Easy 3 Step T-shirt to Tank Top DIY

Sometimes you find an awesome t-shirt at the thrift shop, and sometimes you don't really like the neck line on it, it almost feels like your getting strangled, you think.  And then sometimes you decide you'd actually rather have it be a tank top.  So you buy the t-shirt anyway, because it's only $2, and you decide you're going to turn it in to what you want.  Because, really, all you need is some scissors, maybe some pins, and about fifteen minutes.  I showed how to cut off the neckline of a t-shirt in a previous post.

3 Easy Steps to Turn that T-shirt into a Tank Top

Step One:

Lay your t-shirt flat.  Grab a favorite tank and lay it on top of the t-shirt, and mark off with pins where you want to cut.

Step Two:

Cut off your sleeves.  On this t-shirt I decided to cut off the sleeves just to the inside of the seam, tapering in a little bit towards the neck at the top.  The variations here are endless depending on what sort of look you're going for.  

*tip.  I cut off the front of the sleeve and the back of the sleeve separately, only cutting through one layer of fabric at a time, in order to have more control of what and where I was cutting off.

Step Three:

Cut out neck.  I used my pins as a general guideline.  You can use washable ink if you want to be more specific about where to cut, or just go for it.  

*tip.  I marked my midpoint on the front neckline, so that when I cut to that point, I folded over what I had already cut, so that the other side would be an exact match of the first side.  If you like even necklines, I suggest this method.

Looking for more simple DIY alteration projects?  Try these Simple Boho style Jean Cutoff's!

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Now you're ready for a summer day at the beach!  Have fun!

xo Emily

this week...

My projects this week included a thrift store dress alteration, macrame plant hangar, and collecting more living green for the house.  Summer is here!

goodwill, you're too good!

One of my thrifting rules is that if I don't need it right now, then don't get it.  This is a hard rule to follow.  Because when you're at the thrift store, you're thinking #1 everything here is so cheap, what could it hurt to buy it and see if I can find a use for it later, right?  or #2 everything here was never here before, and will never be here again, so i better get it, this is my last chance, right?

But if you make a habit out of going to the thrift store, like I do, you can easily wind up with closets full of crap you thought you might use at some point, only to pack up and give back to the goodwill a year later.

But I have a weakness.  A weakness for retro hot pink floral patterns.  A weakness for jars with lids.  A weakness for fabric that is indescribably awesome.

Well, if anything, my closets will be super cute!  No, wait, I take that back.  I'm totally gonna find a use for each and every one of these.  You just wait.

back to school shopping?

Last week I spent some time "back to school" shopping
for the girls (and myself).
We didn't need much,
but I thought it might be nice if we had something new for the start of school.
Kind of a celebration of a new year of learning.
As I was telling my friend on the phone what I had found at the thrift store that day she questioned whether I should really be calling it "back to school" shopping.

Doesn't everybody consider an instant collection of sweet vases, a few bowls and plates, and a handy vintage tray all back to school necessities?

I guess I also found some great jeans (all under $5),
and a few cute tops to satisfy the back to school shopping purists out there.

**the summer dress sale in my etsy shop continues for 6 more days!
use coupon code summer11**

garage sale frame and some spray paint

i got this gaudy (translation: beautiful) frame at a garage sale a while back for 50 cents.
it had some awesome old school photos in it.
i really dreamed of finding some funky old pictures of mark and i,
but we really must not have owned or used a camera for about the first 10 years of our lives together.

i hit it with some glossy green spray paint,
and put in some of the oldest pictures i could find of us together (not many to choose from here, people).

i really love the top one of mark in his early twenties
still wearing his hair long and sun kissed.

these here are the roots of love.

celebration (and a tiny bit of guilt)

i did it! my dottie angel challenge is complete!
i bought {almost}everything handmade or secondhand
for my house and my own wardrobe for one whole year.

i've shared some highlights along the way here, here, here and here.

i really love shopping at thrift stores. something about times past.
i actually have dreams where i'm at a warehouse full of old treasures
that are mine for the taking.
and i do find myself scoping out the treasures at elderly friends homes.

retro gaming life

did i ever cave? give into temptation? well, i'm not going to lie.
i bought myself some new shoes.
for some reason, shoes i do not find second hand.
they don't call out my name, and they're never the right size.
whatever the excuse, i broke down and i bought them.

this will not turn into a guilt ridden post however, but one of celebration!
i don't see this as the end of a long year of abstinence,
but the continuation of a lifestyle.

thanks to dottie for presenting the challenge.

a thrifty re-do

i've had a marvelous time thrifting lately. we're talking some real scores! i found this real cute sweater and bought it "as is"  noting the missing buttons.  I knew that at some point i would need to do a ginger inspired button upgrade on it.

although i thought the original buttons were darling, i used what i had in my stash at the moment, which happened to be some vintage pearly ones. what cardigan doesn't look good with vintage pearly buttons on it?

and even though i tend to not use all the buttons when i'm wearing a cardigan, at least i don't look like i was forced into such a haphazard way of cardigan wearing.

a thrifty treasure

Finding treasures at the thrift store takes a bit of practice, or so I'm told from friends who love the thought of finding those treasures, but who never have any "luck" at it. I think the most important skill in treasure hunting is having an open mind, oh, and a bit of patience. You usually don't find treasures you're looking for right away. Very often it's more like, "wow, that's awesome!... what can I do with it?"

Ever since I "traded" my daughter an extra table leaf perched atop a t.v. tray to use as a desk so that I could use her desk as a permanent home for my sewing machine, I have kept in the back of my thrift store mind to keep a look out for a desk. Well, it's been over a year, and sure, I've seen desks at the thrift store, but most no better than the t.v. tray counterfeit.

This little beauty was just sitting there, so unassuming, with an ugly chair in front of it, behind the main row of furnishings. It had apparently been sitting there for too long, for the price tag was marked down to half price!

For now, I really do love the wood finish all dressed up with the glass knobs (we did have to add a missing one that we just happened to have lying around the house). But I can also foresee this desk in any number of amazing colors.

something old, something new

My dear cousin Megan came down from San Francisco this weekend so we could make her wedding dress. What an honor! Hers is view 3 above. She picked an off-white cotton with tan polka dots- too cute, and totally her. We redesigned the neckline and added a row of tiny little wooden buttons down the back. We had a blast! Sewing and trying on, all weekend long.


"Megan is here. Megan came here so mommy could help her with her wedding dress. Megan is 26 that is a big number isn't it? There is a lot to say about Megan. Do you like horses, yes, she likes horses but it is not her favorite animal. Her favorite animal is a dolphin. Mommy and Megan are having trouble with the sleeves of the wedding dress. They say it is a sewing marathon I think it is more like too much sewing. For me it would be funner if they did not have to sew and if me and Ginger could play with them." -Ruby, 8 years old.

our family is growing

Our family of sewing machines, that is. Ruby got a new (used) machine for her birthday, which really rounds out the family dynamics around here.

Grandpa Pfaff's been around and seen the world. He'll hoist you up on his knee and tell you tales of long ago. He's the kind of grandpa who you always run to when you need that stubborn jar lid unscrewed. He's ancient, but tough.

Our new member, Aunt Sing-Sing is a great gal. She's a fun loving auntie, always the first one in the water and the last to get out. She's everyone's favorite, probably because she's so patient and easy going. She remembers when girls wore poodle skirts, and can still admire a fresh Amy Butler print.

And then there's good old cousin Bernie. He pulls up in his race car, willing to give anyone a ride who's willing to hold tight.

You should just see the dinner table when the whole family of sewing machines get together. Needles flying, thread everywhere, and everyone wearing a smile!