The DR has been more than harsh on our clothes. The washing machines have stretched out most of the collars on our shirts, and turned most of my tanks into nightgowns. This means that our family will have to be making a shopping spree stop at Old Navy some time soon, to restock on everything. But in the meantime I have found a way to convert my tshirts into tanks. 

   The “boyfriend” tank has been all the rage this year, which is great for me because it is so simple to turn an old tshirt into a tank in this style. The shirt makeover requires no sewing at all. Double plus for me. Because I don’t see myself pulling out our sailrite just to make some tshirt adjustments.

   These tanks are great to wear over bathing suits, bandeau tops, or any sports bra. And they let the air circulate freely through your shirt, another plus in this insane Dominican summer heat. To make one is pretty easy, but first you have to get over your fear of cutting. It took me a long time to get the balls to actually cut into one of my tshirts. My fear was that I would mess it up and have wrecked a perfectly wearable tee. But I went ahead anyways and I am glad I did. 

   I put together this step by step tutorial on how to get your Tshirt from just that, to a “boyfriend” tank, and then one step further into a “workout” tank. 

1. Get a tshirt and a pair of scissors. I chose a tshirt that was 1 size bigger than what I usually wear because I wanted it to fit baggy.
2. Cut the neck line off under the seam.
3. Cut the sleeves off so the seam remains on the sleeve not the shirt
4. Try it on and see how you like it. I wanted to make the collar wider and arm holes lower.
5. Make cutting adjustments where desired. (I flipped my shirt inside out to cut so I could draw on it with a white crayon (all I could find!) for a visual cue first. You can cut the bottom seam off if the shirt is long on you, I left mine since the length fit me well.
6. Et Voila, a “boyfriend” tank

If you want more of a “workout” style tank, continue on:

7. Cut the back of the collar into a V, make sure to keep your strap size the same width down the V. 
8. Use a length of cut off scrap material (from sleeves), bunch the back straps together and use the scrap material to wrap around the two straps, tying them together.
9. Et Voila, a “workout” tank. 

I love fashion on the cheap!