How to Make a DIY Sleeveless T-Shirt

Cut the perfect tank top to wear outside, in the house, or at the gym

Co-authored by Paul Julch, MA and Cheyenne Main

Last Updated: August 15, 2024 Fact Checked

When summer comes, there’s nothing quite as comfortable as a sleeveless T-shirt. Whether you’re trying to turn one of your T-shirts into a muscle top, a sleeveless crop top, or a cool subtle tank top, we’ve got all you need to quickly (and fashionably) transform it. Keep reading to learn how to mark, cut, and hem your T-shirt in minutes.

Cutting the Sleeves off a T-Shirt

Roll the sleeves up or tuck them into the seam to see how the sleeveless shirt looks. Leave the seam in for a sturdier edge, or cut it out for a bigger, looser armhole. Mark your cut around the sleeve with chalk or an erasable pen. Pull the fabric tight and cut along the marks in an even line around the sleeve.

1

Roll the sleeves inside to test the look.

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See if you like the sleeveless look before you start cutting. Roll up the sleeves as high as you can, or tuck them into the shirt around the seam to see if it looks good as a sleeveless T-shirt. Optionally, place sewing pins in the sleeves and put the T-shirt on to see if you like where they sit on your shoulders.
- If you’re planning on cropping the shirt, roll the bottom of the hem up inside to see where you’d like it to lay.

2

Decide how far to cut the sleeves.

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You can either cut the seam out of the sleeves or leave it in. Leaving the seam intact will keep your finished T-shirt from unraveling or looking shabby. It will also make a smaller armhole. Cutting out the seam with the sleeve gives a more casual, halter-top look, and because the hole is larger, it can make the shirt a little more comfortable, too.^{[1]
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- For a baggy T-shirt, keeping the seam on the shirt might be a good approach.
- If you want to turn your T-shirt into a muscle shirt, plan to cut the seams out.^{[2]
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- To make cap sleeves, mark a line from the bottom of the sleeve straight up, with the top of the line about 2 in (5.1 cm) out from the seam.^{[3]
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3

Mark out your cut.

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Lay the T-shirt out on a flat surface and outline your desired cut. If you’re cutting out the seam, mark a line 1 in (2.5 cm) in from the seam with chalk or an erasable pen. Curve around the seam so that the line ends at a right angle about 1 in (2.5 cm) under the sleeve.^{[4]
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Research source} To keep the seam, make a line about ¹⁄₄ in (0.64 cm) from the outside of the seam.^{[5]
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- If you want to keep the seam without hemming the edge, make the line ¹⁄₈ in (0.32 cm) from the outside of the seam.
- Optionally, pin both sides of the seam on each sleeve together to make sure they stay even when you start cutting.
- If you want to crop the shirt, mark a line straight across the bottom where you’d like the hem to lay.^{[6]
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- Try not to mark a straight diagonal line from the top of the shoulder down to the side of the shirt. This can create a very large armhole that changes the shape of the shirt.^{[7]
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4

Cut along the mark you made.

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Hold the fabric taut and carefully cut the sleeve off. Pull the fabric tight around the marked area as you cut. Follow the marks you made in the last step in an even line around the sleeve. Cut as smoothly as you can without stopping to make your cut clean.
- Cut along any additional marks you made along the bottom of the shirt, too.
- For a more jagged punk look, cut around the bottom of the neckline on both sides of the T-shirt.^{[8]
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- Repeat on the other sleeve. Alternatively, fold the T-shirt in half before you cut the sleeves off for a more even cut on both sides.^{[9]
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- The leftover sleeves can be used as headbands, rags, or mini handbags or you can cut them into squares and use them for quilts or other sewing projects.

5

Hem the edges if you’d like to.

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Fold the edge of the sleeve inside the shirt and stitch it in place. To prevent the sleeves of your shirt from curling in or fraying, fold the edge of the fabric ¹⁄₄ in (0.64 cm) inside the sleeve and pin it down. With a sewing machine or by hand, sew 2 straight lines next to each other around the ends of both sleeves to attach the hem.^{[10]
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- If you cropped your shirt, do the same along the bottom to prevent it from rolling up.
- You can also gently stretch out the sleeves (and any other part of the shirt you cut) to smooth the edges and help prevent the threads from unraveling.^{[11]
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6

Add additional cuts for a distressed look.

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Cut holes into the fabric with scissors or a box cutter. To make your shirt look distressed and worn-in, hold a pair of scissors open or use a box cutter to create small sporadic cuts in the hem and on the front and back of your shirt. To make slightly larger holes, pinch the fabric and cut straight into the fold. Stretch the hole out a little bit with your fingers to prevent fraying.^{[12]
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- For a more punk look, stick safety pins over any distressed holes you made.
Anna Wintour, Editor-in-Chief, Vogue Magazine

Don't be afraid to push boundaries. "One doesn't want fashion to look ridiculous, silly, or out of step with the times – but you do want designers that make you think, that make you look at fashion differently. That's how fashion changes. If it doesn't change, it's not looking forward. And that's important to me."

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How do I cut off the sleeves on a v-neck shirt?

T. Chinsen

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Follw the instructions in the article. A sleeveless top with a comfortable armhole fit can be used as a template. Pin to the garment to be adjusted and use dressmaker's chalk to mark the armhole outline.

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How do I cut a larger arm hole without creating a gap in the fabric of the hole where the breast is?

PhoebeAmelia24

Community Answer

Cut downwards and not forwards. If you cut forwards, it will leave a gap and expose the breast area.

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Tips

Cutting sleeves in half rather than all the way off will cause the cloth to curl over outwards. This may or may not be a desirable look.

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Keep a clean hem by stretching the sleeve from the body of the T-shirt, and using a hobby knife, cut the threads on the hem. The sleeve will be able to pull right off after cutting the threads a few times in different spots along the seam line.

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If the shirt is baggy, mark with chalk where the cut will look best. With baggy shirts, it is usually an inch away from the seam, towards the collar. That cloth usually curls inwards.

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