DIY front tie crop top

I'm currently working on several larger sewing projects and designing some patterns that hopefully I'll be able to release here on the blog soon. So stay tuned if you're interested in sewing pattern downloads! But with all these ongoing projects, I was in the mood for a super quick and easy project to give me that great feeling of finishing a project.

So I decided on a quick, no sew t shirt upcycle! This front tie crop top only took me about 15 minutes to complete and I'm loving the look! For some reason I'm getting country music festival vibes from this shirt. I just need some cut-off jean shorts and cowboy boots!

tie front crop top: t shirt upcycle

front tie crop top: t shirt upcycle

For this DIY I started with this plain t shirt:

plain t shirt ready to upcycle

I mean, there's nothingwrongwith this t shirt, but I just felt like it had great potential for upcycling. The graphic logo on the front was so cool (and I do love Ford pickups), and I thought it would make a super cute crop top. I think this easy 15 minute t shirt upcycle was so worth it!

front tie t shirt upcycled t shirt

If you've got a t shirt you want to upcycle into a cute front tie crop top to get you ready for spring and summer, read the full tutorial below!

*This list contains affiliate links for your DIYing convenience, so I receive a small commission if you buy something through my links. This really helps to support my site so I can keep creating DIY tutorials to help you create your dream wardrobe.

What you need:

  • t shirt
  • fabric chalk or marker: I use Chakoner Fabric Chalk
  • scissors
  • ruler (a regular ruler works fine but I used THIS french curve ruler)

Steps:

  1. Try on shirt and mark length you want to crop to in center front
  2. Measure from mark to hem, then make a line across the BACK of the shirt that is this distance from the hem
  3. Cut along this line on the back of the shirt
  4. Cut a straight line from hem to center front mark
  5. Mark your tie curve from side seam to center front on one side and cut along this curve
  6. Fold shirt in half and cut an identical tie curve on the other side

Instructions:

Step 1.

First you want to try the t shirt on and mark on the center front of the shirt where you want the hem to be. My shirt is quite short, but you can crop it to any length you want.

mark center front where you want to crop shirt

Step 2.

Now measure the distance from the hem to the mark you made. Mine was 11 inches from the bottom of the shirt:

measure from hem to center front mark

Next, turn the shirt over and make a line across the BACK of the shirt from side seam to side seam that is this same distance from the hem (mine was 11 inches).

draw a line across shirt back

Step 3.

Now just cut up the two side seams and across the line you just drew to cut the back out of the shirt.

cut back out of t shirt

Step 4.

Next, turn the shirt back to the front and draw a line straight up from the hem to your center front marking. You can make sure it's in the very center by measuring from each side (it should be the same distance from each side to the center front).

draw a line up center front

Cut up this line, stopping at your marking.

cut straight line up center front

Step 5.

Next we need to cut our front ties. To do this, draw this shape on one side of the front, connecting to the cut edges at the side of the shirt and the center front:

draw tie curve on one side of front

I used a french curve ruler to make my curve pretty, but you can easily just freehand it. It doesn't need to be perfect since you're just going to be tying it up and no one will notice any imperfections.

Next, cut along this curve.

cut along tie curve line

Step 6.

Now we just need a matching tie on the other side. To do this, fold the shirt in half along the center front, lining up center front and side seams.

fold shirt in half along center front

Just cut along the curve to get a matching curve on the other side of the shirt!

cut matching curve on other side

And you're done!

front tie t shirt done

Before wearing I would recommend washing the shirt to get out any leftover chalk marks and to get that cool rolled up look along the raw edges. To wear, just put the shirt on and tie the two front tails together in a nice knot.

If you enjoyed this DIY, please share it on your favorite social media! And if you try it out yourself, I would love to see what you made! You can leave a photo in the comments below or tag me on Instagram (@adoptyourclothes).

For more t shirt upcycles, take a look at my racerback tank top DIY, strappy tank top DIY, and lace up detail crop top DIY.

front tie crop top pinterest graphic