May 16, 2016

4 Genius T-Shirt Pattern Hacks


One of the great things about t-shirt patterns like the Concord T-Shirt are that they’re totally hackable! If you’re a beginner, you can quickly and easily discover how fantastic it is to be able to adapt patterns to create exactly what you want – and if you’re a bit more advanced, they can be a great palate cleanser (I’ve been sewing with chiffon recently… yeah.). I already shared my Concord T-Shirt Dress hack, and today I’m going to share four more fantastic t-shirt pattern hacks from my pattern testers and friends!

  1. T-Shirt ruffle dress

Gillian of Crafting a Rainbow re-invented her t-shirt into a 90s inspired ruffle dress with just a few gathered rectangles! Check out her post – and awesome posing.

TShirtPatternHack1

2. Bow-back t-shirt

Steffi of 81 gradnord wrote a tutorial on how to make this really cute bow-back hack for the Concord T-Shirt (which would also work with other patterns). There are so many possibilities when you start thinking about ribbon types, colours, lengths…. I’m going to have to whip a few of these up for summer.

Cashmerette Concord T-Shirt

Cashmerette Concord T-Shirt

3. Sheer back yoke t-shirt

Steffi’s at it again with another t-shirt pattern hack! This time, she cut the back piece into two to create a yoke, and used chiffon on the bias for the top part. I love this! You could also use stretch lace, or a contrasting jersey.

Concord T-Shirt Pattern Hack

4. Patchwork back t-shirt 

I met Mariska at Craftcation 2016, and was immediately transfixed with her t-shirt… what a beauty! Mariska hand-sewed the hexie quilt pieces together (here’s a tutorial on how to do that), and then sewed around the edge of the patchwork to attach it to the t-shirt. Simple and oh-so-impactful.

TShirtPatternHack4

Are you inspired to do some t-shirt pattern hacks of your own? Do you have other creative ways you’ve adapted t-shirt patterns? I’d love to see them!

Four great t-shirt pattern hacks that anyone can make!

9 thoughts on “4 Genius T-Shirt Pattern Hacks

  1. These are awesome! Thanks for sharing them! I especially love the sheer back version.

  2. PsychicKathleen says:

    Love what Mariska did with her “patchwork quilt” hack 🙂 Beautiful 🙂 I still have yet to get to my Concord but it’s up next!

  3. Janet says:

    I love the sheer back version too. Tempted to try some of these – along with a ruched lower side seam and a contrasting yoke.

  4. mratzel says:

    I would love to try this pattern (just getting back into sewing and I’m more than a little rusty). What keeps stopping me is the wide neckline. Because I’m a petite plus, the wide neck on these patterns keep me back. If I sew them as is, my bra shows on both sides and/or is slips off one shoulder. But I need the width through the bust, tummy and hips.
    What’s a girl to do? A girl that doesn’t really know much about how to modify the pattern but is hopeful that she can learn.
    Any and all help is greatly appreciated.

    1. Hi! You can definitely make the neckline less wide – it’s literally just a case of drawing that onto your front and back pattern pieces in a smooth curve (you’ll need to add a little more paper underneath the pattern, then draw it on). You’ll then need to create a new neckband piece – just measure the final length of your neckline, and multiply that by 85% and that’s the new length (you can use the existing neckband piece for width). Hope that helps!

  5. Shelly Moon says:

    I have hacked a few t-shirts lately using lace. One shirt I purchased online was way too tight in the arms. So I slashed them open and put in a band of black lace. Then I trimmed off the hems and necklines with a coordinated skinnier lace. Another t-shirt didn’t fit right around my hips. So I opened the side seam and inserted a triangle bridal motif I picked up at an outlet store on each side. It looks fabulous. I get lots of compliments on both shirts. I like the ideas you shared here, especially the hexie triangle!

  6. J says:

    After summer I can find like-new thrifted long jersey sundressses with skimpy tops–but you can re-make the skirt for a top.
    I opened the center back seam on one and inserted a vertical black lace strip for a T, because often the front can be a few inches wider than the back. I did the same cutting T sleeves from bodice parts when they weren’t wide enough.

    Could someone show us a drafted contrast yoke or off-center split front hack when not enough fabric? I never know where to seam a yoke to hang well, even if not full-busted. Thanks!

  7. Evelyn Frank says:

    I love the t shirt pattern, I just made it for the first time and it came out great! I was wondering if there is a hack for making a sleeveless version. I am new to sewing and not sure how this could be done.

    1. Ayelet says:

      Hi Evelyn, turning a sleeved garment into a sleeveless one can be a challenging adjustment even for experienced sewists, since it involves redrafting the armhole. We recommend checking out our Saybrook Tank instead! https://cashmerette.com/saybrook

      -Ayelet at Cashmerette

Let me know what you think!