You’ll be cutting off the sleeves, bottom, and collar of the t-shirt, therefore if these areas are damaged, it will not impact the crop top. As you’ll be removing the sleeves of the t-shirt, you can use either a short-sleeve or long-sleeve t-shirt.
If you’re unsure how short you want to make the crop top, start with a longer version first. Test out the longer version and, if it’s too long, make additional cuts to shorten the shirt.
You will not be making a straight cut along the bottom of the t-shirt, therefore you do not need to connect the pencil marks to draw a line.
Your diagonal cuts should be at an approximate 45 degrees angle from the bottom of the t-shirt. The triangle pieces of fabric left on the front of the shirt will be the ties of your crop top.
If you want, you can make more pencil marks with your measuring tape or ruler along the back of the shirt to ensure you’re cutting in the correct place.
Use the sharpest scissors that you have to cut the fabric. Dull scissors may catch on the fabric or not be able to cut through 2 layers of fabric.
Your crop top is what you make it, therefore, feel free to keep the collar of the t-shirt if you prefer.
If you don’t have a button-up blouse at home that you can use to make a crop top, you can purchase an inexpensive button-up blouse at a clothing store or a gently worn blouse at a vintage store.
You may want to ask a friend for assistance with this step. Ask your friend to mark the spot with your pencil while you stand straight.
Err on the side of caution if you aren’t 100% sure how short you want your crop top to be. You can always cut more fabric off later if the crop top is too long, but you can’t make the crop top longer if you cut off too much.
Keep in mind that the distance from the bottom of the blouse may be different if the bottom of the blouse is not straight. Some button-up blouses have curved ends so they can be tucked into pants. If your button-up blouse is curved at the bottom, measure up from the two side seams and draw a line between those two marks.
If you would prefer, you can make additional pencil marks along the front sides of the blouse.
These diagonal cuts can be at approximately 45-degree angles. The triangle pieces of fabric that are left on the bottom of the blouse can be used as ties when wearing the crop top. You’ll need to unbutton the bottom portion of the blouse before tying the two pieces together.
There is no requirement to cut off the sleeves. If you would prefer a crop top with sleeves, skip this step.
The style of the tank top doesn’t matter. However, the longer the tank top, the better, as you’ll be using that length to make ties behind your back. Tank tops made of stretchy fabrics will work better than those made of stiff fabric.
If your tank top has a couple of buttons on the front, undo the buttons and make the cut starting at the bottom of the button seam.
If you need to cut more fabric off the back later, you can.
When the back is cut off, you want to make sure both side seams have been cut off as well.
If the fabric pieces are long enough, you can tie them into a bow. Otherwise, just make a knot with the fabric.
