Adding fringe to the sleeves of this T-shirt takes it from glum to glam

Have you ever wanted to make an old T-shirt more exciting but were tired of all the usual suggestions such as cutting off the sleeves or turning it into a crop top? This project requires just a little bit of sewing know-how and some patience mixed with diligence, but it creates one of the most fun, exciting looks you may have seen in a while: a T-shirt with fringe on its sleeves.
You can wear the revamped shirt to an outdoor picnic, or you can dress it up for a more formal, evening affair. The fun thing about this fringy shirt is that it gives you a unique look and helps an old T-shirt spring to life again. Use colorful fringe to make your shirt look even more exciting and enjoy the compliments.
Advertisement
Materials
- T-shirt
- Fringe trim longer than both sleeves (Don't release the string at the bottom.)
- Seam ripper
- Pin cushion and several pins
- Scissors
- Serger or sewing machine
DIY Everywhere
Instructions
1. Lay out the T-shirt on a flat work surface.
2. Use the seam ripper to remove the stitches holding the sleeves to the shirt. Set the sleeves aside but do not discard them.
3. Attach the top of the fringe to the edge of the sleeve using pins, ensuring it's perfectly in line with the edge of the shirt. Cut the fringe once it's wrapped around the sleeve hole.
4. Find the inner edge and match the cut-off sleeve to the inner edge of the shirt.
5. Remove each pin and reinsert it to affix the sleeve back to the shirt with the fringe in the middle.
6. Carefully feed the sleeve through the serger with the inside of the shirt facing out, removing pins as you sew the sleeve and fringe to the rest of the shirt.
7. Create a seam that goes a little beyond the end of the garment so there are no gaps, and cut the seam short.
8. Repeat steps 3 through 7 on the other side of the shirt.
9. Once the fringe is on both sleeves, carefully remove the string that holds the fringe in place.
Advertisement
Resources