Getting Started with DIY: a simple top

Being new to DIY can be very intimidating. It's hard to figure out what exactly you want to do with something or even what thing you're going to do that project with. As a DIY newbie I was gifted 5his book from a thrift store, "Generation T 108 ways to transform a T-shirt" by Megan Nicolay, and it changed everything. This book is, in my opinion, a DIY bible for the new kid, it has projects for beginners and experienced DIYers alike. They even specify when a project does not require sewing and even alternatives to some sewing projects to create them without needing a needle and thread at all!

I highly recommend this book if you can find it.

If not, no worries! I'll be showing off a few of the projects (though never exactly the same as I think everyone should go support the author!) and even mixing several together to add my own personal flair to an outfit!

We start with a tshirt. My partner gave me this shirt to use for the project as he intends to use the scrap fabric for patches.

The only things you need for this project are a shirt and scissors! No sewing required, 100% beginner friendly DIY.

(Don't mind my wobbly lines I didn't measure anything for this project!)

Here we have our first step, I pinched the shirt just under the arm pits and laid it down with the top folded under to give me a general guide for the top cut. After that I decided how long I wanted the top to be & made that cut. I made all my cuts from one edge of the shirt so I only had to place one side later!

After cutting the shirt down to your desired size you should be left with a large rectangle of fabric!

I put this rectangle of fabric around myself to see just about how much fabric to cut off.

Once I knew how much fabric to remove I cut off the excess. How much or how little you take off will depend on how you want the top to fit you!

Once I got the cuts roughly even I lined them up like this with about as much space between them as I wanted on the finished top.

Once we have the main top we take the rest of the shirt and cut out a long strip of fabric to act as our lace.

Longer is always better! Give yourself wiggle room!

After I had my ribbon I took the top and pulled one edge over the other by about an inch.

After everything lined up I poked holes into the fabric at roughly equal distance apart from each other down the length of the fabric, making sure to poke through both layers so the holes would be even.

At this point your top should look something like this!

You can place your top in either direction but I choose from top to bottom so I looped my ribbon into the first two holes and made the ends even in lenth.

Then I crisscrossed the place down the middle of the shirt!

Once finished I suggest trying it on before tying it fully so you can adjust the fit as needed.

And there we have it! A brand new cute top from a random old tshirt we had lying around our house!

I hope this project serves you all well! Remember you can alter this project however you like! A great option would be to use safety pins instead of the shirt fabric to close it, or even any nice ribbon you have in your house! Feel free to share your results with me if you do this project!

Happy DIYing!