The Vintage Bicycle T-shirt

Hello Readers. I receive hand-me-downs on occasion and it is always fun to try and make them fit and look like they are my clothes and not someone else's. Let's talk about it.

Before and after.

This shirt was clearly not right. I don't look stylish or even like I know what size I am. But I love this shirt because it had old fashioned bikes on it. 

I have a thing for vintage bicycles. My sister-in-law gave me this one. I ride it with my kids for fun. 

I want this to fit well. I cut some fabric off each side of the shirt. How did I know how much to cut off?

 

I used a shirt that I liked the fit of as a guide for my new side seams.

 

I used matching thread in my serger to make my new side seams. If you don't have a serger, use a zigzag stitch on your sewing machine. 

 

I put the right sides together and lined up the edges. Then I stitched from the sleeve to the hem. 

 

I also Adjusted the size of the jeans at the waist and hip. I wanted the jeans to be loose but also stay up at my waist.

 

Denim is thick and it breaks my needles a lot so I don't use my serger for jeans. I usually try the jeans on inside out and mark where the new seam needs to be. I sew a straight seam and try them on right-side out. If I like the fit, THEN I cut the excess fabric off. If the jeans are too loose, I can sew a new seam to make them smaller. (If it's too tight I can unpick the stitches and try again. If I cut the excess off and it's too tight, I can't fix that.) When I am done sizing and trying them on, I can cut the excess off. Then I head back to the sewing machine and use a zigzag stitch on the edge to keep the seams from fraying inside the jeans. This will make the new seams neater and stronger over time. 

 

Everything fits well. 

 

It was a little too cold and snowy for a bike ride this day. 

 

My daughter said we should go thrifting and we saw this wine sign that was as big as I am. Where would anyone put this? It would take over the whole room. It was huge. Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself.

 

***Year End Update***- This is still a fun shirt. But I do not know where it is...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Making a Simple T-Shirt

 Hello Readers. I have been really trying to use the fabric in my sewing stash. I had a small piece of knit blue floral and decided to make a t-shirt out of it. It was soft and I loved the colors. It would make a great t-shirt. There was not a lot of it though.

My new t-shirt.

 

I had this blue floral in my sewing stash. It was so soft. It would make a great top and it would work with these tan corduroy's from my last post. 

 

I started with this pattern. It is Simplicity 8035. It would make a fitted t-shirt and I did not have enough fabric to make a loose fitting top. So this was my choice.

(If this is the first time you have read my blog, let me just tell you that I am always a bit short on fabric when I try to use a pattern. Then I stress about it and force it to work out. I do this every time.)

 

I squeezed this pattern pieces on the fabric. I made my shirt shorter than the pattern piece so I could use the fabric at the bottom of this picture for the sleeves. 

 

I used a t-shirt I already had as a guide to make these cap sleeves. These sleeves were small enough to fit with the fabric I had. 

 

I had all my pieces and I was ready to sew them all together. 

I used my serger because it is great with knits. 

 

I was happy I made a shirt from this blue floral.
 

I was happy with how this shirt turned out but...

 

It is a bit cold for a t-shirt. I'm going to need a sweater. Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Alter Your T-shirt

 Hello Readers. If there is one thing I love to do, it is cutting up and refashioning clothes. I love to alter my t-shirts because you can do it with no sewing at all. It is quick and easy. They fit better and they feel better when I do a little cutting. It's so easy. You just need a t-shirt and a pair of sharp scissors.

Before and after. 

This is just a basic t-shirt. There is not anything wrong with it but I like to change my t-shirts up a little when I can. It's fun and easy and I always like the results. Let's get started.

I like to remove the neckband. I cut all the way around the neck close to the neckband. This opens up the shirt a little. The neck opening will be a bit larger and feel more comfortable.

I cut off the armbands next. I like to do this because it makes a looser sleeve and gives my arms more room around the bicep. This can make a t-shirt fit more comfortable if the sleeve is a little tight. 

These sleeves fit well but I kept cutting. I cut sleeve again. I cut along the top of the sleeve. I tried to match the location and direction of the shoulder seam. I cut the sleeve only. I did not cut the shoulder seam or armhole seam. Leaving those seams intact will help the shirt keep its shape. 

 

I tied the corners of my new sleeve cut in a little knot. It adds some extra interest to the sleeve and looks a little more feminine. The opening adds a little ventilation too. 

 

I cut the bottom of the shirt next. I wanted to remove the hem of the shirt. I cut all the way around the shirt. This only makes the shirt about 1/2 inch shorter. 

 

I cut a slit in the center of the front of the shirt. It made my slit approximately 5 inches long. My cutting mat has measuring marks on it. You can also use a ruler to get the length of cut you want. That made 2 little corners just like the sleeves.

 

I wanted to tie a knot at the front of the shirt too. It will work well visually with the sleeves. It will also add some shape to the waistline. 

 

Thanks for reading along. I hope you have fun cutting up one of your t-shirts. 

***Year End Update***- I love cutting up my t-shirts. I will never get tired of it.
 

 

 

 

 

 

The Super Easy Tablecloth Dress

 Hello Readers. This is a super easy project for any beginning sewist. You just need a t-shirt and a tablecloth. I found this tablecloth a thrift store but you might have one at home you can use. And I know you must have a t-shirt at home you can grab for this project.

This tablecloth became a fun casual dress. 

I wanted to make my shirt and my tablecloth coordinate well so I matched the color of the t-shirt to one of the colors in the tablecloth.

The shirt fit well, it wasn't too tight or too loose. I cut the shirt in half. I wanted the shirt and skirt to meet under the bust line.

The tablecloth was a rectangular shape. It was bigger than I needed. If I used the whole table cloth it would have been a floor length dress. I cut my table cloth in half horizontally.

I cut the hemmed edge off the short edges of the table cloth. They were thick and would have been bulky in the dress.

I connected the short side of my tablecloth to make a tube. That will be my skirt.

I sewed the skirt to the cut off shirt.

The dress was a little shapeless (A LOT shapeless!) so I added some narrow elastic to the inside of the dress at the waist seam. It really helped the shape. 

I really liked this casual dress and it is perfect for lounging.Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself. 

***Year End Update***- I love this dress. It is the perfect casual dress.

Simplify & Create

 Hello Readers. I love striped shirts. This t-shirt was a hand-me-down and it fit great but that tie in front was throwing me off. It seemed too big when I tied it and too long if I let it hang down. Something didn't seem right. The tie is so big, it really calls attention to my waist/stomach. 

Before and after.

I couldn't tuck this shirt in because of these extra large tie pieces. I like to tuck my shirts in. Sometimes you have to cut things off in sewing.(And in life.) These tie pieces were no good for me.

From the inside the shirt looked like this. There was an opening at the hem where the ties were. I could have just cut the ties off but then this opening would be like a weird window for my belly button. My belly button is not for public viewing. After 3 large babies my belly button has retired and will never be seen again. 

I decided to remove the tie pieces and sew the shirt together. I just wanted a basic t-shirt shape. 

I used my serger to connect the front opening and close it up. 

What about these 2 pieces? They can't go to waste. 

I sewed them together. It is just the right size to wrap around my head.

I had a new headband to go with my new t-shirt! Thanks or reading along now go make something fun for yourself.

***Year End Update***- These classic stripes are going to get worn to threads from me wearing it so much.

Crop a T-Shirt

 Hello Readers. I wanted to pair this sporty t-shirt with this ruffled skirt. I liked the contrast. The skirt was a little dressy and the shirt was more sporty. The shirt was a bit big and long though.

Before and after.

This shirt was a men's M. It wasn't doing much for me. It would be better if it was shorter so the skirt wasn't covered up. I wanted to crop it, that is cut it shorter. I don't mean a 1/2 shirt that showed my stomach and my mom tummy. I just wanted a shorter length shirt. Not all cropped shirts need to be revealing if that's not your style. It's your shirt. You pick the length.

I used a mirror to make sure I was cutting the shirt at the length I wanted. I was wearing the skirt so I could be sure how they would work together.I marked the shirt with chalk so that I could cut it the right length.

I put the shirt on my cutting table and made sure the shirt was spread out and smooth. Any wrinkles would mess up my cut.

I used my rotary cutter but scissors would work fine too. I cut straight across the shirt.

I pulled the newly cut hem to make the edge roll up a little. It looks more finished that way.  You can cut the sleeves shorter if you want and you can cut the neckband off too. It's your shirt, you can decide.

I liked my new sporty shirt. The skirt is so fun and I didn't want it hidden. Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself. 

***Year End Update***- This outfit was fun and casual. I love it.