Carolyn J. Braden • 3 Minute Read
How to Make a Fringe Tee for a No Sew Hem
I love no sew hacks and cutting up t-shirts, jeans and more. I purchased a USA sequin shirt in 2024 as an oversized tee for the 4th of July, but in 2025, I decided I wanted it to fit snugger. I pulled out a trick from my early days of creating fringy cut up tees and turned to a thrift store find for inspiration too and came up with this no sew way to make your shirts fit better and look cute!
My fringe completed tee!
The Outfit Details
I put my USA sequin shirt (Amazon $20, but usually goes on sale around the USA holidays) together with a thrifted NEW pair of gray Joe’s Jeans (such a great fit, get The Charlie here new at Saks). I added my pearl and rhinestone headband to my Beachwaver curled hair (see that tutorial here).
One of the outfits I created with this tee
See the EASY and QUICK headband tutorial (along with a patriotic claw clip tutorial) here on my website OR via my YouTube channel @carolynjbraden below:
My fun red sparkly fringy boots are via Amazon and they are comfy. One thing I’ll add about the boots is that the fringe does make some noise when you walk (as it hits the boot), so you can’t sneak up on anything when wearing them, lol! They would be super cute for line dancing.
Before and after
I also paired the shirt with a pair of jean shorts, so that’s an option too! This makes a great Memorial Day outfit, 4th of July outfit, Labor Day outfit and for anytime you need a patriotic look. Here is some more patriotic fashion inspiration via Vogue. Target has some budget friendly cute tees too!
Walmart has some cute tees too BUT if you aren’t into cutting up tees but need a cute patriotic shirt, this sequin flag tank is one of my favorites and it may find its way into my life at some point!
The thrift store inspiration macrame tee
I found my macramé fringe tee (the yellow shirt seen in this article) at a thrift store and it’s definitely more complicated than my simple fringe tee tutorial below, but I am interested in figuring out how to do that and may put out a tutorial for that at some point.
The supplies
Here’s what you need for this project:
A pair of scissors (I only use certain scissors like these on fabric to keep them sharp, but any pair of sharp scissors you have on hand will work or a rotary cutter and cutting mat could work too)
Oversized tee of your choice (I used this one on Amazon as discussed above, my tee has stretch and while stretch is helpful, it is not necessary)
Ruler (I used a yardstick, Walmart)
Fabric marking pencil (not necessary, but helpful as it washes off fabric)
Straight pins (again, not necessary, but helpful)
Notes:
I have a short torso, so I made mine more of a cropped tee, but you can leave yours a bit longer. It’s best to do this with an oversized tee as it will get shorter as you tie it.
You could do this on the bottom of tees and even pants or a dress that needs to be shortened.
A no sew hem is quick and easy and I have another way to do it here on my website with iron on hem tape.
You can also use a Cinch-It (another no-sew hack) and I show you how to do that here on my website.
Check out my 1-minute video tutorial for this project on my TikTok now or coming soon here and to my YouTube channel @carolyjbraden!
How-To:
Try on your tee and see where you want it to hit after tying the knots, as the knots will shorten it a bit more. Place a pin at where you want the new “hem line” to be or mark it with a fabric pencil. If you do not need to shorten the hem, only cut the hemmed edge off.
Shortening the tee first
Place your tee on a flat surface. Use the ruler or yardstick to make some marks along the pinned line to create a straight line for cutting. Measuring up from the bottom can help you make sure the line is straight all the way across. Then cut along that mark. I cut both the front and back off in one swoop of the scissors. Smart tip: It’s better to cut less off if unsure as you can’t add more back on!
Cutting the fringe
Figure out how long you want your fringe to be. I made mine about 3 inches and started making 3-inch vertical cuts (cutting both the front and back together at the same time) across the new hem of the shirt. You can measure and mark with the pencil to make sure each cut is perfectly the same width, but I did not do this. I just eyeballed it. I cut from one side to the other of the shirt.
I did not measure each strip, but you can
AT THIS POINT YOU CAN JUST LEAVE IT. This will give your shirt fringe and a cool look. I continued on though to prevent my shirt from unraveling when washing.
Tying the fringe
I counted how many strips I cut to make sure I had an even amount for tying. If you don’t have an even amount, you can cut the “odd” number strip in half. Then start tying two side-by-side fringe strips once, then twice to knot.
Cutting them hem off the sleeve
Next, I cut the hem off the sleeves (following the hem line) and used the same technique to cut fringe strips.
Tying the sleeve strips
Lastly, I knotted the strips together to match the bottom of the shirt.
The finished tee
If you loved this article, then we know you’ll love this one too: How to Wear a Fringe Skirt with Sleek Hair to Match
Carolyn J. Braden is the owner of Carolyn’s Blooming Creations is a regular contributor and editor for CBC. She has been featured in numerous media publications such as InStyle Magazine, on HGTV, on Bustle.com, and more. She is the author of the books Georgia McMasters in Amethyst Lake Cemetery, How To Be Yourself: 3 Ways To Help You Being You, and the illustrator for the children’s book Bridging Connections. She is a former classroom teacher that now dedicates her life to educating others on how to live their most healthy, creative and happy life. Learn more about her visiting our About Us page.