Lace T-shirt Refashion TUTORIAL {Melanie from Crafty Cupboard}

Lace Shirt Refashion
Well, hello fellow craft addicts!  I’m thrilled to be visiting over here in Linda’s lovely space.  I’m from over at the Crafty Cupboard, where I like to share my fun projects.  I mostly sew, but I love simple, easy décor projects too.  I have two little girls who make life that much more exciting, and one very supportive husband who has been fully trained on how long he needs to ooh and aah over something I’ve made.
I have to say, I totally love what I’m sharing today.
If you looked through my closet, it wouldn’t be that hard to realize I am a simple person when it comes to clothes.  I’m slowly working my way up to wearing “pretty” things, and I’ve been drawn to the lace-topped tees lately, and have wanted to duplicate the look for my own wardrobe.
Lace

(all of these lace-infused tops were found at ModCloth, my go-to-source for good knock-off ideas)

I like to keep my shoulders and such covered, so that pretty much rules me out of the lace goodness without the undershirt beneath breaking up the loveliness.  The goal was to achieve the lace sectioned bodice while keeping everything fully lined.  And it was so easy to do!
Lace Front Detail
All you need to get the look is some stretch lace and a t-shirt (plus, you know, sewing stuff.).  I got my shirt at Target for $2 clearance this past winter, and it has been sitting in my closet, with tags, since then!  I am using a lace shawl I found at Goodwill, but stretchy lace can be found in the bridal fabrics at Jo-Anns.
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1. Cut off those sleeves!  Keep them nice and in tact, since we will put them back on in the end.
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2. Mark a line where you want your lace bodice part to end.  I decided on a smaller bodice but hey, the entire front in lace would look cool too!  My front and back were two different lengths so I just marked one layer.
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3.  Cut along your markings (my top layer), and then mark the back.
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4.  See how my back is higher?  I thought I’d be clever.  It didn’t make much difference in the end :)
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5.  Put the shirt part aside, and cut the bodice at the shoulders so you have two separate pieces.  I cut the neckline off here too because I didn’t want a really high lace crew neck… ya know?
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6.  Use those bodice pieces as your pattern for your lace.  Pin, and cut away!
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7.  Pin the lace to the wrong side of the bodice pieces and pin just at the necklines.
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8.  Sew the necklines at about 1/4” seam allowance.  When it is turned inside out, it will look like this:
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9.  Pin the Front and Back shoulders together, matching up the lace layers and the knit layers.  Use the same 1/4” seam allowance.
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10.  Turn everything inside out and love your new lace bodice section!  And on we go.
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11.  Pin the bodice Right Sides Together with the shirt (don’t mix up your fronts and backs!), and sew with 1/4” seam allowance, yet again.
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12.  Pretty, huh?  I just have the front done in this pic, I was too excited to wait.
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13.  Find those sleeves and sew them back in!  The way I do it is I turn my shirt inside out and stick the sleeve right side in.  I start by pinning at the armpit seams and then pin outwards from there until everything is pinned and stretched evenly.  Sew together!
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14.  Flip everything right side out!
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15. Find the only flowering bush in your desert-landscaped neighborhood and take pictures!
Lace Bodice
The great thing about a spruced-up tee is that it is suddenly OK for date night!  I’d throw on a cardi or cute jacked over this.  If it wasn’t in triple digits here in Arizona already.  ;)
Lace Shirt Back
And I already have the fixin’s for a few more of these shirts… I’m itching for a full-fronted lace shirt now!
I Like Lace
I’m so glad I got to hang with you today!  Come visit me anytime over at my blog.

Linda
Hi! I'm Linda, the craft addict behind Craftaholics Anonymous®, a craft blog. Crafting is cheaper than therapy, right? When I'm not DIYing something, I can be found taxiing around our 4 crazy kids or working out. Or shoe shopping... because you can never have too many shoes! Happy crafting! ♥
Linda
Linda

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Comments

  1. 1

    I love this tutorial! You did a great job on the shirt, it turned out great. I love all the detailed instructions and photos. You make it very easy to follow. Thanks for sharing this clever idea!

  2. 2

    That’s so cute!

  3. 3

    This is really cute! I love lace too. I will have to try it sometime. Thanks for the tutorial!

  4. 4
    Donna C

    Very clever and a great tutorial.

  5. 5

    way cute! what an awesome idea!

  6. 6

    LOVE this!! Thanks for sharing how to make a lined lace version. :)

  7. 7

    So adorable! I’ve wondered how to make one of these, too, without having to wear an undershirt. Great idea! I love it!

    Rachel @ Maybe Matilda

  8. 8
    VickiT

    Wow! What an awesome tutorial. I LOVE this idea. Thank you SO much. Great job.

  9. 9

    Melanie, I love this! A while ago I was at Old Navy and I found a purple long-sleeved tee in my size for $0.68. Then they were an additional 30% off so it seemed like a good time to buy. I was so shocked, I bought three of them. They’ve been sitting on my fabric table (okay, it’s a changing table my mom gave us, but we have no children!) for the past few months waiting for me to find the right idea and finish up my thesis. I’m done with the thesis, and I think I have found an idea for at least one of the shirts!

  10. 10

    This is such a great idea! Totally going on my TO DO LIST.

  11. 11

    It’s adorable! I love lace too. :-) Thanks for posting.

  12. 12
    Vena

    Love it! Gonna try this right away, thanks!

  13. 13

    Oooh, I really like this. And I love that it’s modest, but so stylish.

  14. 14
    Kate Mackey

    Excellent tutorial and adorable wearable.

  15. 15
    Sarah

    Where did you get that lace?! I’ve been looking for lace like that for quite some while now..
    By the way, AMAZING tutorial! :)

  16. 16

    cool, i have to do something like that. There´re a lot of T-shirts laying around and waiting for “refashoning”.

  17. 17

    Looks great! Simple and clever~

  18. 18
    Patti T.

    So adorable and clever! I love it! Thanks for sharing. Great tutorial.