I have a problem. I LOVE t-shirts. Everywhere we go I want to buy a t-shirt. If we go try a new brewery, I get a t-shirt. If there is a t-shirt for sale at school, I buy it. T-shirts with quotes? I love them. And I have too many of them. When choosing to upcycle t-shirts for my 52 Weeks of Wonder Challenge I was hoping it would help me add some style to some of these t-shirts I own and then maybe I would be less inclined to buy new ones. Sticking with the thought of minimizing, right? I mean I did spend all that time on my capsule wardrobe!

My first attempt was no-sew upcycle. I took a t-shirt and made it into a tank/workout shirt like this blogger from DIY Round-Up.

Her directions are clear and easy to follow. It turned out great for a work-out shirt or a shirt to wear around the house. I like this one!

The second one I tried was from this tutorial at wikihow.com. She has some great ideas that were easy to try. I found that cutting the sleeve of an oversized t-shirt and tying it was helpful for some of the t-shirts I have purchased from the school I work at. Also, a simple cut in the side of the shirt allows you to tie a nice knot in the side to give a bulky t-shirt some form. My hope was that I could take these bulky t-shirts and make them more professional looking for work. I wouldn’t say that they turned out as professional looking as I hoped. I mean, it is still a t-shirt, right? But they are now better for those dress down days!

To give you an idea of how some of these turned out I gave my daughter and one of her best friends a few bulky t-shirts and upcycled them to give them some form. Now I may be biased…but they are pretty cute. And the t-shirts didn’t turn out bad either!

I did not try this upcycle yet. It actually requires a sewing machine and I know I am going to need my mom’s help. But it is so cute! So I decided to put it in here for those of you who are masters at the sewing machine. It’s a simple way to add a little form to a t-shirt by adding a sinch at the bottom. According to the author, you can do it with a t-shirt or any other shirt! The tutorial is here on recycledlovelies.com.

I must admit that after I decided this would be my challenge for the week I came across this t-shirt from Stranger Things and ordered it. But seriously, if you are a Stranger Things fan and you love Jim Hopper shouldn’t you support him? It would be mean not to. So I bought it. But, I am not sure how it will fit. If it is bulky I have some options now!

Do you upcycle clothing? What are your tips and tricks?