DIY / Cut It Out
Your tee, your rules. One pair of scissors turns any Bottom’s Line tee into a muscle tee, a drop-arm tank, or a crop that shows exactly as much as you want. Model it here, then make it.
DIY These are do-it-yourself instructions. We ship the tees uncut. The scissors are on you.
Looking for how to cut a t-shirt into a tank, muscle tee, or crop top? This is the free DIY guide — an interactive modeler that previews the cut on your own shirt, plus a step-by-step for each classic modification with a labeled diagram. Works for any unisex men’s or women’s tee: cotton, tri-blend, whatever’s already hanging in the closet. No sewing.
The modeler
Choose a tee, pick the cut, drag the sliders. Toggle "Show cut" to see it before you commit.
01 · Shirt
02 · Preview
GAPE Classic
Muscle
Cut it wrong? Welcome to your new look. We don’t replace shirts you’ve rearranged.
Before you cut
House rules
Cut 01 · The starter
Arms out. The easiest cut in the book.
Fold the tee in half lengthwise so the sleeves stack on top of each other.
Find the seam where the sleeve joins the body.
Cut along the sleeve side of that seam, keeping the stitching on the body. That stitched edge keeps the armhole from stretching out.
Want more room? Take the underarm down 1 in, curving back up to meet the seam at the shoulder.
Unfold, try it on, then stretch any raw edges so they roll.
Cut 02 · The statement
Side body, meet sunlight.
Mark your depth on you. Put the shirt on and chalk a dot on the side seam where you want the armhole to end. Use the modeler slider as a starting point.
Lay it flat and fold it in half lengthwise, sleeves stacked.
Mark your strap on the shoulder seam, 2 to 3 in out from the collar. Keep at least 2 in of shoulder so it stays put.
Draw a J-curve from the strap mark down to your depth mark. Curve in toward the chest first, then sweep out to the side seam.
Cut through all layers along the curve.
Try it on. Want more? Go deeper in 0.5 in passes.
Cut 03 · The showoff
A little stomach never hurt anybody.
Mark it on you with your arms up. Put the shirt on, raise your arms overhead, and chalk where you want the hem to land. Hems ride up when you move.
Add 1 in below that mark. The raw edge rolls up about 0.5 in after a wash.
Lay it flat with the side seams lined up and chalk a straight line across with a ruler.
Cut through both layers in long, even strokes.
Stretch the new hem all the way around so it rolls clean.
Finishing moves
Stack these on any cut above.
Cut the ribbed collar off just under its stitching. For deeper, mark 2 to 3 in below the front neckline and curve up to each shoulder seam. Front layer only, cardboard inside.
Remove the collar band first. Fold the front in half, mark 3 to 4 in below the neckline at center, and cut straight lines from each shoulder corner down to the mark.
Cut 2 to 4 in straight up each side seam from the hem. Cut beside the seam, not through it, so the stitching stops it from running.
Back only. Cut 6 to 8 horizontal slits, 1 in apart, stopping 2 in from each side. Pull each strip to stretch it open.
Mix and match
Do the cuts in this order: sleeves, then neck, then hem.
Cropped muscle tee. Shows a little, says a lot.
Pride, circuit parties, anywhere it’s hot and loud.
Relaxed and breezy. Pairs with shorts and nowhere to be.
Loose through the body, perfect over trunks.
Last step
Care