Rocker Chic DIY

Lately I've been in a bit of a wardrobe funk, especially with my casual, run-errands-around-town clothes I typically wear on days off and during the weekend.  My typical gym clothes as casual clothes should not be my everyday wear, but I want something comfortable, functional yet fun too for whatever it is I need to do away from work.  So when I saw these awesome men's graphic t-shirts from Target, I knew I had a new DIY project to tackle:  DIY off-the-shoulder t-shirts.

I picked a men's shirt for two reasons: 1) I like my t-shirts to be a bit longer and 2) they have a bit more room in the arms.  Honestly, they also tend to be less cheesy than the women's options out there...sad but true.  Make sure not to buy a men's t-shirt that is too large for you.  I wear a men's size Medium in these t-shirts, but make sure to try it on prior to cutting into it.  I personally want the t-shirt to fit comfortably and to skim the body, but not be too snug, to fit properly.

I did two today...the Guns 'N Roses shirt above, and the Grateful Dead shirt below that I used as the tutorial.  Disclosure:  I love the Grateful Dead, thought I was a hippie in junior high/high school, and even saw them in concert a few months before Jerry Garcia died in 1995.  And that bohemian girl still lives in me a bit today.  So here we go:

Step 1:  Measure your collarbone area.  You want to measure from the outside of your neck, across your chest to just below the opposite shoulder.  The measurement doesn't have to be exact, and I typically round down to the nearest even number.  My number is around 16 inches.

Step 2:  Fold your t-shirt in half, like so: 

Divide the measurement you just took in half (mine is now around 8 inches), and measure that out from below the collar to the shoulder area.  Mark just before both points with a pen (don't worry, you'll cut that part off).

Step 3:  With a sharp pair of scissors, make a small cut through the mark at the shoulder seam.

Step 4:  Put your scissors through the FRONT part of the shirt only and cut to the opposite point.  I tend to cut a bit rounded, but it doesn't not have to be exact.

Step 5:  Go back to the shoulder slit, and cut in the middle of the seam from that point all the way through the collar.

Step 6:  Fold the flap over to the other side, and repeat the cutting steps, with the folded part as the template.  Finish the front cutout by repeating the cut on the shoulder seam until the front piece is all the way off.

Step 7:  Now to the back of the shirt--simply cut from shoulder slit to shoulder slit, along the main shoulder seam of t-shirt.  This is important--if you cut the back in as large of a section as the front, the hole will be way too large and the shirt will completely fall off of you.

This is what the top will look like after the cuts are finished.  Don't worry about jagged edges or looking uneven...once stretched and on it will look so much better!

Step 8:  Next, I like to cut both sleeves and the bottom of the t-shirt, just above the stitched seams.  I tend to like my t-shirts long, but if you have a shorter torso, or want to dare to bare a midriff t-shirt, cut away much higher ladies!

Step 9:  Finally, gently tug on all the cut parts to stretch the shirt out a bit.  This gives the new seams a nice roll to them, and evens them out a bit.

And you're done!

I think this is a fun new way to wear old t-shirts, or to rock out your wardrobe just a bit more.  So comfy, but in my opinion way more stylish than wearing a guy's regular t-shirt.  Try it and let me know what you think!