Freshman open option major Kelcy Schamehorn models a completed shirt. (CU Independent/Kelsi Cooke)
Plain, regular fitting t-shirts just don’t make the cut these days. But with a few cuts, that boring old CU shirt can be turned into a fashionable, fitted top.
Judging from the crowd at Folsom Field, a lot of girls cut their shirts into more form-fitting creations that look better than an average tee and are fun to make.
While there are countless ways to transform a top, Autumn Bjugstad, a 21-year-old junior majoring in math, showed the Independent how to create a tied-off tube-top. Following these simple steps ensures success with this project:
1. Gather supplies. The most important supply is the t-shirt, obviously. Scissors will also be needed. Bjugstad recommended fabric scissors because they prevent the fabric from fraying as much as it would with regular scissors.
2. Try the shirt on. It’s important to see how the shirt fits before its cut. This will allow you to make accurate measurements of how long the incisions need to be. The bigger the shirt, the bigger the cuts.
3. Remove the shirt’s sleeves, cutting along the seam of the sleeves. After this step, the shirt will look like a rectangular piece of fabric.
4. Cut the top of the shirt off, where the neckline, is to create the upper seam of the tube top.
5. Cut along the sides of the shirt, along the seams. Doing this will create two square fabric pieces.
Make slits every 2-6 inches on the sides of the fabric. (CU Independent/Kelsi Cooke)
6. Make slits every 2-6 inches on the sides of the fabric. The space between each cut will determine how much skin shows. The smaller the space, the closer together the ties will be. Make sure the slits are being cut on the top and bottom layer of fabric. The cuts should be as long as they need to be to make the shirt be the correct fit.
7. Next, take the two corresponding slits and tie them in a knot. Do this to all of the slits until the shirt is complete.
This project took about 15 minutes and by the end, the original over-sized shirt had transformed into a one-of-a-kind tee that actually fit and looked good. It wasn’t a difficult process, and it was satisfying to feel like a participant in the creation of the clothing.
Since there are so many different ways to cut shirts, Bjugstad shared a few tee-cutting tips.
“Start out simple. Play around with strip length or different places to cut the shirt,” Bjugstad said.
Bjugstad pointed out that working with more fabric is better than working with less. Shirts that are too big can always be cut down, but cutting shirts too small can make the whole process a lot harder.
“Sometimes if you cut too small, you might have trouble getting into it. It’s better to get too big, than too small,” Bjugstad said.
Danielle Guyerson, a 20-year-old junior education major, said she also likes cutting shirts.
“You can make something plain-Jane into something hot and sexy,” Guyerson said.
However, not all students feel it’s necessary to alter their shirts to make them appealing.
“I don’t cut them because I feel like I would screw up and ruin the tee shirt, but I like the way they look,” said Samantha Brook, a 19-year-old sophomore environmental engineering major.
Bjugstad said she likes to cut shirts because it makes them into something almost unrecognizable from the original shirt.
“It makes shirts so unique and you can revitalize an old tee into something new and exciting,” Bjugstad said. “Any piece of fabric can be turned into a fun outfit.”
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Kelsi Cooke at Kelsi.cooke@colorado.edu.
