Media

There are those who will tell you that the best way to recycle a T-shirt is to turn it into a dust rag, but we scoff at that.

When “Generation T: Beyond Fashion, 120 New Ways to Transform a T-shirt” by Megan Nicolay (Workman, $15.95, 310 pages) arrived, it was ripe with possibilities, and many were surprising and intriguing.

The book uses T-shirts like fabric, so nothing was really off-limits. There are dresses and yoga pants, car steering wheel covers and oven mitts, doggy beds and ski hats.

Most of the projects were simple enough for a novice, and many required no sewing.

Dozens of projects looked not just practical, but interesting. Nicolay shows people how to turn the graphic prints on even the most boring and mundane shirts into something eye-catching and appealing.

The boxy 10K T-shirt with the corporate logo and sponsor list on the back can now become an edgy halter top with a few snips and twists. Others can become reuseable shopping bags that you can ball up in your purse or even a decorative headband.

Everyone of our DIY crew marveled at one design or another and said, I’d wear/use/like that.

So now came the hard part, clearing the monumental hurdle of finding a cool do-it-yourself project and the task of actually doing said project. We gathered together one afternoon and finished most of the projects within hours. The greatest observation is that T-shirts are extremely forgiving, and they are also cheap.

It could make for an interesting afternoon for teens making wrist cuffs and fingerless gloves. Or imagine turning your leftover family reunion shirts into a trivet for your mom or a baby bib for your kid.

You could help an elementary school child make stuffed toys or a No. 1 finger using their too small little league shirt.

It’s nice to have options.

AMY BERTRAND, LIFESTYLE EDITOR

Starting point • One of the many Mizzou T-shirts hanging in my closet.
Project • A kid’s cape
Steps necessary to make • Two
Difficulty • Super-duper easy
Time • About 5 minutes
Tools necessary • Sharp scissors
Basic instructions • Step 1: Lay the shirt flat, with the portion you want on the cape facing up (in this case, Missouri basketball, which was on the front of the regular shirt). Step 2: Cut, starting at one far end of the bottom, up diagonally to the collar. Repeat on the other side and then cut around collar on the front (or in this case, back) of the shirt.
Observations • This was easier than I would have thought possible. But I have two little boys, so as soon as I brought this home, I had to make another cape.

DEBRA BASS, FASHION EDITOR
Starting point • An ugly generic tee from a corporate event that I wouldn’t even wear to bed.
Project • Tote bag (Photos on Page L1)
Steps necessary to make • About five (although the directions in the book call for 10)
Difficulty • Super easy
Time • About 10 minutes
Tools necessary • Needle, thread, scissors (sewing machine optional)
Basic instructions • I lay the shirt flat on a table and cut the sleeves and neck hole away to mimic the shape of a tote bag. Then I double stitched the bottom hem. I did cut a little of the torso away so that the bag looked more proportional.
Observations • I wish I had made it even shorter, because I would have liked it to be more proportional, but it works. I washed it before using it so the edges would tighten slightly.

Starting point • The scraps from the table.
Project • Necklace/scarf
Steps to make • Two, but the second step took about three days.
Difficulty • Super easy
Time • About 3 hours total
Tool necessary • Scissors
Basic instructions • Take a piece of shirt that’s about 16- to 36-inches long and about an inch in width. Next, tie knots at the ends. Cut lots and lots of strips that are about 3/4-inch wide and 6 inches long. Tie the strips to the longer strip with simple slip knots. They will act like beads that you can slide together.
Observation • The book uses this technique to make a scarf, but I decided to stop at necklace length because I liked the look. I thought it worked better using something with a design on the front because it adds character and looks a little more unexpected. I also wanted it to look fuller so I tied two strips together at a time so that it would add volume.

AISHA SULTAN, HOME AND FAMILY EDITOR
Starting point • A worn-out, misshapen soft tee with a pattern I loved and an oversized, generic red tee someone brought to add to the pile at work.
Project • Fitted tank top that combined the best of both shirts. (Photos on Page L1)
Steps necessary to make • About 10
Difficulty • Moderately challenging
Time • About 1 to 2 hours
Tools needed • Scissors, thread, needle, sewing machine, chalk marker, straight pins
Basic instructions • Lay one T-shirt flat, cut off the sleeves and cut out the neck band. Cut through the sides to the armholes. This will be the back of the new shirt. I cut two long strips from the backside (still connected to the neck hole), which would be used as the drawstrings in the new front. From the second shirt, I also cut out the sleeves and a straight horizontal line just below the neck band, from one armhole to the other. This single panel will be the front of the new shirt. I cut a vertical slit on top, folded 2 inches of fabric over and stitched it to create a 2-inch seam (the drawstrings will slide through this opening). Line the panels up, front to back, and sew the side together. Turn inside out, and thread the drawstrings through the front panel. Tie into a bow in front. You can adjust the strap width.
Observations • I should have started with two shirts that were the same size (like the instructions said) because the extra-large red shirt threw off the fitting around the shoulders and sleeves.

KAREN DEER, LIFESTYLE REPORTER
Starting point • A shapeless extra-large St. Louis T-shirt.
Project • A tunic
Steps to make • About six
Difficulty • Easy
Time • About 1 hour
Tools necessary • Seam ripper (optional), chalk marker (pencil or eyeliner pencil), scissors, needle, straight pins, sewing machine
Basic instructions • Turn the tee inside out. Cut off the sleeves and neck and remove the stitches from bottom hem (optional). With the shirt still inside out, put it on and pinch and mark the fabric on both sides all the way down to make it more fitted, starting at the armholes. If you have a friend to help you, have them pin the shirt while you’re wearing it, if not mark the fabric while looking in a mirror. Take the shirt off, lay flat and cut just outside the marked lines or pins. After you make cuts down one side of the shirt, fold the shirt in half vertically to trim the edges of the second side to match. Now, unfold the shirt and sew a running stitch along the edge. Remove the pins and you’re ready to add a belt and go.
Optional belt trick • Use any leftover T-shirt fabric in a coordinating color to make a belt. You can connect your scraps using the easy no-sew technique from the project done by reporter
Observations • The shirt made a nice swimsuit cover-up.

NANCY CAMBRIA, NEWS STAFF REPORTER
Starting point • An ailing tee that came from a
co-worker
Project • A non-sew rehab of the tee into an artsy,
form-fitting top.
Steps necessary to make it • Five
Difficulty • Super easy
Time • About 15 minutes
Tools necessary • Fabric scissors and a ruler (optional)
Basic instructions • I put the shirt flat on a table and then first cut off the sleeves just behind the arm socket seams. Then I cut off the bottom of the shirt just above the hem. Next I cut up the side seams on both sides of the shirt all the way to the underams so that the shirt hung together just by the neck and shoulder seams. Then I cut a series of 2-inch-long, 1-inch-wide strips up each side of the shirt, making sure to snip both the front and back panel with each cut. It tried to cut the same number of slits on each side of the shirt so it was symmetrical. Finally, strip by strip, I tied the front and matching back pieces together into simple knots up both sides of the shirt.
Observations • If you don’t like using a sewing machine, this is the project for you! Also, the design is very forgiving if you fail to make symmetrical or neat cuts up the side. Next time I would also cut out the neck line to give the shirt a softer look to match the free-form look of the side knots.

TIPPI THOLE, FEATURES DESIGN DIRECTOR
Starting point • A blue, election 2008 T-shirt my husband got at work that had stains on it.
Project • Baby booties (Photos on Page L1)
Steps necessary to make • Nine
Difficulty • Average
Time • 2 hours
Tools necessary • Scissors, measuring tape or ruler, pins, needle and thread.
Basic instructions • I cut eight rectangles out of the T-shirt, strategically choosing the areas I wanted for the tops and soles of the booties. I then rounded the corners and cut a line through the pieces that would become the tops of the booties (so the baby’s feet could go in). I then handstitched the tops (two layers) and bottoms (two layers) together and finished the foot opening with a whipstitch.
Observations • In retrospect, I would do the project again with a sewing machine rather than sewing it by hand; it would have taken half the time plus I think the booties would be more durable for an active baby and frequent washing.