Spice up your T-shirt: Tips for upcycling your shirts

Fast fashion is a fundamental problem. Because let's be honest: we own far too many clothes. It's no wonder that many of our tops spend most of their time in the wardrobe. Yet it is so easy to repair or embellish clothes and give them a second life. Sometimes a simple cut with scissors is enough, sometimes it's worth investing more time and tailoring. Whether you're creative or a handyman, you can easily embellish your T-shirt with these tricks. What you need for this:

• a pair of scissors
• needle and thread
• beads, rubber bands or sequins
• adhesive tape
• and a little creativity

Do you like crafting? Then these tips are perfect for you! Reach into your creative box and use different materials to spice up your T-shirt. Take buttons, for example, and sew them onto different parts of the shirt. Place them on the hem, in the middle of the chest or on the shoulders.

Beads or flat, colorful sequins are a special eye-catcher to spice up a normal T-shirt. Think of a nice pattern for your old shirt and customize it according to your preferences. Let your creativity run wild!

Do you still have a large shirt from your boyfriend, father or brother at home that they no longer wear? Great, then grab it straight away, because you can turn it into a nice dress for the summer without much effort. Simply put the shirt on without putting your hands through the sleeves. Instead, put them through the neckline and pull the shirt down. Sounds a bit silly at first, but it can work well. If this is the case, then you have already created your new off-the-shoulder dress. You can simply fold the sleeves back and sew them to the back of the shirt. Or you can simply tie them in a knot and secure them. In both cases, you can also make the dress tighter by fusing them. This way you can spice up your T-shirt without cutting.

Do you still have a large shirt from your boyfriend, father or brother at home that they no longer wear? Great, then grab it straight away, because you can turn it into a nice dress for the summer without much effort. Unfortunately, you won't be able to spice up the T-shirt without cutting it.

All you need are two identical rectangles made from a fabric of your choice. This will extend the length of your T-shirt to turn it into a dress. The fabric can either be the same or a completely different color. Just make sure that they harmonize well with each other. This fabric will be used to make a skirt, which will be sewn together with your top to create the dress.

To determine the width of the fabric, you should first measure the hem width of your old T-shirt. Take this value and leave a few centimetres of space on the left and right for the seam. The length of the fabric is of course up to you, depending on how long you want your future dress to be.

Now gather the pieces of fabric on the long side until they match the width of your shirt. Now sew the two rectangles together, right sides facing, to create a skirt. Now join the top and the self-made skirt together at the gathered sides and sew them together. You have now jazzed up your T-shirt.

There are many different ways to embellish your T-shirt. Would you like to have an interwoven section in your shirt? Fold the bottom half of your shirt up to the chest. Take a strip of parcel tape and stick it straight onto the shirt. Leave about three to five centimeters from the bottom edge. Grab a pair of scissors and cut short, narrow vertical strips to just before the tape. These should be about one finger wide. Peel off the adhesive strip and open the shirt. You should have an accordion pattern.

Now weave the individual strips together. Take the last strip on the right-hand side and pull it over the second strip from left to right. Pull it over the second strip from left to right. Then grab the second strip and pull it over the third. Continue working in this way until all the strips are interwoven. At the end, simply sew them together with a few needle stitches. This prevents the pattern from coming loose.

Fancy a slightly more chic shirt? You can easily attach a bow to the neck collar with just one cut. To do this, use scissors to cut a hole in the shirt approx. three centimetres below the neckline or collar. Now you have a simple cut through which you can thread a silk scarf, for example, and attach a bow.

Even after you have embellished your T-shirt, you should continue to care for it and wash it in the washing machine. Dylon has the right detergent products for these embellishments. If you have sewn on buttons or sequins, for example, it is better to turn these shirts inside out. This way they won't get caught anywhere and won't damage your washing machine.