We went to a basketball game last spring and came home with five - yes, five - of these free t-shirts, which were part of the promo for that night (they also gave out reusable grocery bags, which was really nice):
I cut off the bands at the arms and the bottom hem (since it's jersey, it won't fray). I shirred the sleeves (I've shirred before, but this time was different - it WORKED, and I saw the elastic "pop" as soon as I hit it with the steam iron). I used the bottom band I cut off to use as a cording to gather the neck, where I sewed a casing. I would normally use elastic, but I didn't have any here, and I didn't feel like driving out and hitting the stores during an after-Thanksgiving weekend. Now the shirt is a nightgown for my 3-year-old niece:
This technique will definitely be used again to alter the tons of free t-shirts that seem to wander into our house. It could easily be a shirt for an adult, too, by just not gathering the neckline so close. And it would be a great summery, beachy dress for a little girl, too. I'll be shirring and cutting some more!
