Another DIY Tee Shirt Poncho & Spread The Kindness Link Up On the Edge #808

Grateful Dead DIY upcycled tee shirt poncho, recycled saree poncho, spring boho style, upcycling, burgundy maxi dress, wine Salt Water Sandals, blue cowgirl hat, summer boho style, Shelbee on the Edge

Last week, I shared my first DIY tee shirt poncho that I created from one of Archie’s old Fireside Collective tee shirts and two very old tie dye wrap skirts. It turned out so wonderful that I immediately set about to making a second one.

Before I get to the details of this tee shirt poncho, I must mention how very simple this project is. It requires just a few cuts with the scissors and the ability to sew a few straight hems. Honestly, the hems don’t even have to be all that straight to complete this DIY poncho. I can’t sew a straight line to save my life but you can’t tell so I shouldn’t tell!

There are lots of easy to follow YouTube tutorials available for this upcycle project if you are interested in making a tee shirt poncho for yourself. I used these two videos: How I turned my Pink Floyd T-Shirt and a Thrifted Scarf into a Cool Homemade Poncho! by Anna’s Kitchen & Stichin and SEWING: Upcycled Boho T-Shirt Poncho EASY! by Yarn & Yards.

Both tutorials guide you through a simple step-by-step process and offer some alternative ideas for the sleeves. You can definitely create one of these unique pieces using an old beloved tee shirt that isn’t quite wearable anymore but you want to give it new life and just about anything at all for the sleeves.

The tutorials used scarves for the sleeves. As I mentioned previously, I used wrap skirts for the sleeves of my first tee shirt poncho.

For this poncho, I created the sleeves from a gorgeous yellow sari that I picked up a while ago on a thrifting adventure for $6.99. If you are unfamiliar with saris, they are traditional women’s garments from the Indian subcontinent that consist of long unstitched swaths of woven fabric. They come in an extensive variety of colors and patterns and often are ornamented with beautiful borders, stunning embroidery, and detailed appliqués. Most saris measure about 5.5 to 6 yards (5 to 5.5 meters) in length and 44 to 48 inches (1.1 to 1.2 meters) in width. So for the $6.99 price tag, I got a lot of fabric! I used about half of the sari to make the poncho sleeves, leaving me with enough fabric for another project.

I started this poncho with an old Grateful Dead tee shirt that was in my upcycle bin. I think it belonged to Jeff and ended up in the bin because the graphic was really off center and it made the shirt look slightly twisted. I was able to even it out when I cut off the sides of the tee shirt. The colors in the graphic coordinated so perfectly with the colors in the sari that it was like a match made in boho heaven.

To create the sleeves for this tee shirt poncho, I laid the whole sari out on the floor and cut two long strips about 22 inches (55.9.cm) wide, making sure that both sides included the beautiful multicolored border. The fabric is delicate and slippery with heavy ornamental peacock and medallion appliqués which made it a little difficult to work with. I tried not to cut through any of the appliqués but I did have to sew through some of them which challenged me and my machine. But my machine and I won that battle because look at how beautiful this poncho turned out!

Because the tee shirt sides were removed and the sari fabric is slightly sheer, I layered the poncho over an old burgundy maxi sundress for modesty purposes. However, if I am feeling sassy on a warm enough day, I can definitely wear it over a bralette which would reveal some skin underneath the sheer parts. Layering it over a dress required much less sartorial thinking and I really loved the whole hippie vibe that it created.

Because this tee shirt poncho makes quite the statement all on its own, it didn’t require much more styling effort other than my navy blue cowgirl hat, big dangly burgundy feather earrings, and a pile of necklaces including some old favorites and some newly thrifted ones.

I completed the outfit with my other pair of Salt Water Sandals, the Sun-San Crosswind in Claret. Salt Water Sandals are constructed from high quality leather that was designed to get wet. Most leather footwear companies discourage you from getting your shoes wet without first adding a leather protectant to waterproof your shoes. However, when you get Salt Water Sandal leather wet, it helps mold the shoes to your feet creating a comfortable custom fit. Because they are designed for water, you can wear these sandals into the ocean or in a pool or anywhere your feet might get wet without concern for damaging the structure of the shoes.

I generally wear a 41 in European sizing which converts to either a 10 (40-41) or an 11 (41-42) in Salt Water Sandals so I sized up to the 11. However, the size 11 does feel a bit wide on my feet. The black Sun-San Margery sandals that I shared last week have a double buckle which I was able to tighten for a more secure fit. The Sun-San Crosswind does not have that feature so I definitely need to get these wet so they form to my feet for a better fit. I just haven’t had the opportunity yet to get them wet because it hasn’t been warm enough to walk around in damp shoes.

I absolutely loved how well the claret color and the criss cross slide vibed with this very boho outfit.