from a sweatshirt plus the cat.

Really Mom, you need another picture??

A new raglan upcycled from a sweatshirt.

So, have you ever upcycled a shirt into something new? If not, you should try it! It’s really not that hard.

A new raglan upcycled from a sweatshirt.

*affiliate link* The pattern I used here is the Rowan Raglan. If you buy it through my link, I earn some money (it doesn’t cost you anything extra! 🙂 ). Read more about affiliate links on my disclosure page.

Upcycling a T-Shirt and Color Blocking a Dolman

Finished Dolman Upcycle Color Block

My daughter got this shirt for her birthday year or two ago and loved it! However, it has recently gotten a little tight and she was sad about the thought of it going to the rummage sale.

Original too small shirt to be upcycled

I told her I might be able to upcycle it into a “new” shirt. She was agreeable and I decided that a dolman was my best option (OK, actually I was going to do a raglan, but I would’ve had to reprint the pattern…foster kittens got to it….the dolman pattern was all printed and ready to go). The first step is to cut the sleeves off (and throw them away!) and cut the side seams and shoulder seams. I cut as close to the seams as possible. You should end up with a front piece and a back piece.

First cut off the sleeves, upcycle

To make the dolman work, I would have to color block. Color blocking is not my strong suit! I have a hard time seeing what the finished thing will look like. I tried laying out the fabric on the pattern so I could get an idea of what it would look like.

Laying Out color blocking

While doing this, I realized that I needed to straighten out the sides to the shirt and the arm cutouts to make it more like a panel, so I trimmed it down some. Once I was happy with they way it looked, I sewed my pieces together. First I sewed a pink rectangle to a blue rectangle. I also hemmed the bottom of the blue since I was keeping the original t-shirt hem. Then I sewed it to the newly straightened out sides of the the old t-shirt. I also decided I was going to need to redo the neckline, so I cut the neckband off.

T-Shirt Color Blocked

Then, I folded my piece of fabric in half and put it on the pattern and trimmed it to fit.

Attach the color blocking

Then, I sewed the side seams. At this point, I was really worried about the neckline. It looked really wide for my very modest teen! I was hopeful that the new neckband would pull it in!

Dolman upcycled t-shirt

I had her try it on and I was still worried. It just seemed overly big!

Dolman neckline too big, upcycled t-shirt, color blocking

I figured at this point, I might as well finish it. All I had left was the neckband and hemming the sleeves. I’m actually pretty happy with the way it turned out!

Finished upcycled color blocked dolman

I probably could’ve made the neckband smaller, but it works as is too.

Side view finished color blocked upcycled dolman

Do you upcycle your kids clothes? Do you color block?

Back finished upcycled color blocking dolman

How to Sew – Making A Polo Shirt Smaller

The private school where I teach (along with DH and our kids also attend) requires us to wear polo shirts. Polos are one thing I’ve never tried making. I buy the $5 ones at Old Navy during our tax free weekend. Occasionally I find them at a thrift store for less than $5. Last year, I managed to get a hole in my navy blue polo. It was still in really good shape otherwise. I hated to throw it away!

Navy blue polo with a hole near the hem

It really is a little hole and lucky for me (and my daughter), it’s below where the hem needs to be for her.

Navy blue polo with a hole near the hem.

So, I just trimmed it off. Ignore my horrible cutting…I just eyeballed it and clearly didn’t do a very good job. Hemming will fix that!

Trim the hem off the polo

I also took the side seams in a bit so it wasn’t quite so baggy on her.

PoloSideSeam

Turn up the hem – I turn under 1/4″ and then another 3/4″ so the hem looks neat and you don’t see any unfinished edges.

PoloHemClipped

Hem the shirt with a double needle for a professional finished look. Make sure to hem with the right side up if you’re using a double needle. Also, this is one of the many reasons I love these clips – it doesn’t matter which way I put them on, I can sew with either side up. With pins, you have to sew with the side you pined facing up.

Hem the polo with a double needle for a professional finished look

The finished product – a pretty good fit for my teenager and there are no holes in it!

Dyeing Polo Shirts

I’ve had two light colored polo shirts that were stained, but I hated to throw them away because they were pretty new (as in they got stained on one of the first wearings). I washed them, rewashed them, treated the stains, retreated the stains, washed them some more, but nothing worked. So, they’ve been sitting on my sewing desk waiting for me to figure out what to do with them. Then, I wondered about dyeing them. I chose purple because it’s darker and I’m hoping that it will cover the stains. For about $2, it’s a pretty cheap way to remake a shirt!

All you need is a box of dye and some shirts.

I opted to dye them in a bucket (an old kitty litter pail). I filled it about half way with hot water and added some hose water. Although the directions said to add 3 gallons, I didn’t measure. The only thing I did measure was the hot water to mix the dye.

MixTheDye

AddTheDye

I heated water on the stove, soaked the shirts and then added the whole mix to the dye.

WetThePolos

When I dunked it in and then lifted it right back out I wasn’t sure I was going to like it.

AddPolosToDye

About 20 minutes later when I checked it and the color was so much better!

Checking the dye color.

After about 25 minutes, I was happy with the color. I dumped my dye and then rinsed the shirts in clean water. I kept rinsing until the water was clear. Then I hung it over a chair to drip dry. When it stopped dripping, I tossed it in the dryer…then I re-read the directions and saw that I was supposed to wash it first. Oh well. I’ll just wash it separately for the first couple times.

DryingDyedPolos

So, because I didn’t wash it right after I made it, I washed the dyed polo shirts with our towels. I don’t care so much if the towels come out with a purple tint. Although the the water did get a little purple, my towels were OK. I’ll probably continue to wash them with towels until they don’t make the water purple though. Better safe than sorry!

Washing a dyed shirt

The dye covered the stains pretty decently, but not the thread.

The dye didn't cover the stitching.

It did make slightly darker spots where the stains were, but I don’t think they’re very noticeable. Definitely not as noticeable as the stains before I dyed the shirts.

Finished Dyed Shirt

Have you ever dyed anything? Did it work out?