T-Shirt Frugality

A few posts back, I wrote about altering a t-shirt I bought for the amazing price of a quarter at CVS. Well, this summer I've been altering a lot of t-shirts. We all have ones that have faded, stretched out, gotten stained or are just plain 'ready for the rag bag.' Well, being somewhat broke (and still in debt, although that is diminishing), and in desperate need of decent clothes for the summer, I decided to make do. So...every time I come across a pretty top that is no longer wearable, I now cut off any nice trims and put them in my trims and lace box. That way, I can use them on plain t-shirts.

If you sew, then you know that trims and laces are quite expensive! Cutting them from an old shirt makes them free...and the leftover fabric is great for rags.

Obviously, I need shirts to decorate. Walgreen's sells plain t-shirts for about $2.50 each, in many colors. I bought a pink one the other day and added a pink lace motif to it that was from an old shirt. (My camera's memory card is missing...wish I could find it and post a picture!) So I basically ended up with a $15-$20 shirt that only cost me $2.50 and a little time.

There are two ways to do this. 1)If you sew, cut around the lace or motif leaving a little extra fabric around the edge. This is where your stitches will go. Use a LOT of pins. I'm lucky to have a mannequin (yay!) but you could put a piece of cardboard or a magazine behind the neckline so you don't pin through the back. Set your machine on a nice zig-zag and stitch away.

2)If you don't sew, cut the trim as close to the edge as possible. Then just use fabric glue or an iron-in fusible web (just make sure it's washable).

Now...doesn't this just make you want to go out and buy a cheap t-shirt, LOL?