how to alter a mens t-shirt into a womens (or maternity) size {tutorial}

When I first moved to Seattle, I noticed there was a sort of "uniform" that locals subscribed to: jeans and a black North Face fleece jacket. Comfort is king there. And I loved that no one cares what you look like--they take you as you are, even if you show up at the Symphony in jeans and fleece. It was very freeing. My first week in Iowa City I noticed a different kind of local uniform: Iowa gear. Anything and everything that says Iowa, Hawkeyes, or Iowa Hawkeyes. The Hawkeyes are like a religion here. No, more than that--a way of life. College kids, moms, babies, old men, it doesn't matter--they're all walking around proudly promoting their team. It's always appropriate, like the jeans and fleece in Seattle. I had to get in on it.

Saturday was a big day. The first game for the Iowa Hawkeyes football 2011 season. The first game in which I would be in attendance. Which means I had to get some Iowa gear, quick! Do you know how hard it is to find college team maternity wear? At least under $30? It's hard people, very hard. So I decided to make my own.

{Please try to forgive the awkward self-portraits. I'm home alone all day, okay? Just hoping the neighbors haven't noticed me out in the yard posing yet.}

Here are some simple steps to alter a men's t-shirt into a womens size, even if you're not looking for maternity. Just take in a little more than I did.

Alter A Mens T-Shirt Into Womens (and/or Maternity) Size Tutorial

Supplies:
*T-shirt 1-2 sizes larger than your size (for maternity), or your regular size for non-maternity
*1/4" elastic (about a yard will be plenty)
*Sewing machine, matching thread, scissors, ruler, sewing marking pencil

1. Get a t-shirt. If you're not going for maternity, a t-shirt that fits like a men's size should will be fine. You'll mostly be altering the neckline and sleeves. If you want some room for baby, go bigger, like 1-2 sizes up. I would normally wear a men's small, so I went with a large. Found this beauty at the consignment shop for $4.99.

2. Next grab a t-shirt that fits you well. I chose a fitted maternity t-shirt (I have 3 of these and live in them right now--so comfy and cute). Lay it on top of your mens shirt. This will help you determine how much you're going to alter your big shirt. Mine--a LOT.

3. The neckline is a good place to start. I didn't want mine to be too low and cut off the Iowa logo, so I first just cut off the trim. Then I cut the front of the neckline a little lower than the back (rearrange the fold of the shirt so the sides of the neckline are together, rather than the front and back--this will help you keep the front even. )

I wanted to use some of the shirt's width to add some charm. I created 16 pin tucks around the front of the neck. Haven't done a pin tuck before? It's easy! Here's how:

*Mark your fabric with lines using a ruler and a fabric marking pencil. Mine were about 1.5" long and .5" apart. I followed the curve of my neckline.

*Next, pinch the center line between your fingers and fold along your line.

*Put the fold under your sewing machine and stitch just 1/8" or so from the fold (don't forget to backstitch!) along the length of the line your drew.

Repeat for all your markings. Cute, huh!

4. Now it's time for the sleeves. I was totally winging it when I did this, but I liked how it came out. Cut your sleeves off at the seams and cut out the bulky seam. 

Then lay your fitted shirt on top of the big shirt again. Mark where your fitted shirt's shoulder seams are, plus a little for the seam allowance. This is one of the biggest problems with mens-sized t-shirts--the shoulder seams are halfway down our arms!

 

Remove the fitted shirt and mark the new shoulder seam the rest of the way down. Notice I stopped before the bottom of the original sleeve. I wanted a smaller arm hole, so I followed the fitted tee's line.

Lay the fitted shirt's sleeve on top of the sleeve you cut off and trace around it. Again, I left 1/4" for my seam allowance (although I didn't end up hemming my sleeves, so you could leave that off if you don't want to hem yours, either). 

Cut off the excess fabric from the sleeve. 

Mark and cut the body-side of the sleeve as well, so it matches the size of the sleeve in your fitted shirt.

 

Cut off excess fabric from that side of the sleeve, too.  

 New sleeve! Looks a little better, right?

 

5. Before we can re-attach the sleeve, we much first tighten up that giant armhole.

If you're not making a maternity shirt, you can also use this step to make your t-shirt more fitted. Lay your fitted shirt on top again and trace the sides of the shirt from the armholes down to the bottom hem (or half-way down if you're making it maternity). Maternity will taper off slowly. This will leave more fabric to give you room for your bump (I want my shirt to last all season!). Sew along this line and trim excess, leaving a 1/4" seam allowance.

Now we can attach the sleeves! Turn your t-shirt inside out and leave your sleeve right-side out. Insert your sleeve into the armhole with the outside of the sleeve going in first. This will make your sleeve and shirt right sides together. Pin in place.

Sew around the armhole with a 1/4" seam allowance. If you have a serger, serge the edges. If not, try using your regular machine's overlock stitch on your new seams.

Now for the sides. This is a maternity shirt trick that I love, but it is also cute on non-maternity shirts! I'll leave it up to you if you want to do this step. 

With your shirt inside out, pin the top of a piece of 1/4" elastic a couple of inches under the armhole, where the side seam would be. Many t-shirts don't have a side seam, and this is desirable for maternity shirts. Since you'll be getting bigger in the front than you will in the back, you want to move the elastic back toward the back a couple of inches. Now it's time to sew it in. 

Change your stitch on your machine to a zig zag stitch, about the width of your elastic. Sew a couple of stitches to secure one end of the elastic in place under the armhole. Pull the elastic a little and hold it as you continue sewing your zig zag down almost to the bottom of your shirt. The more you pull as you sew, the more gathered your side seams will be. It's something you might just have to experiment with to see what you like. Stop about 1" from the bottom and secure with a backstitch. Clip your elastic. Repeat on the other side. 

 

I did the same thing on my sleeves as well. I sewed a 2" piece of elastic on the inside middle of the sleeve to create a little gather, just for fun.

 

And you're done! Seriously, that was way easier than I thought it would be. But I must warn you--start with a t-shirt you don't care about, just in case. It's good to have a little practice before cutting up a cute shirt!

Go hawks! It was a great game on Saturday, but because it poured the whole time, I had to cover up my new shirt with a rain coat! But don't fret--there's always next week. Or any day this week, really, since Iowa gear is always appropriate!