Every woman know how valuable it is to have a good supply of 100% polyester T-shirts in her closet. They are versatile, inexpensive and can be modified in lots of different ways to create unique looks. One popular fashion trend are cutout T-shirts, which feature all sorts of designs or strategically placed cuts to enhance the simple silhouette. If you want to try your hand at an easy cutout project, this one is perfect. We’ll create a heart shape that can look different depending on the color of undershirt you choose.
Supplies
Gather these up on a large working surface before you get started:
- Oversize T-shirt in the color of your choice.
- Small pair of scissors for detail work
- Chalk in color that can easily be seen
Setup
OK, you are going to be doing a little bit of drawing here. Don’t be nervous! This is just elementary school-level artwork. Lay the T-shirt flat on your work surface. Using the chalk, draw a medium-size heart in the middle of the chest area. Make sure to leave enough room for the “rays” coming off the heart. Don’t worry if your heart is not completely centered or if it’s a little crooked. The design will look good no matter what.
Drawing
Now, using the heart outline as your baseline, draw rudimentary rays or flames coming off of it all the way around. The rays should be smaller around the top of the heart where they are closest to the collar and larger around the sides and bottom of the heart. Don’t go too big, though, or you will end up with cutouts that go all the way into your armpits!
Cut
It’s time to cut out the rays. Do not cut out the heart shape. Using your small scissors, slowly make your way around the heart, cutting out all the rays you drew. It’s all right if you don’t cut exactly on the chalk lines. Any lines left on the shirt will come out in the wash. Try to make your cuts as smooth as possible to avoid jagged edges that may be visible when you wear the shirt. The cut edges will curl a bit, especially after the shirt is washed, so that will help hide uneven cuts you may have made.
You’re Done!
Now you can wear this cute shirt with any color underneath. When you are ready, you can try other cutout designs. Here are some ideas:
- Cut a double wing design out of the back of a T-shirt
- Skulls cut out of the front or back of a shirt is a rock ‘n’ roll look
- Snip the sides of the T-shirt from the arm hole down to create a corset look
