If you haven’t figured it out yet, I’m slightly obsessed with Anthropologie. However, their prices don’t usually fit into my “intern architect” salary, so I usually end up scouring their clearance racks.

I get their daily come-gawk-over-all-our-pretty-things emails and I always find myself checking out their newest arrivals and then checking the calendar for when they’ll go on clearance. (ok, I don’t really do this, but I do look at the emails, gawk, and then usually delete them)

Last week they were advertising colorful springtime shirts. I was perusing the selection and then I saw this one:

via Anthropologie

It’s called an “Oatmeal Dipped Tee,” like the sleeves were “dipped” in oatmeal-colored fabric. In all reality its a long sleeve shirt with some extensions.

It’s not even the most amazing thing Anthropologie has to offer, it is just soo doable, especially for less than 48 bucks. I couldn’t pass it up.

As far as how much fabric you need, you just have to buy however much you need for the length.  I bought 3/8 of a yard and ended up cutting off 2.” I figure better safe than sorry.

A fun story about the shirt I used:

The Anthro shirt is $48 bucks, actually not as outrageous as a lot of their stuff, but still, I was determined to do it for less. If you already have a striped shirt, or any long sleeve shirt that you want to alter, save the investment and just use one of those. I didn’t have one in my wardrobe that fit the bill, so I went out on a mission for one. I figured I could spend 10-15 bucks on one and still come out pretty far ahead…heck, I could spend 30 and still be ahead, but that’s beside the point.

First stop: TJ Maxx. No luck.

Second stop: Old Navy (it was across the parking lot) Success! I found the winning article on the clearance rack with no clearance price on it. Full price was $16.94, I figured at most it had to be around 10 bucks, perfect! Let’s get it.

Turns out it was on SUPER clearance.  What do I mean by SUPER clearance? 97 cents clearance to be exact.  Yes, sir, less than one dollar. I said to the cashier, “Wait, did that just ring up for 97 cents???”

“Uh, yeah, this shirt has been here for a long time,” he says, secretly rejoicing that this thing is finally getting out of the store. “I think its over a year old.”

“Fine by me! Ring it up!” I could completely mess this up and not even be out a whole bottle of diet mountain dew

I probably wouldn’t have picked this color if I had a choice. I actually like the purple one better. But I pretty much wear purple every day, so I guess it was good that I didn’t have another option. (plus, did I mention it was only 97 cents??)

ok, on with the project:

1. Cut off the hem if its 3/4 sleeve, cut off more if its already long sleeved.

2. Measure width of the sleeve laying flat. Use this to figure out how wide to cut your “dipping” fabric. My sleeve was 4 3/4″, so I cut the sleeve dip 10 1/2″ (giving me a 1/2″ seam allowance)

3. Cut out the sleeve extensions and fold in half, right sides together

4. Sew up the sides and press open the seam

5. Put the sleeve extension on the sleeve right sides together and sew along the edge.

6. Press. Then flip right side out and mark your hem. This picture is pre-hem, I cut off 2″ and turned it up about an inch. I still kept the sleeves a little longer than usual, they look pretty long in the inspiration picture.

About 5 bucks later, voila!