What can you do with a T-shirt?

The most useful item in a secondhand shop is a simple T-shirt. There are so many options and I am sure that this post doesn't even do it justice! This is actually my list of items that I want to make with T-shirts so stay tuned to the blog.

Here are some of the things that I can think of on how you can reuse a T-shirt:

As T-shirts:

• Yoke-neck T-shirt: try this idea that details how to fix a crewneck.
• Ruffled girly T-shirt: Cut part of the neckline away on an old T-shirt along with the sleeves. Take it in so that it is fitted then sew the sleeves back on in gathers. Do a ruffle with the leftover cut part from the neck back on. This is what I did with this T-shirt.
• Remodeled men's T-shirt: this version has a ruffle, buttons and nice billowy sleeves.
• Tucked neck: cut the crew-neck collar off then do a series of tucks around the neck (inspired by this T-shirt from calpatch on Craft Stylish).
• Victorian ruffled T-shirt: first, fit it on the sides and the bottom to your figure. Save all of the extra fabric. Cut the crewneck off and sew the neck down to a more comfortable place, pin and sew down. Then add the extra fabric to make a ruffle down the front centre of the shirt like a Victorian top. Leave space in the middle and sew the ruffle to the shirt. Add buttons down the middle.
• Smocking: add smocking! Anywhere! try the shoulder seams, under the bust, around the sleeves or all three options! I love smocking, it looks so cool.
• Gathers: like tucks, you can get a large T-shirt and fit it by creating gathers on the sides, or perhaps just one side to create an interesting look. 
• Dolman sleeved wonder: use two T-shirts to make a dolman-sleeved shirt. Stay tuned, I plan on trying this.
• Baby doll T-shirt: take a really big men’s shirt and cut at bust line, fix sides and shoulders then sew arms back on and gather the shoulders. Then, leave bottom as one large connected piece and sew on with gathers so that it flares all the way around. 
• Crocheted details: after adjusting a t-shirt, add crocheted details like a crochet neck, sleeves or hems. 
• Piped details: add piping in contrasting colors around neck, arms and bottom of fitted shirts. Piping can be made from other t-shirts that are solid colours, or printed T-shirts.
• Lace: take a T-shirt and cut off the sleeves, and cut it in half for a front and a back. Buy a sheet of lace in the same colour and cut to fit either the front or back. Then, sew to the shirt (either front or back), and reassemble the shirt. Take it in to fit on the sides, shoulders and sleeves. Fix the neck perhaps with some satin ribbon in the same colour around the edge.
• Tank or racerback T-shirt: turn a men's T-shirt into a racerback tank top or a tank top. Perhaps even add details like a lace panel on the back or the front. 
• Elastic: try adding an effect by sewing elastic underneath the seams on the neck (like this t-shirt) or on the sides (like this t-shirt)
• Screen printing: try using fabric paint and a stencil or spray paint to create your own logos. Here is an idea on how to do it.
• Beading: adjust the T-shirt to fit then add beads along the neckline, sleeves or anywhere else.

Other clothing items:

• Underwear: have you ever tried to make underwear from t-shirts? Here is a tutorial from calpatch.
• Jersey skirt: what about cutting the neck off and using the arms as pockets on a T-shirt skirt?
• Cardigan: a t-shirt can be cut up the middle and turned into a ruffly cardigan from this tutorial or a button-up one from this one.
• Dress: turn two T-shirts into a dress. They could be the same colour or different and the connection between the two can vary from the waist or an empire waist. It can be fitted or not. Ruffles can be added along with other embellishments as well as darts.
• Hairband: Use leftover scraps to make a hairband. This can be flat, embellished with beads, or braided. Along with many other ideas.
  

As home items:

• Cloth handkerchiefs.
• Cleaning rags: these make fabulous rags for dusting and polishing any surfaces and also for washing the car.
• Cloth garbage bags: I am going to attempt these with leftover white men's T-shirts. I will post the results. I only plan on doing these for the smaller garbage bins around the house, not the one for the kitchen.
• T-shirt quilt: if you can't part with them but they are taking up space, make a T-shirt quilt.
• Lunch bag: try making a lunch bag (perhaps like this one) out of an old T-shirt.

For ideas on what you can do with other clothes in your wardrobe or from a secondhand store, see my post on what you can do with secondhand clothing. This is everything else but T-shirts.

Resizing a size 4 skirt

Now, obviously, I am not a size 4 but I saw this skirt into Frenchies and I had to have it. I had a wild idea: how do you turn a size 4 skirt into a skirt that would fit me?

Of course, this won't work for every skirt. If it is already knee length then you are out of luck unless you want to wear a mini skirt. This particular skirt was flouncy and came to the ground so I was in luck.

I don't have a "before" picture, but here is the after:

What I did is I took a skirt that fit me perfectly and laid it over this skirt. I lined them both up at the bottom hems. At the top, I cut the white skirt where the waist of the other skirt hit me with two inches of seam allowance.

Next, I folded down the waist to see how much I needed for the elastic. After measuring, I found that I needed 1 cm then 1 inch for the elastic, with some room to move around. 

I folded the seam for the first seam allowance:

Then I folded that under and down about 1 inch and a little bit to allow the elastic some room.

I continued this folding pattern and pinned it down to the skirt.

Then, I sewed the waistband down close to the edge but not all of the way around. I left about two inches open between where I started and where I ended.

Now it's time to add the elastic. I used a large safety pin that I hooked into the elastic and closed shut. I learned the hard way to tape this safety pin around the closure before pulling it through the waistband so I recommend that to you on this step.

I inserted the safety pinned elastic into the opening in the skirt and started to gently pull it through by scrunching the fabric up then pulling it back like a scrunchie.

Once I had pulled the elastic all the way through, I put the two ends together. I made sure that the elastic was not twisted somewhere so that they lined up perfectly and I cut off any excess.

I sewed these two cut ends of the elastic together with a straight stitch, which I backstitched a few times. Then I did the zipper stitch over the cut ends (even though they wouldn't show).

I put the elastic into the waistband then I pinned the hole in the waistband shut and sewed it down.

And voila, I have this wonderful elasticized skirt that fits me (without being tight). I love it! Hard to believe that it used to be a size 4 skirt.

Here's a close-up of the elastic waistband:

Estimated time for this project: 2 hours. Most of this time was used up fitting the elastic waistband and pulling the elastic through. Other than that, it was very easy to do. The bottom and seams are already finished which was a great bonus for me. 

Notes:

• This was a very long skirt so it was easy to cut it at a place that fit me better so that it would be a knee-length skirt. 
• I'm not sure how well this will work with a size 4 skirt that is fitted instead of swingy or flouncy but I will try it. 
• I was going to add a lining under the skirt in white cotton but I decided not to as I made a slip to go under all of my skirts instead of lining every one of them. But, it is an option. 
• When I was pulling the elastic through, I had to keep it straight. It had a tendency to stretch and curl so I had to constantly smooth it out. 

Ideas:

• I could have done some work on the skirt itself but I didn't. One idea, is to take a bright-colored thread in your color of choice and top stitch down all of the seams and edges for some detail.
• I could have added other details like embroidery or lace under the edge in a matching or contrasting color.

How to turn a Men's t-shirt into a Frilly girly shirt

How did I turn this:

Into this?

Cute, eh? For this project, you will need your favorite shirt (that fits you very well), scissors, pins, matching thread and a sewing machine. 

This is how to do it. First, take a shirt that actually fits you well and lay it over the men's t-shirt (this one is a size large) like so:

Make sure both are lying absolutely flat and that the seams are lined up (shoulder seams, neck, sides, etc.). Now, take a good pair of scissors and cut the fabric away from the bottom seam, leaving about 2 cm seam allowance. Cut the sleeves off. Cut the extra fabric away from the armholes, leaving seam allowance. And cut up the sides, leaving about 2 cm seam allowance.

Now, cut the neck as desired. To do this, I cut the ribbed collar off then measured the front against my favorite shirt (not the back, you don't want to cut both). I folded the men's shirt front over so that the sides were touching each other and then I cut some of the neck away.

Now comes the re-assembly. Turn the shirt wrong-side out and pin down the sides. I didn't leave much seam allowance then I sewed them both down and did a zig-zag stitch along the edges (although, if you have a serger, you can do that).

Once the two sides are zipped up, I tried the shirt on. I wanted to see where the bottom was hitting me and how much I had to take it in. So, I did a zigzag stitch along the edge of the bottom to secure it then I pinned the fabric down with about 1 cm seam allowance and sewed it down.

Now we arrive at the neck. I took the bottom of the shirt that I had cut off and I trimmed the sewn edge of the former shirt so that I had a long, straight strip of fabric about 2 cm wide. I pinned this long edge to the neck of my shirt in tucks to create a ruffled edge like so:

I had just enough fabric to pin it in tucks all around the neck like so:

Then, I sewed the strip to the shirt with a straight stitch on the sewing machine, going in the direction of the tucks (not against it). Here it is sewn down:

Almost done. Time to sew the sleeves to the armholes. I didn't modify these at all because I wanted to create gathered sleeves and I would need the extra fabric.

So, for the armholes, turn the shirt and sleeves inside out. On the armhole, match the inside seam of the shirt up to the seam of the arm. Star pinning the sleeve to the shirt for about 4-5 pins up on both sides, trying to be even. Then, I started doing evenly spaced tucks on every pin, with more at the shoulder seam, on both sides until I reached the top.

I sewed the sleeve to the shirt, backstitching on the armhole for a strong seam, then did the zigzag stitch on the raw edge. I did this with the second sleeve and voila!

Frilly, girly t-shirt is complete.

Estimated time for this project: 1 hour, 45 minutes. This was mostly in the pinning of the neck and the sleeves. Everything else was a breeze.

Notes:

• I actually took in the shoulders a little too much so the next time that I do something like this, I won't cut so much of the shoulders away.
• A serger would be a huge help on this. 
• It is a good idea to wash your shirt before remodelling it, that way it doesn't shrink. 
• Look at how your favorite shirt fits you before using it as a model in this project. It it pulls at the belly (like mine does) then cut a little more room on this one. 

Ideas:

• Leave the shirt sleeveless, if you'd like. You can leave extra fabric on the armholes, pin it down and sew it for a cleaner edge.
• You can leave the shirt longer for a tunic-length but then you won't have any extra fabric to make a ruffly neck. 
• Try making this shirt with serged or zigzagged edges to create frilly edges. I found this out when making my wristlets.
• Try using contrasting thread, especially if it will be seen in the above suggestion.
• I was going to take some of the leftover fabric from the sides and make a rosette (or two, or three) and then sew it onto the shirt. Great idea! Still thinking about it...

Related posts:

• What can you do with a T-shirt?
• How to make a fooler top
• What you can do with secondhand clothing
• 
  

Wristlets made from sweater sleeves

After updating my sweater, I had some leftover sleeves, a sewing machine and itchy fingers. I began to wonder what to do with these sleeves as I didn't want to throw them out. Then I remembered how my arms get cold in the winter whenever I wear short sleeves and I got a brainwave - wristlets. I saw a pattern on ravelry for wristlets that I wanted to knit but this was a great idea of how to reuse fabric.

For those of you who don't know, wristlets are like arm warmers but only go from the wrist to the elbow.

For this project, you will need matching thread, a dressmaker's pen, a sewing machine and pins.

I started with these sleeves, which were actually too big:

So, I pulled at the fabric to see what would be a better fit and marked it with a dressmaker's pen. In this case, it was about an inch too big at the seam. So, I followed the line of the sweater and cut off the excess for both sleeves.

On the wrong side (in this case, the side without cables), I pinned the cut seam of the wristlets with minimal seam allowance. I sewed the seam down with a zigzag stitch. I did the same for the second sleeve.

The last part is easy. I took each cut edge and did a zigzag stitch all the way around. This resulted in these frilly wristlets:

And these look VERY cool under my jacket:

Estimated time for this project: 20-30 minutes. I seriously zipped these up in no time.

Notes:

• I didn't originally intend for these to be frilly but that was a result of the zigzag stitch on the knit fabric. But, I guess we all learn things like this as we go along.

Restyling a baggy sweater

I have a knit sweater that looks completely awful on me because it bags out on the sides and in the back. I also wanted to make it a short-sleeve sweater. For this project, you will need a sewing machine, pins, scissors, matching thread, a seam ripper and a dressmaker's pen.

First, I'll deal with the baggy sweater.

I tried the sweater on and pulled at the sides to see how much I needed to take in on either side. I want for it to be even so I took one inch on both sides and marked it with a dressmaker's pen. I took the sweater off, turned it inside out and started to pin where I had marked. This is pinning on the inside and I followed the natural lines of the cables on the sweater to keep it even. I pinned from the bottom all the way to the end of the sleeve.

Then, simply, I sewed on the line of the sweater to take it in with matching thread, backstitching where I started and ended, and also on the armpit. I did the same to the other side, taking it in the same amount then sewing down.

I tried the sweater on again and the sweater definitely fit better but it seemed to pucker at the back. So, I looked at the back and where I could take it in. I turned the sweater inside out again and looked at the back. I followed the lines of the back of the sweater and took in two further tucks, both evenly spaced from the sides.

I pinned the tucks like so and then sewed each of them down.

Next, i looked at the sleeves. I wanted to make this a short-sleeve sweater so when I tried the sweater on, I marked where the sweater hit my elbow and marked it with a dressmaker's pen.

I folded the sweater at the chest so that I had the two sleeves facing me. I made sure that the shoulder seams lined up properly then I cut the sleeves evenly where I had marked.

I then did a zigzag stitch around the cut edges of each sleeve to keep it from unravelling (this made the edge rather frilly but no one would see it):

I then pinned the sleeve under about 1 cm and pinned it into place. I sewed it down, again with the zigzag stitch.

I did the same to the second sleeve as well.

This is the end result!

And it fits so much better now!

Estimated time for this project: about 40 minutes. This was mostly in the measurements and the pinning.

Notes:

• I originally cut the cuffs off and I wanted to sew them back onto the cut part of the sleeves but when I pinned the two together, I had a lot of extra fabric. I am actually thinking of doing gathers or tucks and retrying it. 
• I didn't take in the cuff on the bottom of the sweater, that already fit perfectly. So, I gradually let the sides out.

Frogged - Unravelling a sweater

Well, I had grand plans of unravelling this sweater because it drives me nuts:

I followed the instructions in the link that I provided in my previous blog post. As soon as i started to take the pieces apart, I found that the yarn was super SUPER splitty and it ended at the seams. This means that it was cut to make this sweater so unravelling it would be useless. Each row was one line of yarn instead of it being one continuous ball of yarn. So I frogged (gave up and tossed) the project. Now I have to think of something to do with the sweater as one side is unravelled. I think it's time to make some teal cushions because I can't bear to throw this sweater out.

Capris out of old dress pants

So, I went into this summer with no shorts but I had at least seven pairs of pants that I had gotten at clearance price.

So, I decided to take four of those pairs and make capris out of them. It's extraordinarily simple to do!

For this project, you will need a pair of good scissors, matching thread, a sewing machine, pins and a seam ripper (recommended). For measurements, I used a pair of capris that I had bought before instead of a measuring tape. If you do not have a pair then you will need a measuring tape.

To start off, I folded the old pants over and smoothed them out so that all edges were touching.

I did the same with the pair of capris. Then, I laid the capris over a pair of pants. I made sure that everything was smoothed out (I didn't want any uneven edges as I was cutting both pant legs at the same time). I cut the pants one inch below the finished edge of the capris for seam allowance.

Last, the only thing left to do is sew. I did a double seam (folded under twice) to avoid serging as I don't have a serger. I pinned the leg seam into place and made sure that it was straight. I sewed the seam down on the sewing machine then cut off any loose threads. Done!

Estimated time for this project: about 7 minutes to measure and cut two pairs of pants and about 7 more minutes to pin and sew up the legs (14 min).

Notes:

• I didn't iron anything but it definitely helps to press the seam before sewing for a nice, clean line.
• I am pretty sure that my sewing machine has an invisible stitch function but I haven't found it yet so the seams are noticeable -- at least to me. No one else noticed that I had sewn these up myself and they thought that I had bought them. I guess it's all a matter of perspective.
• If you do not have a pair of capris to use as a baseline measurement, try the pants on before cutting and mark where you want for them to fit you after they are sewn with a dressmakers pencil. Or, if you have a willing helper, get them to take the measuring tape. Hold it at your waistline and get them to measure down to your desired length (probably between 19 and 22 inches). Mark with a dressmaker's pencil on both legs then move on with the cutting. 

Ideas:

• You can make these shorter or longer depending on your taste. 
• I made a lunch bag out of the leftover leg fabric. I will be posting that one shortly too.
• Leftover leg fabric could also be used to make a purse, a pillow cover, pencil cases, a laptop sleeve, etc. It all depends on how much leftover fabric you have. It could also be used to make a skirt for a little girl.

Introduction

After many years of avoiding blogging, I finally caved in and created one.

So here you will find the musings of a busy mind. I plan on sharing all of my projects with you with instructions on how to make them. I love to make things and I'm always looking for new ideas. I am interested in upcycling and restyling clothes, knitting, scrapbooking, and cross stitching. I am also very interested in becoming more green and I am looking for ways to use less water, to recycle, to compost, etc.

So, prepare for a Canadian point of view!