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Those old, baggy T-shirts you have stuffed in the back of your bottom drawer might just look like clutter to you, but a pair of scissors and some ribbon are all you need to breathe sexy new life into what would otherwise go straight to the donate pile. Adding a corset-style lacing detail to the sides of your tee transforms simple casual wear into sexy, club-worthy attire that will show off just enough skin to get some attention.
1.
Try on the T-shirt before you get to cutting. If the shirt is longer than 3 inches below your hips, you'll need to trim off the excess fabric along the bottom to give you a more appropriate fit. Use fabric chalk to mark off where 3 inches from your hips lands on the shirt. If you can pull the shirt more than 4 inches out from your side, you'll need to trim off some of the extra baggage when you cut out the seams.
2.
Lay out the shirt on a flat work surface. If you need to trim fabric from the hem, use a ruler to draw a line based on the 3-inch mark you made during the initial fitting. Cut along the line, going through both layers of the fabric to save time.
3.
Slice up the side seam of the T-shirt, stopping about 4 inches below the armpit of the shirt. If the shirt was baggy during your initial fitting, use your fabric chalk to make a triangle from the top of the cut to the bottom of the shirt so that the bottom of the triangle is about 1 inch wide on each side of the cut. Cut out the triangle and toss the excess fabric.
4.
Mark off the space for your lacing holes using your fabric chalk. Space the holes at least 1/2-inch but no more than 2 inches from the seam cut. Each hole should be approximately 1 to 2 inches apart, and the holes on each side of the seam should match up evenly. Use your ruler as a guide to double check.
5.
Turn your fabric marks into holes. The simplest option is to pinch the fabric at the mark between the tips of your scissors and give a careful snip, but you can also force the sharp tip of your scissors through the hole is your fabric is easily manipulated.
6.
Thread your laces or ribbon through the holes, starting at the top. The best lacing option is to slide the ribbon straight through the top two holes so that the ribbon hangs evenly from each side. Starting with the left ribbon, slide the end into the second hole on the right side and then through the third hole on the left side and back through the fourth hole on the left and so on. Thread the right-sided ribbon through the remaining holes.
7.
Try it out. Slip on the shirt and pull the ends of the ribbon tight. Wrap them in a knot or a bow. If the fit is right, repeat Steps 3 through 5 for the other seam on the shirt. If the shirt is still too loose, trim a large triangle away from the seam when you cut the other side of the T-shirt. If the shirt is too tight, loosen up the ribbon for a more casual fit.
Things You'll Need
1.Scissors
3.Fabric chalk
2.Ruler
4.Two 24-inch lengths of ribbon or a pair of shoe laces
Tips & Tricks
If you want to show some skin through the lacing, cut away larger portions of the seam so that even when the ribbon is tight, your side will show through.
Experiment with different lacing materials. Shoe laces are edgy and sporty while lace is sexy and unexpected.
Take out the ribbons before you wash your shirt; they'll get mangled if you leave them laced up.
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