No Pattern, No Problem: The making of a T-shirt

I have a frightful confession. I don't sew with knits. Oh I do hope you didn't bump your noggin when you fainted from the shock of it. Now that you've recovered I can tell you that I can happily revise that confession to: For years I did not sew with knits. 

It was not always so. When I was a teen I sewed knits with impunity, I had no fear and I couldn't for the life of me understand why people were hesitant to sew with knit fabrics. Ok, I do admit a slight aversion to pure polyester knits, but that's a story for another day.

Somewhere along the way I stopped sewing with knits, and with this lack of knit sewing I too began to have doubts, fears even. Silly me.

On the practical side, one of my excuses was that good quality knit fabrics are expensive. Well, the other day I was taking a long overdue peruse through my local thrift shop, and though I did not find the perfect v neck sweater I was searching for, I did find a few very large men's T-shirts in white. The perfect lead in to playing around with knits without breaking the bank while at the same time upcycling some formerly unloved clothing.

I didn't have a pattern so I made one. This is true of some knits, they can be forgiving of the hastily self drafted pattern. I created a Dolman sleeve t-shirt, one of the easiest things to sew, really! I then went about making a couple with various sleeve lengths. In the photos above I used some gorgeous knit that my friend Nancy sent me ages ago and added the contrasting bands from another shirt that happened to be the perfect shade of green.

This one was made using one of the white thrift store t-shirts, dyed black and stenciled with a horse of course.

There are some tricky things about sewing with knits, but honestly it's just like anything else... it takes practice and there is no reason to fear sewing with knits. Not that you're afraid, of course not, you are very brave and have no idea what I'm talking about. It was probably just me. Silly me.

I also whipped up a pair of yoga pants made from t-shirts that suffered from an unfortunate dye job. (Note to self: Order some good quality fiber reactive dyes!)

Well, I'm so glad I now sew with knits. 

Oh! And coming up on Friday I will be posting a quick tutorial on how to make a Dolman Sleeve T-Shirt of your very own! Hooray!

6 Shirts

I may have mentioned awhile back that I have been saving up some of the Engineer's old work shirts. I made a sweet little skirt and had grand plans to make a few somethings from the rest of the shirts. That plan, my friends, took the long way 'round and other mayhem took it's place in line.

The other day as I made a half-hearted attempt to organize the overflow in the studio, I came across my collection of shirts. I was reminded of my grand plan and felt that I had 2 choices. My only options were to 1. Make good on my threat to come up with at least one new idea on the remaking of a man's work shirt (do you know how many tutorials, how-tos, and refashions there are out there on the interwebs? There's a lot!) and 2. Throw the lot of 'em into the recycling bin.

I have 6 shirts...
and a half...

It seems the Engineer has rather aggressive elbows, they seem to be the breakaway reason for a shirt's retirement. So... what am I gonna make? How long will it take? I've no idea, but I hope to throw in a tutorial here and there.

For a fleeting moment I considered a quilty type project, but then I remembered that I'd done that already.
So, my mind is a-whirl; all tempest in a teapot, hurly-burly reckless with imaginings... in subdued hues of blue and gray.

Wish me luck!

Old Blue

Progress has been made. Six old shirts and a lot of long seams. The blanket top is done...I think.

A whole field of blue. Thank goodness the elbows went out on the stripy number at the last minute, the stripy bits really pulled it all together.

Still deciding if I should add sashing to the sides and ends. Or a pop of color somewhere. It'll make a fine picnic blanket in the end. I'm calling it a blanket and not a quilt, for I imagine I broke far too many quilting rules along the way to make it a proper quilt.

Is anyone interested in just how I put "Old Blue" together? let me know and I will work up a little 'how to' when it's all done.

Have a happy day!

Hello Monday - Remake, Remodel

In these last days of summer, there is a sense of impending change. Change in the weather, change in the routine and change in life as we know it. Soon, our little Pony Girl will be entering a whole new phase of her young life...Kindergarten! It's hard to believe that it has come so fast. In keeping my mind away from thinking how quickly she is growing up, I am busying my hands at the task of school clothes making. Sewing for me makes things better, helps me make a little sense of this fast moving world.

This little number was made using Sew Liberated's Woodlands Shirt Pattern, which I have seen popping up all over the place on the web. Cute no? For the fabric I used this lovely lightweight printed linen (that was wonky like crazy to work with). The linen came from a skirt and top that my mother passed onto me thinking I could make something of it. The pieces sat for a long time and when I got this pattern I knew I could finally cut into them for a complete re-fashion.

Some notes on the Woodlands Shirt pattern:
The pattern is fairly easy with straight forward instruction for the most part.
If you plan to use the pattern I highly recommend checking measurements carefully, as it seems to be geared for a more petite child. Pony Girl is 5 with a stocky build, she wears a US size 6 in most store bought clothes with the sleeve length running a bit long. I traced the size 7 from the pattern (for room to grow) but, cut the sleeve and bodice length a size 6 thinking they would be plenty long. I should have checked the length of these pieces before cutting. The end result is that the sleeves and bodice were a bit short for my liking. Overall though, I will make this shirt again with the right lengths, I think it's a quick and versatile pattern for fall. It's pretty darn cute too.

In my last post I mentioned the possibility of pie, so here it is, a perfectly peachy peach pie! Made by the Engineer no less. He offered to take over pie duty after he heard me whinging about how I had done the laundry, dishes, watered the garden, made breakfast muffins...all before he had even gotten out of bed. He makes a damn fine pie I must say!

Oh how I do love pie!

Let The Sunshine In

I can't be certain but, it is possible you heard some grumbles over here recently concerning the state of our weather. Well, I'm happy to report that it looks as though Sir Summer has arrived at last! Alright, I'm not placing any bets, truth be told it could just be a short visit as opposed to say, an unpacking of his steamer trunk and moving in. Still, I refuse to peek at the weather report nay, I am choosing to live fully in the moment and bask in the glory of the sun's restorative powers.

You should see us, we are a city...a whole region even, of blissed out, smiling and waving and greeting one another with a "how do you do" and "Oh isn't it gorgeous?" Yes, life is grand and all is fine here under the bluebird sky!

This fine turn of events has inspired me to complete the lounge as it's been languishing in it's half done state for too long. That is not to say I can now declare it "done and done", for I'm afraid I am just not a resident of the land of done, nope - I live in a little green cottage smack dab in the middle of the great state of flux.

The mocking couch has been dressed in her summer frock and a few cheerful accessories. Coffee table adorned with a couple of summer roses.

Do you perhaps remember a forsaken desk I found some time ago by the roadside? and the yam colored industrial number I came across whilst on my Seattle adventure? Well, the desk has been given a makeover and it appears that I was right in thinking that they were indeed meant for one another.

Music is a huge part of our lives so, it is also a large part of our lounge. One of our new old record cabinets stuffed to capacity with old vinyl.

Ah, everything feels like summer. Thank you for popping by to visit, why don't you relax next to the fan and have a nice cool glass of lemonade...



I mentioned yesterday that today I would show off more mail but, I simply must get outside and enjoy this lovely summer afternoon. See you soon!