Tutorial: Landon T-Shirt Surgery

This t-shirt surgery is based on one I made for my husband about 7 years ago, when we were newly dating and I sewed terribly ^_^

I named it after Landon Barker, because I dig the collared-shirt layered look under a t-shirt, like in this photo...

Here's a tutorial on how I made this! [and yes, that is salt. Everywhere. Don't even ask.]

First, you'll need a t-shirt that fits your little [or big] man well, and the shirt you're going to cut up. See that Gumby shirt? I didn't end up using it. You're going to want something with a print or an image all over the front, not just somethign small and in the centre, as the placket is going to go right there. Also not pictured is a collard button up shirt. I used an old one of Tim's, but it's just as easy to use one that already fits your little kid! I choose plain colours for the collar + plackets, because there's a lot going on on the shirt already, without patterns or shapes distracting. Feel free to just ignore that and choose a hawaiian shirt if you want! I bet it'd turn out rad!

Cut across the bottom of the shirt, leaving a cm or two for a hem. Cut up the sides. leaving a cm for seam allowance

Fold the sleeve over and smooth it out a little so you have a nice armhole curve. Cut, leaving a cm for seam allowance.

Fold the shirt in half and trim it so it's symmetrical.

Now you'll do the sleeves. I just used the existing sleeves of the original tee, since it was only a few sizes larger. Trace around the sleeve for the size that you want.

Cut the collar and placket off the shirt. [The placket is the part where the buttons + buttonholes are]. Make sure you're leaving about 1cm seam allowance when you cut it out. Put the placket up against your shirt to see how long it needs to be.

I accidentally cut one part of the placket off, so I had to reattach it later with zigzag stitch
My bad.

Cut the cuffs off the button-up shirt sleeves if there are any. This is where it's good to use an adult shirt, the cuffs are big enough that they hang loosely on my son's arms [he's a size 1 still - skinny!]

I wanted the sleeve to stay like a t-shirt length, so I cut the excess of the sleeve away, remembering to leave 1cm for seam allowance.

Cut the neckband off the tee you are using

Fold the shirt in half and cut down the centre front of it

Fold the sleeve in half, right sides together. Stitch the underarm seam, with a 1 cm seam allowance. Get the cuff and pin it, right sides together to the sleeve. Line up the seam of the sleeve with the opening of the cuff. Stitch + Serge it!

Should look like this -

Pin the placket, right sides together to the front of the shirt. Do both sides of the front.

Find the centre of the back of the shirt. And the centre of the collar.

Pin those together.

Pin the inbetween sections together. I pinned the shoulder seams of my tee and the shoulder seams of the collar together [with the seam allowance, I could still see where the shoulders used to be for the collared shirt]

Stitch + Serge it!

Stitch the side-seams.

Put the shirt inside out, and keep the sleeves the right way out. Place the sleeve inside the armhole, armpit seams together. Pin.

Pin the top of the sleeve to the shoulder seam of the shirt. Then pin the spaces in between.

Stitch it 

Now serge across the bottom of the shirt and hem it!

Doneski!