Tag Archives: T-shirt

Refashion Geisha Tunic

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Geisha-Shirt3I had loved an old tee-shirt with a geisha asian theme, but alas it not longer fit. I put it in my refashion stash waiting for the right inspiration. A few weeks ago my husband asked if I wanted an old polo of his.  When it turned out a very similar stripe to the background of my geisha tee, I started stash shopping for one more coordinate knit. Vogue 8962 is the perfect pattern since the front panel is narrow and fit my old tee to perfection.

The back pattern pieces are fairly large since the side seem shifts toward the front. The polo shirt stripe and the knit stripe coordinate pieced into a new textile. Then I cut out the back pieces with this new patchwork fabric.Geisha-Shirt

I think the deconstructed net sleeves look great with this tunic. I do have to put my arms through with my hands in a fist so my fingers don’t catch the holes!Geisha-Shirt_1

Testing out some fabric ideas on the neck turned into a solution. I just sewed the strips around the neck and left them twisted and raw. A little hand tacking keeps the neck in place. It’s  great to have my old tee back in a new form!

Perfect Summer Black Tes

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I wanted a black shirt that was just a bit dressy, comfortable, looked good under a sweater or jacket, but would also look good on its own if it became warm. I couldn’t find what I had in mind, and now I don’t know why I spent the time shopping.Summer-Black-Tee-FM_1 This is exactly what I wanted and it took so little fabric that all of it came from my stash. I love sheer sleeves in summer. They give a little coverage, but are still cool and look good under vests. I used my TNT pattern Vogue 8952 and just made it shorter and the sides straighter. I didn’t hem the sleeves and I just added another sheer knit to finish the collar and hem.Summer-Black-Tee-BM I don’t think this t-shirt took more than 3 hours to make. I’m sure I spent way more time shopping without finding anything. Next time I want something this specific in my mind I am just going to start sewing!

Valentine’s Vest and Tunic Top

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Vest-and-Tunic-FMwebI bought this cool fabric from The RainShed back in September when I returned from my Diane Ericson retreat in Taos. A fellow sewer, Gwen was making a cool vest out of the fabric, which is grey wool laminated to a black knit. Both sides are attractive and the fabric does not ravel so Gwen was cutting holes out to add interest to her project. I had to try some of this fabric!

Finding the right pattern for me took a while, but I finally settled on Vogue 8932, since it has so many panels to show off both sides of the textile. I like to wear layers so a vest is perfect. I added 2” to the length of the pattern and eliminated any facings. Frankly, I think the final vest looks more like the photos on the pattern cover and it would have felt too short if I had not added the length. Instead of facings a knit stripe finishes off all of the edges.Vest-and-Tunic-BMweb

I added the cut outs to emphasize the lines of the front,Vest-Cut-Detail-DSweb and placed a few appliqué pieces to carry an asymmetrical line on my left.Vest-Detail-FS-copy The piece needed a little sparkle so I added a small triangle of metallic paint to each of these larger triangles. Just one triangle brought the design to the backside.Vest-Detail-BSweb

 Finishing the vest left me with the question of what to wear underneath. I had pulled out a number of coordinating knits when deciding on the edge treatment. Since several of them went well with the grey/black fabric, I decided to whip up a knit top to wear under the vest. Vogue 8952 is so easy and only took about 2-3 hours to cut out and put together.Tunic-Top-FMweb

I can’t wait to wear this on Valentine’s Day! Hmm…red pants might be a fun look.

2T Vest #2

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I published the 2T Vest #1 knowing I had more than enough materials to make at least one more vest. Well here it is!2T2-Front-Model1I like this one even more than the first, but wear both constantly. The vest is so simple to make without a pattern, by using a couple of Goodwill knit shirts and a little left over black knit. The altered neckline in this version flatters using various fabric scraps.2T2-Neck-Stencil-detail The front hem has a diagonal cut. The piece removed added to the back continues the diagonal theme.2T2-Back-Hem-DetailI just filled in with a hem/ruffle made up from one of the purchased shirts. I didn’t have enough of the existing curly serged hem so I just made some extra to match. The stencil mimics the print and ties the three fabrics together.2T2-Pocket-DetailIt’s warm, washable and has a pocket making this vest perfect for hanging around the house or running errands. Love it!2T2-Back-Neck-Detail

Special Occasion Tee Shirt

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I’m still catching up after the holidays (aren’t we all?). In November my BSF (Best Sewing Friend) Debra and I got together to dye fabric. A stretch rayon and silk velvet from Dharma Trading was our main focus for the dying session. Shown below is the effect we obtained using low immersion method of dying with fiber reactive dyes. Imagine this velvet started out white!

Holiday-Tie-Dye-FabricWe both wanted a comfy, but dressy tee to wear to holiday events. Pattern Vogue 8962 was the perfect answer for me. Debra used Vogue 8952 and her top was equally beautiful. I’m hoping to do a photo shoot of her clothes soon, since sew together so often.Holiday-Top-Front2-copyThe only change was a small ruffle added to the bottom adding a little flare and a bit more length.The tee is stretchy and comfortable, but still a little dressy. I wore it on multiple special occasions, and will still be able to wear it any time this winter.Holiday-Top-Back_2 The contrasting yoke was intentional, but yes, I did have a cutting snafu and had to piece the darker velvet!

Everyday Tee #1 with a GDO (Good Design Opportunity)

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Eucalyptus Tee1I want to make some winter T-shirts that are fun, but functional. They need to be washable, and easy care plus I hope to have pockets on most if not all of them. This is my first T in the series. I used Katherine Tilton’s Butterick pattern B5925. This is the first T-shirt I have ever made, but the pattern was easy to follow. I used 4 different knits and stenciled the front. I may add more stencilling later. The neck didn’t come out flat due to the lack of stretch in the knit I used for the binding.Wendy Portrait2 I call these little mishaps GDO’s (Good Design Opportunities) since they force me to rethink a problem and come up with a creative solution. I keep getting compliments on the keyhole neckline so the solution works well.