Kids Makes

the dartful dodger

Turn a simple T-shirt into a funky tank top following Megan Nicolay’s easy steps

Ingredients

•  1 T-shirt  (regular fit)
• scissors
• straight pins
• needle
• thread

Texture, texture, texture. Simulate punk slashes by pinching the fabric of your tee, then stitching darts into this hip hybrid of a shirt. An odd marriage of prepster and punk for sure, but one that may very well launch a new subculture of cool. The quirky “pleats” make a boxy shirt more fitted, while showing off your unapologetic DIY aesthetic. Rock it!

Make it

1. Lay the T-shirt flat and cut off the sleeves just outside the seam.

2. On the front, pinch ½" to 1" of the top layer of fabric and press it flat to one side. Pin it in place. (Be careful not to pin the dart to the back of the T-shirt.)

3. Repeat step 2 to create pleated patterns parallel and at angles to those you made in step 2.

4. Use a running stitch (or machine stitch) to sew along the edge of the dart ¼" to ½" from the fold, tapering at both ends. Make sure your stitches “catch” the three layers of fabric (both sides of dart and front of T-shirt).

HANDY HINT: Use contrasting thread to add color to the texture. Remove the pins.

Further information

This quick and easy project is just one in Generation T – Beyond Fashion by Megan Nicolay published by Workman Publishing (ISBN 978-0-7611-5410-5). This fab book has 120 ways to transform a T-shirt ranging from restyled Ts to bags, pet toys and household must-haves! All are fun, funky and easy to sew or are no-sew and although those sewn are done by hand, you can as easily and indeed more quickly use a sewing machine. As the blurb on the back says, ‘its cheeky, it’s chic, it’s all yours’. Available from good book shops or Amazon, visit www.amazon.co.uk.