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Make a vest, a tank, a variety of accessories and more with a TIY (T-Shirt It Yourself) tutorial from lifestyle expert Kristen Hilyard:

T-VEST

• Spread an old t-shirt flat on a table
• To create a pattern on top with a thick marker, draw across the collar, along the armpits, down the side and across the bottom
• Grab your (sharp) scissors and start cutting along your pattern
• When you're finished, it's all about how you put it on -- put both arms through the circle and let it fall like a vest!

T-RACERBACK

• Lay your t-shirt flat on a table
• Grab a marker and create a one-inch border around the collar, pressing hard with your marker so it bleeds through to the other side
• Draw another dotted line about one inch from the bottom hem of the shirt
• Then draw another dotted line about an inch above that line
• Flip the shirt over and follow the same pattern on the sleeves
• Create a V along the neckline
• Cut out your pattern
• To make the racerback part, take the extra piece that you cut from the bottom and stretch it out
• Cut it open to make one long strip
• Gather the sleeves about two inches from the top and knot the strip around the sleeves
• Then wrap the strip around and around, pulling tight and knotting it at the end

T-ACCESSORIES

• Fold a t-shirt in half, then quarters, then eighths
• Cut one inch wide strips
• Snip the pieces into long strips and pull to stretch out
• Next, do a five strand braid...
• Gather the ends of five stands together, knot them, and lay the strands out straight on the table
• Starting at the right, take the end stand and cross it over the one next to it
• Then take the middle strand and cross it over the one next to it in the same direction
• Take the leftover stand and cross it over the stand next to it heading back in the other direction
• Keep crossing the strands the same way, back and forth
• Knot both ends and make a bracelet or necklace or headband!

BLEACHED-T

• On a dark t-shirt, freehand a quote with a bleach pen. Or, create a pattern:
• Cut a piece of contact paper and lie it flat on a cutting board, sticky-side down
• Draw a pattern with a ruler (or a design, like a sailboat)
• Cut out the pattern with an X-Acto knife
• Next, peel off the paper from the sticky side, and adhere the contact paper directly onto your t-shirt
• Put a piece of cardboard or something thick inbetween the front and back of the shirt so the bleach won't bleed through
• Bleach the new pattern onto the shirt, and let it set
• Take a wet rag and wipe off the excess bleach
• Peel off the contact paper, and you have a new shirt!

WATERMARKED-T

• Grab a white t-shirt
• Write a quote or song lyrics on the shirt with gel glue (which you can see as you write)
• While the glue dries on your t-shirt, get a bucket full of water and add a capful of fabric dye
• Mix the water and dye
• Dunk the t-shirt, and let it sit for atleast five minutes
• Remove the shirt from the dye, wring it out, and lie it on an old towel
• When the dye air-dries, wash the shirt in cold water, and then dry in the dryer

For more information:
Kristen Hilyard, lifestyle expert
www.kristenjoy.com