Transform your old plaid t-shirts into a one-of-a-kind look

On this episode of In The Know: Upcycled, style icon and DIY fashion expert Wandy the Maker (@wandythemaker) gives a tutorial on how to breathe new life into the classic plaid button up by turning it into a totally unique, multi-patterned shirt known as the “triple plaid shirt.”

What you’ll need:

Step 1: Cut your shirts

Lay your shirts out on a flat surface and using your scissors, cut them from the top to the bottom, so that they’re each in 3 pieces. “I like to make the cut about an inch to the left and right of the collar,” says Wandy. A trick for these cuts, Wandy shares, is to use the lines on the plaid shirt as your guide for cutting.

Step 2: Mix and match your shirt pieces

Now that your 3 shirts are in their 3 separate pieces, lay them out and start mixing and matching until you find your desired combination.

Step 3: Pin your shirt pieces together

Once you’ve decided on your triple plaid combination, it’s time to pin the pieces together. Wandy first makes sure the shoulder seams line up, and then turns them inside out and places a pin in to keep them together. Wandy places about 5 pins on each side, spaced out evenly.

Step 4: Sew your shirt pieces together

Now it’s time to sew! Once you’ve threaded your sewing needle, you can begin. Wandy opts for a straight stitch but says if you have a serger, that works as well. Wandy sews along each side of the shirt, using a quarter inch seam allowance, and makes sure to do a back stitch at the beginning and end of each stitch, just to lock everything in place. 

Step 5: Repeat!

Once you’re done sewing each side of your shirt, you can repeat the process on your other 2 triple plaid shirts and you’ll end up with 3 totally one-of-a-kind shirts!

Wandy notes that you can use any kind of shirts for this simple project. “You can use t-shirt graphics, scrap fabric, and other material in place of the plaid,” he explains. He also says that since you’re working with 3 totally different shirts, the bottoms may be different lengths. “But I like how it gives it that nice, uneven and jagged look,” says Wandy. 

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