How-To Turn a Tee into a No-Sew Crop Top

+ Other pro tips from someone who got an A+ in that one required Home Economics class in the ’90s.

Now crop it. Crop it good. Crop it real good.

Step 1: Measure + Mark

Decide how much you want to hack off. Measure up from the bottom edge of the hem to just shy of your desired length.

Cut edges will curl naturally after a wash, but you can encourage curling by gently stretching the fabric sideways across the cut edge. Cutting the shirt a little longer than your desired length will prevent it from appearing shorter than you want once the curl sets in.

For reference, I’m 5’6″ and I cut about 8″ up from the bottom of the shirt on a size Large tee. I usually choose a shirt that’s one size up from what I would normally wear for maximum flow-y vibes.

Step 2: Draw the Line

Mark the measurement of your desired length at several points across the width of the shirt with chalk or a fabric pencil. Use a ruler to connect into one (mostly) straight cutting line.

Step 3: Cut It Out

With sharp scissors, cut along the line through both the front and back layers of the tee.

Perfection optional. My cut looked like I was 2.5 margaritas in (to be fair, I was indeed 1 margarita in when I cut it). Thankfully, The Curl™ forgives all sins. Yes, fabric scissors are probably the pro tool of choice here. Did I use the haircutting scissors I ordered online during the pandemic? Absolutely.

We do not recommend using regular household scissors unless making life harder on yourself is your kink. Although, The Curl™ does make it easier to get away with a rough cut, so chase your joy with dull scissors if you must.

Step 4: Snip the Sleeves

Snip off the stitched hems on both sleeves for a breezy, undone look that makes Medusa’s heart grow 2 sizes.

Step 5: Clean It Up

Trim any obvious wonky bits, unless mayhem is your aesthetic, in which case… carry on.

Go Fully Hysterical with the DIY

Cut the neckline

Want a softer, sassier DIY off-the-shoulder or V-neck look? Flip the shirt inside out and slice right along the neckline hem to remove the neck band. It still won’t unravel (t-shirts are forever, baby).

If you don’t want curling edges

Cut the shirt longer than your desired length and then sew a new hem using some fancy-ass stitch that you’re definitely gonna have to Google because that is too advanced for this tutorial of our limited skills.

Instead, we recommend cheating with iron-on hemming tape. “A lazy developer is a smart developer” is what they taught Anna and me in web design school. Work smarter, not harder, Coven. Same rule applies here.

Iron-on tape = fabric strip + heat-activated glue. To use:

• Follow the same steps above, but this time cut the fabric longer than you would to allow for the width of the tape, which is usually about 3/8-1”.
  
• With the shirt inside out, fold up the bottom edge with tape tucked inside. If it helps, run the iron along your fold without the tape in place first to set the crease.
  
• Then iron like you mean it to activate the glue into melty-goodness.

Personally, I’m team Curl™. It softens the sporty look and makes it feel less gym class and more My So-Called Life angst chic. If you aren’t into the cropped look, just trim above the bottom hem and sleeve hems for a breezy full-length vibe.

That was a lot of word salad to avoid saying “dainty,” but screw it. Sometimes I just want to look dainty.

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Shop products featured in this post

Venus Fly Trap “Maneater” Graphic Unisex Tee