Upcycled Design Lab Blog

Starting Over - More T-shirt Tales and a Tutorial (Basket Weave Upcycled T)

 

 

So yesterday I accomplished what I was beginning to believe was the impossible!!! 

 

Drum-roll please.....

 

 

I finally finished another t-shirt project!!

 

 

Amazining??

 

 

I know. 

 

 

Thank you.  Thank you.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Can you here the music?  Do you see the confetti?  How about the balloons?  Me gushing in the spotlight as I bask in the glory of my monumental achievement? 

 

 

No? 

 

 

Ok I guess that part is just in my head.  It is pretty crazy up in here.  :-)

 

 

Anyway I actually used one whole t-shirt and a good portion of another tee-shirt.  It is perhaps the biggest dent I have made in my 20 t-shirts project in a good long while.   And so if I want to throw a little imaginary awards ceremony in my head, well, you will just have to bear with me.

 

 

 

As you may already know I was feeling quite discouraged a few days ago as all of my current work in progress was at the I don't know What The Fork to do with it stage .

 

 

Remember this?

 

 

 

 

OK so it actually looked like this.  (But trust me it looked better on the fish.)

 

 

 

 

Well I am happy to report that as with most things persistence does pay off and surprisingly no gin and tonics were even required.

 

 

I am learning to be more tuned in to the lessons that can be learned in even the smallest experience in our lives.  And the lesson from the puffer fish ruffle T-shirt is about Starting Over.  I don't know what the general opinion is of the phrase "starting over" but for me it conjures up some negative feelings.  New Beginnings or Fresh Start are the more positive siblings of Starting Over but all of them still imply that something has been torn down, finished or done away with. 

 

But it is important to be able to let go of things. 

 

Isn't it? 

 

We hold on to so many things that hold us back in life.  Physical things that clutter our lives and no longer serve a purpose.  Beliefs about who we are that limit who we can become.  Maybe we even hold onto hurt feeling and anger that certainly don't help us have a happier trip through this life.  And so it is important for us to recognize those times when letting go and starting over are appropriate.

 

 

I should mention that I don't mean to imply that starting over is ever easy as it was difficult for me to face "starting over" on something as trivial as a craft project. 

 

But of course the lesson is, that in the end, I was glad that I did.

 

 

 

 

 

Basket Weave Upcycled T-Shirt Tutorial

 

 

Step 1 - Let go and just go ahead and undo all the hard work you put into the project.  (A little wining and complaining is acceptable at this stage)  Or if you are smarter, luckier or just starting skip this step and go right to step 2.

 

 

 

 

 

Step 2 - Start with a basic T-shirt that fits the way you want it too.  I trimmed the Collar off of my t-shirt to give the neckline a little more of a scoop.

 

 

 

 

Step 3 - Use a disappearing fabric marker to mark the center of the t-shirt.

 

 

 

 

Step 4 - Use light weight fusible interfacing folded in half to design your front panel shape.  Also mark the center of this piece.

 

 

 

 

Step 5 - Cut out and lay on top of shirt matching center front lines.  If you are covering an existing design make sure the interfacing piece covers everything you want covered and the shape is the way you want it.

 

 

 

 

Step 6 - Starting at the center line of the interfacing piece mark a line 1/2" to the right and left of the center line then continue marking 1" lines vertically and horizontally to make a 1" grid over the entire shape.

 

 

 

 

Note:  A clear grid ruler like this one is great for drawing parallel lines.

 

 

Step 7 - Use another t-shirt to cut several 1" strips.  Start in the center of the panel with the fusible side up.  Lay out the strips in a weave pattern matching the grid lines.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tip:  I recommend laying out the weave on an ironing surface as you don't want to move the piece around until you have secured the design to the interfacing.

 

 

 

 

Step 8 - Once the interfacing is completely covered carefully press the design to the interfacing following the pressing instructions for the interfacing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Step 9 - Trim the excess t-shirt strips along the edge of the interfacing and pin down any loose edges.

 

 

 

 

 Step 10 - Matching center lines pin the panel to the t-shirt.

 

 

 

Step 11 - Measure neckline and cut a strip the that length plus 1/2" to 3/4" longer.  Iron the piece in half horizontally and pin to the neckline. 

 

 

 

 

Step 12 - Hand baste everything in place and then machine sew around all the edges.

 

 

 

 

 

That's it for now.

 

 

 

 

Go find something to start over, let go of, or begin again!! 

 

 

Sorry that was just for me.  :-) 

 

 

Or you too.  If you want to play along.

 

 

 

The T-shirt Saga Continues

 

So, I have been gearing back up for my T-shirt project and I thought I was on a roll. 

 

 

Of course I started a new project because that is what I do when I  lose inspiration on current projects.  This usually happens about half to three quarters of the way through the project.  I call this the adolescent stage.  It's the fight between what mommy (me) intended for her little children (projects) to grow up and be and what they actually are turning out to be given their sometimes quite limited gene pool of resources and a little bit of will-full disobedience. 

 

 

If they were real children I would no doubt be convicted of some serious neglect at this stage but since they are not, I can send them to bed without their supper and let them out of their rooms when I am good and ready.  What this means in real crafting terms is that I now have 5 projects in process and 2 projects completed and it has only taken me...  Wow!!!  2 and a half months!!!!  

 

 

Arrggghhh!!!!! 

 

 

I guess I don't have the best parenting skills.

 

 

My current miss-behaving teen is this:

 

 

 

 

I was attempting my own version of this.

 

 

 

Isn't it pretty? 

 

You can get the tutorial here.

 

Well I thought that I would make my version with the ruffles longer so they could go into the side seams for a more finished look.  Maybe its just me but I feel a little weird with all that fluff on my chest.  I mean I don't have a double D Pamela Anderson body type but I really don't need any ruffles running right across my chest.  Thank goodness I tried this baby on before actually sewing it all together (it's just basted right now)  I am not sure where to go with this project but the way it is right now makes me look like a great big puffer fish.

 

 

Here's a photo of me in the shirt just in case you don't believe me.

 

 

 

 

 

:-)

 

 

 

Yep.  Mommy dearest feels like locking this little back sasser up in the attic for awhile. 

 

 

 

But as with all my wee little babes I have to remind myself to be the "grownup."  So maybe after a few gin and tonics I will try again to talk to my little rebellious brood.

 

 

:-P