Step#1: Gather materials Gather old t-shirts that you don’t use and think about which colors you’d like for your base. For example, I chose white, blue, and yellow t-shirts. I chose 9 shirts, but you can choose any amount. Also, gather scissors, a ruler, a pencil/pen, pins, a sewing machine, an iron, acrylic paint, and brushes.*If you need to, you can also get cheap t-shirts from the thrift store and you can choose shirts with designs you want to keep.
Step#2: Plan your layout Layout the shirts on a flat surface in any combination you like and try to keep everything in a rectangular shape. Play around with different color combinations so you can get an idea of where each shirt should go!
Step#3: Measure the shirts Find your smallest shirt and measure out how large of a rectangle you can cut out. Using these measurements and a pen or pencil, mark on each t-shirt where you will need to cut. (For example, I marked rectangles of 15x16 inches.) For darker colored shirts, like my blue ones, you may need to use a sharpie instead of a pen/pencil.
Step#4: Cut the shirts Cut each t-shirt where you marked them. You can use fabric scissors if you have them but you can also use normal scissors.
Step#5: Order the shirts Once again, layout the shirts in the order you want them. Then, number each shirt in the corner with a pen or sharpie so you can remember where it goes.
Step#6: Get ready to sew Starting with two shirts on the top row, lay the sides you want to show on top of each other and straighten it out. This means the numbers you wrote on them should be facing each other.
Step#7: Pin the shirts Along the right side, pin together the two fabrics where you’ll be sewing them(about a couple of centimeters from the edge).
Step#8: Sew the shirts Using the pins as a guide, sew along the right side of the two fabrics. As you go, take out the pins.
Step#9: Iron the shirts After sewing, iron both sides of where you sewed to flatten it out.
Step#10: Repeat the sewing Then, connect the third shirt of the row using the same method. After completing that row, repeat step 6 and 7 with the two other rows. You should now have completed, but separate, rows.
Step#11: Combine the rows In order to sew the rows together, use the same process by lying them on top of each other and pinning them together. Try to line up the corners, but it doesn’t have to be perfect. After sewing two rows together, you can add the third one using the same steps. Remember to iron where you sew.
Step#12: Decorate your tapestry! Now that you have your tapestry you can decorate as you like! I chose to paint mine, so I gathered and mixed my colors and painted on a design I liked. Use a flat surface and stretch out the shirt so it doesn’t crumple. I’d recommend using acrylic paint but you can also use fabric paint if you choose. Step#13: Hang up the tapestry Now that your tapestry’s finished, you can hang it up wherever you’d like! I personally like using push pins to hang things up, but you can also use other options. Enjoy your homemade tapestry.
