I finally got around to refashioning this 2XL tee. I used Simplicity pattern S4380 (out of print) which includes raglan baseball tops for guys and gals, loose-fitting drawstring PJ pants, a stretchy tank top for women, and slippers.

Here is the original t-shirt before I started cutting away:


Next, I cut off the sleeves, then cut the sides open. The pattern pieces for the front and back are cut on the fold of the fabric, so I opened up the shirt (which was still connected at the shoulders and neckband) into one long piece and folded it in half lengthwise before pinning the front and back pattern pieces on and cutting.

The sleeves were cut from a plain black Fruit of the Loom t-shirt I picked up for under $2 on sale at the local Michaels Arts and Crafts.

I sewed the sleeves onto the front, back, and collar band of the shirt, then stitched up the sides and the underside of the sleeves in one long line.

Final product (Front):


Back view:

In case you want to try this but can't find the OOP S4380 pattern, Simplicity S9499 is a good substitute:

Oops... pasted the wrong link to the pattern around the pattern photo above. Here it is again:

Simplicity S9499

If you check Joann.com for their weekly ads, you can often find Simplicity patterns on sale for $0.99 or $1.00 each.

That's really cool! Skillzzz.

SKILLZ it is!

Thanks! The whole process probably took less than 40 minutes, and my husband loves it.

Even better, I remembered to take a pic of myself wearing the original shirt so I can get some STPs for it this time around.

(I always forget to do that before cutting up my oversized $9 Threadless sale tees, and wind up getting rejected by their photo censors when I try to submit my re-made item pics.)