The husband used to wear wife beaters under all of his shirts… and yes, I know that term sounds so horrifying now, but growing up wearing them, I never thought twice about the name! So from now on, I’ll refer to them as ribbed tanks… Anyway, he rarely wears them anymore and many of them have shrunk up so small, he’d never wear them anyway. That’s where I come in and snatch them all up and wear them myself. And the other day I wondered if I could create a bit of a strappy look with them, so I grabbed my scissors and got to work.
Since I’m wearing it with a sportsbra and yoga pants in the photos, it reads very “fitness” and is cute/perfect for that kind of wear, but it’s also cute as a regular tank top too. I’m hoping the sun pops out soon so I can actually wear it because it turned out surprisingly fab!
What’s fun about this DIY is if you mess up, you can just grab another old tank and still wear the other one on laundry day or around the house, or turn it into a rag {so old fashion, but very eco-friendly ;)}
Here’s What You’ll Need…
- Ribbed Tank – mine is by Jockey -which sometimes are a little thicker
- Scissors
Steps…
Snip your tank at the top shoulder seam, inside the arm hem/detailing.
Carefully cut away the ribbed material along the edges without cutting into the hem/detailing.
Begin on the front side first, then finish on the back.
About an inch or so up from where your neckline begins to turn/curve in –in the front AND the back– stop cutting. Make sure the inner side is a bit shorter than the outer side. Then cut a downward diagonal line for a fun detail which also cuts out the inside piece entirely.
If you don’t trust your eye, try the tank on inside out and mark it with a white pencil or chalk where you want to cut it. Make sure to do it inside out so you don’t see your markings on the front
Trim and clean up the edges with a smaller pair of scissors so just your hem/seams remain, creating a double strap look.
I cut down a little further on one entire side {note the left side below}, which I don’t mind the look of BUT noted that the strap closest to my shoulder wanted to slip off a little bit when I was wearing it. This would be a cute detail as well if you cut them down even more, but just an FYI.
And… Voila!
Have Fun!
* Find all my DIYs here
