Re-purposed Shirts for the 4th

So tonight in our neck of the woods is our BIG firework show. I mean BIG...metropolis big. Out of the five years we have lived here, this is only our 3rd time going. Me+my Little Men+large chaotic crowds=panic attack. However, it is such a fun tradition AND my LM love being there. So I put on a happy smiling face, several big breaths and we head on out for the festivities.

Since we are in the "pinching our pennies" phase of moving, I had to improvise the patriotic wardrobes this year. Every shirt I made came from either my stash or their closets.

I shared Oldest's on Wednesday.

The other two came from their closets and I literally just did one thing to each.

Middle's started as a simple polo which has seen many summers.

Little's started as this long sleeve Sunday dress shirt.

All I did to Little's was cut off the sleeves and then hem, to make shorter sleeves. Well then of course I added this homemade bow-tie (which he probably won't wear the night...can you just imagine the crowd wondering which crazy lady put her toddler in a bow tie).

For Middle's I used a small scrap of heat transfer vinyl...my new favorite thing...and put a simple "76"...ya know for 1776...at the top. SO simple, and patriotic enough for the 4th, but totally doable for everyday wear.

I know there are several pictures of Middle, it isn't because I love him more, it is just because he had a great evolution of photos...

forced smile..."mom take the picture already"

gut buster..."mom just said the word boogers"

4 going on 14..."mom don't cry at how handsome and grown up I look"

Just goes to show you, if you search in your closets enough and get creative you can really reuse what you have to make something new. Yeah for not having to spend money!

Amidst all this patriotic sewing, I also busted out a skirt for myself. I cant' wait to show you. I think it turned out quite lovely and I can't wait to wear it tonight to the fireworks. I am hoping my skirt is so cute no one will notice the panic all over my face...hahaha.

Tee Shirt Makeover

 

Isn't a white t-shirt just the most perfect Summer outfit addition?!?

White shirts are pretty much a necessity in my wardrobe. In the summer, they are even more important. The other day I went searching through my closet and discovered something horrifying...okay not really horrifying but it was a little upsetting. My white tees were a hot mess. I had two perfect short-sleeved tees but you know that shall-not-be-mentioned-staining that occurs under the sleeve area, well it seemed both shirts have reached their limit of cleaning.

I only had one more t-shirt. This unfortunate one-

Oh what a mess. This shirt has totally stretched out and lost it's shape since I bought it. Don't you hate it when that happens? Since I had my heart set on wearing a white t-shirt that day...don't laugh at me, it is true...I decided I would just fix my shirt.

So easy.

I turned the shirt inside out. Then I pinned up either side making a new seam to follow. I followed the edge of the shirt taking off about an 1 1/2 off either side.

While I was taking in the sides I decided to also turn the 3/4 sleeves into short sleeves. I measured how short I wanted them and then gave an extra 1/2" for the seam. Then cut off excess.

I sewed up the sides following my pin markers and then I trimmed off the excess.

 On the sleeves I folded in the edge and then hemmed the sleeve.

Then I put it on.

Then I gave a "holla".
Then I made my 7 year old take my picture.

Baseball Tee How-to

I love a baseball tee. I have been wanting to figure out how to make my own for awhile now. There are A LOT of perks to using pre-made tees for this sewing project, especially if you are like me and don't have a serger (aka knit fabrics best friend).

In this tutorial I will provide a pattern for a 2T size, but that pattern can be manipulated to fit the size you need. Or you can feel free to make your own pattern using an existing baseball tee you have laying around (this is what I did to make my pattern).

Every once in awhile in an insecure anxiety ridden moment I decide to disclaim that I am no where near a skilled seamstress. I am very much a figure-it-out-go-by-the-seat-of-my-pants kind of sewer. I share the how-to that works for me, fully knowing that some of you out there might see it and go..."umm...I think there is an easier way to do it." I often use shortcuts to make my sewing projects easier or simply because I am missing some of the tools that would be necessary for a step (afore mentioned serger). Sometimes I might fuddle my way through the explanations in my non seamstress lingo, but I am always happy to explain myself if there are any questions. I enjoy creating and it has been a journey to get brave enough to share it with all of you my bloggin' peeps. Okay, so that is my sewing tutorial disclaimer, you guys still love me, right?

Whew. Novel done. I should be good on the disclaimer for quite awhile now.

On to the How-to!

Baseball Tee How-to

You will need:

2 craft tees in your desired colors and in a size at least one size big
pattern pieces 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
*or a shirt to make your own pattern
coordinating fabric

for actual kennel club tee you will also need:
coordinating fabric paint in two colors
scrap of tee used for the sleeves
freezer paper or scrap vinyl for stencil

If you make your own pattern, you will need to cut off the sleeves, the front, and the back of the shirt. Trace each piece and cut out.

If using the print out patterns, cut each pattern piece out. Attach pattern pieces together as indicated. Cut the front and back pattern from the white tee, you will need 2 2x12 inch strips for the sleeves, so make sure you account for that when you lay out your patterns.

For the sleeves here is one of my cheats...

Line up the pattern of your sleeve with the bottom of the pre-made tee. This way the hem of your sleeve is already finished. You will cut out one sleeve from the front of the shirt and one sleeve from the back.

One more cheat while we are at it...

Cut off the existing neck band from the sleeve color tee. Cut it off just below the exiting seam, cutting just a bit of the tee shirt off with it. Set this aside to sew onto finished tee at the end. I measured my length according to the neck piece from my existing baseball tee, however, I recommend not cutting it until your tee is sewn together and you see how much you need.

Let's start sewing.

THE SLEEVES-

Cut 2 2x12 inch strips from the leftovers of the white tee shirt.

Iron them in half and then sew up one side of each strip.

Don't worry about turning out (that might be a nightmare). Simply iron it flat so that the seam is in the back, like this...

Line up your strips with the seam facing the right side of each sleeve. Pin in place 3-4 inches from the bottom.

Sew in place with coordinating thread. Stitch along both edges. Repeat on other sleeve.

ATTACH SLEEVES-

There is a back and a front side of each sleeve. Make sure you pin, with right sides facing, the back of the sleeve with the back panel of your tee or the front of the sleeve with the front panel. It doesn't matter if you do front or back first as long as they match up correctly.

I am going to start with the front here. Pin right sides facing.

Sew with 1/4 in seam allowance. I tried both a zig zag stitch and a regular, for me there was no difference. I know many people find using a zig zag stitch better on knits (again when there is no serger). I leaned slightly towards the regular stitch.

For a nice finishing touch I sewed stitches on the tee along either side of the outside seam line.

Repeat on the process with the back of the sleeves and the back tee panel.

Once the sleeves are attached, match up the sleeves and the side seams. Pin in place. Sew with a 1/4" seam allowance all the way up from the bottom, under the armpit and along the bottom of the sleeve.Repeat on other side.

ATTACH NECK PIECE-

Turn your almost finished shirt right side out. Grab your neck band reserved from the pre-made tee. Measure how much you need. Cut the band and then sew together to make a circle.

There is a right side to the band. Lay the band with the right side facing the right side of your tee. This will take a little stretching and manipulating the band. Patience is your friend. Make sure the place where you attached the band to itself is in the back. Sew with about a 1/4" seam allowance. Basically you will want to sew as close as possible to where the original neck band met the original tee.

Turn band up, pushing the raw edge inside the tee. Iron.

HEM-

Almost done with construction. Whew.

Turn shirt inside out. Fold up 1/2" and iron. Then fold it up another 1/2" and iron. Make sure to carefully fold to ensure you still have the curve at the bottom of your shirt.

Turn the tee back right side out. Sew along the bottom of the tee following your ironed hem. Stitch again 1/4' below what you just stitched, creating a double row of stitches.

If the baseball tee is all you care about, YOU ARE DONE.

BUT, if you would like to know what I did to get the graphic on my tee, keep reading.

EMBELLISHMENTS

I found a silhouette of a dog shape I wanted and I actually cut it out with my Silhouette on some scrap vinyl. HOWEVER, I have also done the same stenciling process with freezer paper. Here is a tutorial where I used freezer paper.

Once you have your stencil, apply it where you would like it on your shirt.

Make sure you have put a piece of cardboard, or even a cereal box front, in between the layers of your shirt.
Apply the paint, evenly and carefully at the edges. Reapply more coats for a more even coverage.

Let the paint dry, remove stencil.

Pictures seem to be missing for the rest of the steps but I think a simple typed out step by step will still work.

1. Using a font you like as a template, cut out the letter for kennel from the scrap of sleeve tee fabric. Without poking your eyes out (yes it is a labor of love) sew on each letter individually.

2. Cut out another stencil (either vinyl or freezer paper) in a different font with the word club. Place that stencil below and slightly over the word you sewed on. Repeat same painting process used with the puppy stencil.

OKAY NOW you are done!

You have a great tee shirt that your little man will love. You will love. Everyone else will love it AND they will be amazed you made it.

My Little Man has already worn it 3 times, he calls it his "ruff, ruff" shirt. So cute.

Thanks for reading!

little reminder...as with all of my tutorials, they are ALWAYS for personal use

Linking:

Show and Tell Wednesdays: Blue Cricket Design

We Did It Wednesdays: Sew Much Ado

Get Your Craft On: Today's Creative Blog

Whatever Goes Wednesday: Someday Crafts

Upcycle Awesome: Tshirt Diaries

Kennel Club Baseball Tee

This is the tee shirt I made for Littlest Little Man's Puppy Party.

The tutorial was supposed to be posted today, but that cute kid in the picture above...well he has ANOTHER double ear infection. Gesh!

SO instead of tutorial today, I thought I would tease you with more pictures...mostly because this is all I have time to put together while holding Little Man.

I am excited to show you how to make this shirt.The shirt was made from two basic cheap-o craft tees and I seriously heart how it turned out.

So I promise that tomorrow there will be a post up on the how-to. Photos are all edited and ready to go. So tonight when small fry is in bed, antibiotic hopefully kicking in, I will type up my little how-to.

For now just admire that cute-ear-infected-face.

Thanks for stopping by, 

see ya tomorrow!

Lined Cardigan from Fleece Pullover

First I wanted to THANK all of you for your wonderfully caring and supportive words concerning Little Man's arm. He is doing GREAT. He is still adjusting to being able to use his arm. I truly appreciated all of your comments, well wishes, and sympathy. Thanks for helping this Momma cope.

On to my Refashion-

This is the second of five refashioned and embellished projects that I will be doing over the next couple of months. I am part of this little sewing project that started with the Ruffled Tee. Project reminder, five different bloggers are all give the same piece of clothing to refashion and embellish.

This months project started out as this-

The old familiar Old Navy fleece pullover. Not my original...silly me forgot to take a before. I ALWAYS do that!

This project was HARD for me. I do not normally care for fleece. I almost always think immediately baby or toddler when I feel it's soft coziness. Since I kept switching to baby mode, it made it super hard for me to think of what to do.

I came up with a cropped cardigan-type thingy. It is a weird mix between a cardigan and a coat. I altered the sleeves to 3/4. I cut up the middle to open it like a cardigan. I added some ruffles, added a belt, and I added a lining. 

Shhhh...truth be told I am not sure I really accomplished my vision. I am also not sure I LOVE it.

However, it is still pretty amazing what you can do with a simple fleece cardigan.

My favorite part is definitely the lining.

Go and see what the other girls were able to do with their fleece. 

Stefi from Just Chic
Jennifer from My Two Butterflies
Sarah from Sweet Pea and JoJo
Amy from Positively Splendid

some of the posts aren't up yet, so keep checking.

JoAnns Tee To Ruffle Tee: Tutorial

 By popular demand I did a tutorial on my original Joann's craft tee to Ruffle Tee.

The tutorial is over at Thirty Handmade Days today.

So go on over. Say hi and see how I make this...

from these ugly lifeless little numbers.

Hope this is all you dreamed it would be. Now go and make yourself a ruffle tee and look glorious!

Also...Don't forget the Bobaloo giveaway going on right now.

Linking:

Blue Cricket Designs: Show and Tell Wednesdays
The CSI Project: The Green Challenge
Night Owl Crafting: Hoo's Got Talent
Somewhat Simple: Strut Your Stuff

Ruffle Tee from JoAnns Tee

A couple of weeks ago I got asked to join a little sewing project. Stefi from Just Chic asked me came up with an idea to have an 5 girls from 5 different blogs all start with the same item of clothing and see what their individual  creative genius will come up with.

The sewing project started with this JoAnns t-shirt. You know the ones. The big boxy somewhat androgynous ones that go on sale pretty regularly. The one rule was that it had to remain a shirt. I thunk and I thunk and I thunk some more (yes I know that is not a real word). I really wanted to be able to not go out and purchase any thing additional.  I chose to embellish using the t-shirt itself.

This is what I came up with, a gloriously ruffly t-shirt. A much more feminine version to its once boring cousin.
 

Here is what I did for this pretty little refashion-

-redid the neckline
-altered to be a fitted tee
-used old t-shirt to be the panel for the ruffles
-cut up the front of the original shirt into strips
-sewed it all together

Add a cute cardigan, a cute flower in and NO ONE would know that shirt came from JoAnns.

Go over and check out the other ladies and see what they made-

Stefi from Just Chic
Jennifer from My Two Butterflies
Sarah from Sweet Pea and JoJo
Amy from Positively Splendid

Oh and in case you want to make your own ruffly tee, these shirts are on sale this weekend at JoAnns for 2 dollars. You could even buy two instead of using an old tee shirt for the panel.