T-shirt Thrift Flip Tee to Tank Upcycle

DIY tutorial to take a thrifted t-shirt and make it into a camisole top

Hey y’all, today I have a t-shirt thrift flip project for you. I’m going to show you how to upcycle this tee into a camisole style tank top. I love doing this with graphic t-shirts and I have quite a few of them in my drawer.

For this one I chose a Batman graphic t-shirt. While I generally avoid wearing black in the heat of Texas summers, this strappy tank top is bearable. I used the Kirei Camisole pattern in my shop to sew this up.

A few thrift shopping tips if you’re looking for a t-shirt to sew one of these:

• Look for one a lot bigger than your size. You generally need enough room between the sleeve seams to cover half your bust circumference.
• But keep the graphic size in mind – if the graphic is too oversized on the larger t-shirt, it won’t look right when you cut the t-shirt down to make the camisole.
• T-shirts with more stretch are better than t-shirts that barely stretch, but if you fall in love with one that doesn’t have a lot of stretch you can still make this t-shirt thrift flip by sizing up on the camisole pattern
• Think about contrast – for the upcycle I’m wearing below, I used a contrasting color rib knit for the neck binding and straps, and I love the retro look that gives to the top.

Want to make your own upcycled camisole? You’ll need

• The Kirei Camisole Pattern or a similar tank top pattern.
• A t-shirt to use for fabric – at least 2 sizes larger than your size
• Rib knit for the straps and bindings, 1/4 yard.

You can use the directions in the sewing pattern or watch the video I made of the Batman camisole below or on YouTube here.

And if you’d like to make yourself adjustable straps instead of the circular straps on the pattern, use the directions in this post for adjustable straps. You’ll also need lingerie rings and sliders if you go that route.

New to sewing stretch fabrics? No problem! You don’t need a special machine as long as your sewing machine can do a zig-zag stitch. Learn all about stretch stitches for knit fabrics here.