I am a big fan of any DIY project that is no sew. I’m all about instant gratification, aren’t you? My most favorite black tee is just a men’s Hanes pocket tshirt that come in those packs of 3. I bought a medium so it is loose, and cut off the crew neck making it more of a scoop neck, cut the sleeve hems off and rolled them once, then trimmed the bottom hem up about 3 inches. It looks slightly punky with raw edges and slides ever-so-slightly off the shoulder…perfection. The key is really sharp scissors so you don’t get the shirt all weirdly frayed.
So this project lead to another one which involves a men’s thin knit long sleeved sweater, white chalk, and sharp scissors. It’s time to rummage through your boyfriends clothes, he won’t miss it, right?? If you can find one long enough to be a dress, awesome, otherwise it will have to be a top. This deepstyle vneck pullover is perfect, and such a steel at $30. I would get it as big as you can-XL would work well.
Next you decide how you want the the cut outs to be. Squared off at the shoulders? Rounded and long? You can choose. I personally like the rounded and long. There is something really sexy about it. Mark your cutting line on the sweater with your white chalk. This is optional, but you can also pin it along your chalk line so that you can cut the sleeve without having to worry about it moving around. And just a note, you can cut bigger but you can’t cut it smaller. What’s done is done, you know? So be on the conservative side when making your marks because you can always take off more later.
squared off shoulders
long and rounded shoulders
And there you have it. A super cool and fashionable new top made by you in a matter of minutes! You can try it on and adjust as needed with more snips of those trusty scissors. I would pair this with some rockin’ distressed leggings like these from F-DNA, fierce KAWO cuffed platform sandals, and a funky MyLittleThing double keys necklace.
If you wanted to get really adventurous, you could look for unique patterned or striped sweaters too. I love this Mana Nono Skull pullover. That would look amazing with the sleeves cut out.
Just so you can see what your masterpiece might look like, here is a commercial cut out sleeve dress. I have a sneaky suspicion that yours if going to look way hotter! Good luck! Feel free to comment if you have questions or if you try this project, we would love to hear from you!
