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The Best DIY Cutoff T-Shirt Show off at the gym with this simple cutoff tutorial Co-authored by Joy Cho
Last Updated: January 30, 2026 Fact Checked
Basic Cutoff
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Customizing
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This article was co-authored by Joy Cho. Joy Cho is the Founder and Creative Director of the lifestyle brand and design studio, Oh Joy!, founded in 2005 and based in Los Angeles, California. She has authored six books and consulted for creative businesses around the world. Joy has lectured on business, leadership, and entrepreneurship at conferences and companies such as AltSummit, Pinterest, Target, and Hallmark, while her home and studio have been featured in magazines such as House Beautiful, Parents, and Domino. She has also been named one of Time's 30 Most Influential People on the Internet multiple times and has the most followed account on Pinterest with more than 14 million followers. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 234,689 times.
Cutoff t-shirts are fantastic for showing off your muscles at the gym or while exercising outside. They are easy to make as well. All you need is a t-shirt you want to cut up, an old pair of scissors, and something to mark the t-shirt with, like some chalk or a pen. Try transforming one of your old shirts into a cutoff t-shirt to help showcase your muscles during your next workout.
Things You Should Know
Fold your shirt in half so that the sleeves overlap. Then, mark where you want the new armholes to end with a marker.
Cut your sleeves off using scissors, using your marks as a guide. Gently tug on the holes to curl the fabric over the cut.
Make wider armholes to show off more of your body. Or, cut a V into the neckline to customize your shirt to your tastes.
Steps
Part 1 Part 1 of 2:
Making a Basic Cutoff Shirt
1 Gather your materials. Making a cutoff shirt is easy, and no sewing is required. To make a cutoff t-shirt, you will need:[1]XResearch source
T-shirt
Scissors
Chalk or pen
2 Fold the shirt in half. It is important for your cutoff t-shirt’s sleeves to be even, or you may end up looking lopsided. To ensure that your armholes are even when you cut them, start by folding the shirt in half lengthwise.
Make sure that the sleeves are matching up.
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3 Mark where you want the new armholes to end. Next, locate the place on the shirt where you want the new armholes to begin and end, then mark the shirt in these places. You can also mark how far in you want the sleeves to go. However, keep in mind that the deep into the shirt you cut, the more of your chest will be visible.
Try marking just above, beside, and below the current sleeve to guide you as you cut the sleeves off.[2]XResearch source Remember that you can always make the armholes larger if desired, but you cannot make them smaller after you cut them.
4 Cut the sleeves off. Once you are happy with the placement of your sleeves, you can cut off the old sleeves. Cut along the points you marked in a slightly curving line.[3]XResearch source Try to avoid making any jagged edges as you cut.
If you do end up with a jagged edge, you can always cut in a little more.
5 Tug the armholes gently to curl the fabric. After you have cut off the sleeves, give the new armholes a gentle tug.[4]XResearch source This will curl the t-shirt fabric around the new edges you have created and soften the look a little bit. After this, your cutoff t-shirt is ready to wear.
Advertisement Part 2 Part 2 of 2:
Customizing Your Cutoff
1 Make larger armholes. The wider you make the armholes, the more of your body will be visible from the side.[5]XResearch source Therefore, it is important to carefully consider how large you want to make your armholes. Try a small cut and see how it looks on you before cutting too far down. You can always cut more, but you cannot put the fabric back after you cut it.
For example, if you cut your armholes down to the middle of the shirt, then your ribs and the side of your abs will be visible. Don’t cut down too far if you are not comfortable showing off these muscles.
2 Cut out the neckline. You can simply cut around the neckline to widen it a little, or cut way outside of the neckline to widen it a lot. If you prefer a deep v-neck shirt, then you can also cut a V shape out of the front of the shirt.[6]XResearch source [7]XResearch source
Try cutting close to the neckline and see how that looks first. The more of the neckline you cut, the more of your chest, back, and shoulders will be visible.
3 Trim off the hem. Trimming off the hem is more for a uniform appearance than anything else, but cutting off the hem can shorten the length of the shirt by a little or a lot. Try cutting off the hem close to the seam at first to give the bottom of the shirt the same curved appearance as the arm holes. Then, give the hem a gentle tug to curl it up like the sleeves.[8]XResearch source
If desired, you can trim the hem more to make it shorter.
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Co-authored by: Joy Cho Designer & Style Expert, Oh Joy! This article was co-authored by Joy Cho. Joy Cho is the Founder and Creative Director of the lifestyle brand and design studio, Oh Joy!, founded in 2005 and based in Los Angeles, California. She has authored six books and consulted for creative businesses around the world. Joy has lectured on business, leadership, and entrepreneurship at conferences and companies such as AltSummit, Pinterest, Target, and Hallmark, while her home and studio have been featured in magazines such as House Beautiful, Parents, and Domino. She has also been named one of Time's 30 Most Influential People on the Internet multiple times and has the most followed account on Pinterest with more than 14 million followers. This article has been viewed 234,689 times. 8 votes - 65% Co-authors: 4Updated: January 30, 2026 Views: 234,689 Categories: Altering T Shirts | Shirts and TopsArticle SummaryX
To make a cutoff shirt, take a T-shirt and fold it in half lengthwise. Make sure the sleeves line up. Use a fabric marker or a piece of chalk to mark where you want the new armholes to be. Carefully cut the sleeves off along the lines you marked with a pair of sharp fabric scissors. Gently tug on the edges of the new armholes to make the fabric curl up a little. Your new cutoff shirt is ready to wear. Keep reading to learn ways you can customize your shirt, like cutting off the neckline or the hem!Did this summary help you?YesNo
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Yes No Advertisement Cookies make wikiHow better. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our cookie policy. Co-authored by: Joy Cho Designer & Style Expert, Oh Joy! 8 votes - 65% Click a star to vote Co-authors: 4Updated: January 30, 2026 Views: 234,689
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Co-authored by: Joy Cho Designer & Style Expert, Oh Joy! This article was co-authored by Joy Cho. Joy Cho is the Founder and Creative Director of the lifestyle brand and design studio, Oh Joy!, founded in 2005 and based in Los Angeles, California. She has authored six books and consulted for creative businesses around the world. Joy has lectured on business, leadership, and entrepreneurship at conferences and companies such as AltSummit, Pinterest, Target, and Hallmark, while her home and studio have been featured in magazines such as House Beautiful, Parents, and Domino. She has also been named one of Time's 30 Most Influential People on the Internet multiple times and has the most followed account on Pinterest with more than 14 million followers. This article has been viewed 234,689 times. 8 votes - 65% Co-authors: 4 Updated: January 30, 2026 Views: 234,689 Categories: Altering T Shirts | Shirts and Tops Article SummaryX
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1 Gather your materials. Making a cutoff shirt is easy, and no sewing is required. To make a cutoff t-shirt, you will need:[1] 
2 Fold the shirt in half. It is important for your cutoff t-shirt’s sleeves to be even, or you may end up looking lopsided. To ensure that your armholes are even when you cut them, start by folding the shirt in half lengthwise. 
3 Mark where you want the new armholes to end. Next, locate the place on the shirt where you want the new armholes to begin and end, then mark the shirt in these places. You can also mark how far in you want the sleeves to go. However, keep in mind that the deep into the shirt you cut, the more of your chest will be visible. 
4 Cut the sleeves off. Once you are happy with the placement of your sleeves, you can cut off the old sleeves. Cut along the points you marked in a slightly curving line.[3] Try to avoid making any jagged edges as you cut. 
5 Tug the armholes gently to curl the fabric. After you have cut off the sleeves, give the new armholes a gentle tug.[4] This will curl the t-shirt fabric around the new edges you have created and soften the look a little bit. After this, your cutoff t-shirt is ready to wear. Advertisement 
1 Make larger armholes. The wider you make the armholes, the more of your body will be visible from the side.[5] Therefore, it is important to carefully consider how large you want to make your armholes. Try a small cut and see how it looks on you before cutting too far down. You can always cut more, but you cannot put the fabric back after you cut it. 
2 Cut out the neckline. You can simply cut around the neckline to widen it a little, or cut way outside of the neckline to widen it a lot. If you prefer a deep v-neck shirt, then you can also cut a V shape out of the front of the shirt.[6] [7] 
3 Trim off the hem. Trimming off the hem is more for a uniform appearance than anything else, but cutting off the hem can shorten the length of the shirt by a little or a lot. Try cutting off the hem close to the seam at first to give the bottom of the shirt the same curved appearance as the arm holes. Then, give the hem a gentle tug to curl it up like the sleeves.[8]