Shirt Upcycling: Combine Two Shirts for Added Length

If you have a shirt that does not quite fit the way you want, rather than getting rid of it, consider upcycling it! Nicki LaFoille shows you how to combine two different shirts into one that fits perfectly.

Shirt Upcycling

Supplies

Nicki begins by talking about the two different shirts that are going to be combined into one. Since she will be sewing them together in the middle, she explains how this is a good alteration for a shirt that is too short, or also a good fix if either the upper or lower part of a shirt has any kind of damage that can not be repaired, like a hole or stain.

Prep & Cut

She then shows how to begin preparing the shirts by pinning the front and back together so that they can be more easily evenly cut. Nicki then explains how to measure and find the correct spot to cut on both shirts, taking into account the seam allowance that will be needed on both shirts.

Pin, Mark & Sew

Once they have been cut apart, Nicki shows how to pin them together. With the shirts being used for this tutorial, the lower part of the shirt, which is a woven fabric is wider than the top part of the shirt, which is a knit. Nicki explains how to mark the lower shirt fabric in order to make sure that the extra width of the shirt is evenly distributed around the upper shirt it is being added to. She then shows how to sew the two shirt halves together, giving tips on machine setting and notions used when working with two different fabrics.

Once you’ve mastered this fun shirt upcycling technique, consider trying out several others including adding a beaded neckline to a shirt and adding lace to the sides of a shirt.