The perfect summertime DIY
Here's a quick & easy way to update an old button down shirt!

Posted by Self-Constructed Freak from Madison, Wisconsin, United States • Published 4th July 2016 • See Self-Constructed Freak's 9 projects »

Step 1
Start by folding your shirt in half, making sure the side seams, sleeves, and shoulders match up as perfect as you can get them to. Use your measuring tape to measure from the shoulder seams down to where you want to crop your shirt. Mine was about 15" long, but this will be different for everyone. Mark your desired length measurement with a pin or two for the next step.
Step 2
Get out your tailors chalk (or an old drawing pencil, whatevs) and sketch out a shape similar to the one at the right, starting where that pin marking your length measurement is and swooping down to make the shape for your ties.
Step 3
Cut along *just underneath* this marking (maybe about a 1/2" or so) just so you'll have a little seam allowance to hem later.
Step 4
After you've done the previous step, if you flip your shirt over you'll notice that the back has a piece hanging down (all thanks to those ties we cut out for the front), go right ahead and snip this off so you'll have a straight across hem for the back.
Step 5
Next thing you'll need to do is remove the excess button placket from the front of your shirt. You'll only need to cut this off *one* side of the shirt (the side with the button holes, if that wasn't clear before). Snip it off roughly from where your shirt is cropped down to the original shirt hem (where the ends of your ties now are).
Step 6
Lastly, finish all of the raw edges with a skinny double fold hem.
Step 7
And with that you have your very own tie-front crop top.☺