Don't toss those old, stained, outgrown or just too-plain tops. With a few scissor snips, they can be transformed into a handy tote, a cute cut-flower tee or a stylish scarf.
Tee is for tote
When your child outgrows her favorite shirt, turn it into a handy bag. To make one, cut off the shirt's sleeves, collar and bottom. Turn the shirt inside out and sew up the bottom hem (or close the seam with fusible bonding web, such as Super Weight Stitch Witchery). If you like, prevent the shoulder seams from unraveling by putting a few dots of fabric glue on each seam end. Turn the tee right side out, and it's ready to tote!
Flower power tee
A bit of pruning lets a plain shirt blossom when worn over another top.
ADVERTISEMENT
1. Turn the shirt to be snipped inside out and fold the front in half lengthwise, matching up the side seams. Be sure the back of the shirt is pulled away from the front so that it won't get cut.
2. Use chalk to draw a half circle and petal shapes, or trace our templates, available at Family Fun.com/magazine, on the shirt.
3. Pin the fabric between the petals to keep it from slipping, then cut out the shapes, snipping through both layers at once.
So-simple scarf
No one will guess that this great scarf used to be a knit shirt! To fashion one, make two diagonal cuts through the front and back of a shirt, as shown. The bottom edge should be a little wider than the shoulder. For a longer scarf, use an adult-size shirt.
