T-shirts and tomatoes

It was a year ago today that my good friend Josette and I got ready for the tomato festival of our lives - La Tomatina in Bunol, Spain. Imagine a city-wide food fight with only tomatoes to throw. Most anyone who knows me knows of my love of tomatoes, particularly of the homegrown variety. But I must say after having tomatoes thrown, smeared and smushed all over you, you kind of lose the taste for salsa for a while. It's been a year now and I've long been back on the tomato wagon, partaking in this summer's bounty.

In preparation for last year's exciting event, I didn't want to wear just any old shirt. I wanted to show off a little crafty New York love. Here's the how-to for turning an old I heart NY tee into a one-of-a-kind tank.

Materials:
2 old t-shirts
fabric scissors
safety pin
ruler
sewing machine or needle and thread
iron

Transform a t-shirt into a tank:
1. Cut the arms off the t-shirt. Then cut straight across the top, just under the neckline.
2. Fold in the edges .25” around the armpit. Iron down. Sew in place. Then, fold .25” under on both flat sides across the top. Iron. Then fold under again by 1” and iron. Then hem along this edge. These sewn strips across the top will become the casing for the top ties.
3. Cut 1” wide strips off of the bottom of another t-shirt. Pull on the ends to make the edges roll in. Tip: you can also use ribbon in place of t-shirt strips.
4. Attach a safety pin to one end of the t-shirt strip. Work it through the casing. Repeat with another strip for the other side. Tie the ends in a bow on either side. Your new tank is ready to wear!