How To Revamp An Old Sweatshirt

Last winter I purchased a couple of new tops off Ebay and when I tried them on I didn't really like the style and fit of them.  I love Ebay...you can find some great bargains on there, however most often the items cannot be returned because you simply don't like them.  Since I only paid $10 for each of them I figured I would hang on to them until I decided what to do with them.  Below is a picture of one of the tops in question.

While it looks cute in the photo it just really didn't suit me.  I like baggy arms on my sweatshirts and as you can see this one has very slim cut arms.  Also for some reason the dark purple trim just really didn't look right.  When I had the top on my eye was drawn to the dark purple and I wanted the focus to be on the cute pink heart in the center!  So last night I took my sewing scissors in hand and got to work by cutting the dark purple collar out just under the seam.

Which leaves the top with a very undone, vintage, worn in and trendy look.  Recently I performed a closet purge and I decided to get rid of a couple of my older summer tops in order to freshen up my look.  I've been in need of some new tops to replace the ones I donated and I really didn't feel like buying anything.  So off went the sleeves as well!  I cut an inch below the armpits and went perpendicular to the cuffs in my cut.  And here is the end result.

I started off using ordinary office scissors but the fabric was just too hard to cut (or perhaps the scissors were too dull) and it was taking me forever and a day.  So when I dug out my tiny sewing ones I just zipped right along and the entire process took me less than ten minutes from start to finish.

I love my top now and can't wait to take the scissors to the other top I didn't like.  In fact I'm wearing it this very moment as I'm writing this post.  Cutting the collar out of old sweatshirts makes you feel like you're Jennifer Beals from the movie Flashdance.  It hangs down low on your shoulders for that sexy one shoulder exposed look.  I paired my new top with a plain white tank top from Target to cover my bra straps since my top exposes my shoulders and I don't want to be inappropriate. 

I love it and best of all I didn't have to buy a new summer top!  I just repurposed a winter top I didn't even like in the first place and created my own custom piece.  Your top doesn't have to be new like mine.  Take your oldest, rattiest sweatshirt and give it new life simply by cutting out the collar or even shorten the hem if you feel your sweatshirt is too oversized.  It will give you a fresh and instantly updated new look for free!