How to make a shirt reversible! Tutorial

How to make a shirt reversible! Tutorial

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• 3.14.2013

Here's a tutorial I hope you'll have a use for! I had this pretty lace-backed tee in a loose, boxy-but-flattering shape, and one day was looking through my closet for a lace top in the same neutral ivory. I found this one in my drawer and tried it on backwards. It didn't work. The neckline was way too high on my neck, and obviously had a tag at the center [front]. So I figured, I should make this reversible from front to back!

So here's the step-by-step. All you need is a tee and some coordinating fabric which you'll cut into bias strips (I used basic woven cotton).

Before:

So, how to make a t-shirt reversible!

1. Find the center back and taper toward the shoulder seams.

(Try it on to see if the new neckline you just cut is low enough.)

2. Cut about 1/3 yard of bias tape out of a similarly colored fabric. My tee had a rib knit binding edge anyway, so I'll bend my new binding with the old at the join. (Cut your bias about three times as wide as your original binding.)

3. Press one side of the bias strip under, 1/3 the total width.

4. Pin the bias binding right sides together with the back of the tee. Pin carefully so you don't stretch out the tee--you'd end up with a wavy, puckery neck edge. Sew.

5. Press your seam open, then press back toward the inside of the shirt and pin in place. Turn the edges of the bias under to hide the raw edges.

6. Topstitch! I gave mine two rows separately, but you could use a double needle or just do one row... try to match the rest of the neckline.

7. Sew down the turned-under edges at the side/shoulder seams.

Done!

Here it is on! Now it's a boat neck on the lace side and the same high scoop neck in the back.