Child’s Tee to Cute “Gathered” Swing Tank – EASY Sewing Project!

It all started with a rather unattractive unisex shirt that I didnt much like on me but the logo I did like! I wanted to convert it to something a little more flattering and more appropriate for the 90+ degree weather weve been having, so I set off on the search for the perfect tutorial. Jens tee-to-tank tutorial at CrafterHours is a WINNER! Its the easiest reconstruction Ive seen that ends up looking like something I would buy in a store!

So after reconstructing a few tees in my closet, I turned to Emmas closet. And there was that super CUTE shirt that I love but the neckline is a little stretched out. I didnt know if shed ever get to wear it and have it look good.

Jens tutorial is great, but I thought I would try to go into a little more detail here. 🙂
So heres how to do it:

First, CUT :
1. The sleeves at the shoulder seams
2. Straight across underneath the neckline
3. The hem and one strip above that.

Youll be scrapping everything but the strip between the hem and the body of your shirt.

Now you have:

Fold and Pin:
1. Fold over the very top of both the front and top of your tank once.
2. Pin well.

Sew and Thread:
1. Sew one straight line across the pinned folds, leaving about a 1.5 gap.


2. Cut the leftover strip you set aside so its one long piece, then thread through the openings you created in the front and back of the tank now you have shoulder straps! Tie at side or sew ends together.

Aint it cute???

Other options: You can leave the hem on if you need the length and use other t-shirt or jersey knit scraps, ribbon, lace, etc to make shoulder straps.

Tip: To thread your ends through the gaps easily, try attaching a safety pin to the end. I personally have a long wirey uh, thingie that I use that makes it a breeze. Wish I knew what it was, ha! It came in my moms sewing tools and thats what I use it for.

If you give this a try I would love to see pictures! 🙂