I was packing outfits for a trip to Universal Orlando and realized that I had enough Harry Potter-themed t-shirts that I could probably wear one a day.

The problem is that many of them are oversized or black or both (anything dark is a no-no in August in Orlando, Florida, unless it’s a Tank top). I started to put all of the t-shirts back on my closet shelf, but then I realized I could wear some of these if they were tank tops.

There are tons of tutorials out there for how to make a tank top from a t-shirt and all it takes is a pair of scissors (and a little bit of bravery).

I decided to give this a shot, though I’ll admit that I first did this with a t-shirt that was in our donation pile, to make sure I actually liked how it turned out, so I wouldn’t be sobbing over my lost “Always” t-shirt.

It was really easy to make a tank top from a t-shirt, all without having to sew anything. Just be sure to use good craft scissors so your material is cut smoothly.

Lay your t-shirt out on a flat surface. You’re going to cut off the sleeves and the neckband. How deep you make the scoop for the neck is up to you.

And how narrow you make the Straps of your tank is also up to you. I wanted narrow straps (so more like a tank top than just a sleeveless shirt) so I cut so the straps were about 2 inches wide. Keep in mind that you can always start with wide straps and a high neck and cut more to your taste. I figured out about what I wanted with my test shirt.

Cut off the bottom band of the t-shirt and then cut this loop into two pieces. You’ll need one of these pieces to tie the back.

Turn your t-shirt face down and gather up the the fabric on the back between the two armholes.

Put the strip of fabric underneath this material and tie a simple knot.

Then weave the straps down the fabric and tie a knot at the bottom.

Once you try your shirt on, you might discover that you want the straps narrower or the neckline lower. Or that you want to cut more material from the bottom of the tank. It’s very easy to adjust, as long as you don’t make huge, dramatic cuts to start with.

This no sew tank top from a t-shirt was super easy to make and now I have a Harry Potter shirt I can wear in the parks, even in the heat!