The Applique Tank-Top

 Hello Readers. I made a shirt around this applique piece I found at a thrift store. It was super simple and I didn't use a pattern. I made it up as I went along. That is how I do most things and this time, it turned out great. 

Before and after. 

I like to go thrifting and one day I found some pretty pieces of needle point. Someone with an old fashioned name (Eunice, Evelyn...) spent a lot of time on this piece and the one peeking out from under it. These were really beautiful, complicated works of art. And they were being sold for 33 cents each????? (The disrespect!) There was no way I was leaving these behind. I didn't know I was going to make a shirt when I bought them but I took them home. 

 

I thought this orange fabric really highlighted the orange flowers and the blue stitches around the edges told me what color thread to use to sew around the outside of the piece when I sewed it to the shirt fabric. 

  

I made a wide rectangle, almost twice my size when I measured around my body. (It does not need to be exact. But I wanted it to be roomy and comfortable. I was basically making a tube with straps. I sewed the needle point piece in the center of the rectangle. That would be the front of my shirt. 

 

I made 2 straps for the shoulders. I didn't have a ton of fabric so that is why this shirt was a tank-top. 

 

I turned the edges under and sewed them down and then I added elastic to the inside of the shirt around the waist. That would give the shirt shape and make it fit well. 

 

I added elastic to the top edge as well and then attached the straps. 

 

I loved the blue stitching I did around the piece to attach it to the shirt. It's a great summer top. Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Making Work-out Tanks

 Hello Readers. It is honestly cold and rainy today but I know summer is coming. Its going to be hot and i am going to want to go sleeveless. I decided to take these 2 men's t-shirts and make 2 tanks.

Before and after.

I had a big t-shirt.

Actually, I had 2 of them.

I am using the Luna pattern from Helen's Closet Patterns. (Not an ad.) It is free to download. I love free! It is a loose tank top. Perfect for summer work outs. Or moderate walks. Or watching TV. Whatever you are in to.

I cut out my fabric pieces. I am going to make 2 of these tanks. The men's shirts I had are a perfect material.

 I needed to put them together.

I used my serger to connect the shoulders and the sides of the shirts. 

I liked how that stitching looked so I used the serger on all the edges. I liked the visible stitching.

These light flowy tank tops will be great in the heat of summer. Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself.

***Year End Update- I haven't worked out in a while but it isn't because of these shirts. The shirts were great.

Linen Luna Tank

 Hello Readers. It is hot, hot, hot! Maybe because it's summer... Maybe because the world is on fire... At this point I'm not really sure. One thing I do know is that when it's hot, I need iced tea and clothes that breathe. Like a linen tank top.

 

 Before and after.

 

 I have been in loving linen lately because its so nice in the heat. I went searching in my sewing stash for some linen pieces that I could make into a summer tank top. I washed the linen pieces that I had before sewing in case they shrank. The linen I have is from my mother-in-law so it was probably designed to be used in home decor. I was hoping this linen wouldn't be too thick or heavy to be the summer shirt I was wanting. But let's try and see if it works. (My life philosophy!)

 I wanted to make the Luna tank from Helen's Closet Patterns. You can get it free from the website. (Thanks Helen!) This is a super great project for beginners. And check out that size range!! 0-34!!! That is amazing!

I printed my pattern pieces on my home printer and put the paper pieces together. I set the paper piece on the fold of my fabric.

 

I had to move my pieces around to get a front and back from my small piece of fabric but usually you would just fold your fabric in half, put your paper pattern on the fold and cut your fabric pieces out.

Linen frays very easily and quickly. I decided to use my serger on all the edges right away so they wouldn't fray during the sewing process.

My light gray serger thread matched the fabric really well. 

The linen had a nice drape to it. It is a heavier weight linen but I liked it as a shirt. I liked it so much I left the serged edges just like this. I didn't sew in the neck band or arm bands like the pattern directed. (I have trouble following directions.) The edges looked good to me and because they were only one layer of fabric. It keeps the from getting bulky which would make the hemline get thicker and stiffer. It would lose its light flowy quality. 

 

Video summary.

This tank top turned out great. I liked it made of linen and it will be so nice in the heat of summer. Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself.

*Year End Note From Chickie- This is a great piece. I love the linen and I added a cardigan to wear it into fall.

Scarf & Tank

 Hello Readers. I hope you are enjoying the animal prints this month. I am liking them more than I thought I would. I liked this lightweight giraffe scarf but wanted to incorporate it into a piece of clothing.

  Before and after.

What could I do with this long narrow giraffe scarf? And a tight white tank top? And a frumpy white denim skirt? 

I cut the tank top open on the sides. I was going to use the scarf to make this tank bigger so I needed to open it up. 

I cut the scarf in half so I had 2 equal pieces to put into the sides of the tank. 

I pinned the whole shirt-scarf combo together and it looked like this. I used my sewing machine to stitch it all together. 

 

After sewing it all together it looked like this. It was unusual but I liked it a lot. It seemed very dramatic.

This white denim skirt was just too long and too boring. I cut the hem off the skirt. Then I started cutting fringe. I wasn't sure how long to make the fringe. I started with 1 1/2 inch cuts but that wasn't enough. I cut them longer after trying it on. 

I loved the fringe at about 3-4 inches long. The shorter skirt looked better and the fringe was so fun. I didn't cut them exactly I just started snipping away. I liked these 2 pieces together. But where are the long scarf bits on the side?

I thought it would be fun to tie them in the back. What do you think? Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself. 

*Year End Note From Chickie- This shirt was fun but I didn't wear it as much as I thought I would. I am not sure why. It is put away for next summer.

A Little Green

 Hello Readers. Today is St. Patrick's Day. I hope your day is full of luck and fun. I wanted to wear green today. I am Irish so I always get into St Patrick's Day.

This dress had some king of flap on the front. What was this flap about? It was not a wrap dress. What was happening here? Why? It was really weird. I didn't think it was very flattering. 

 I decided to start cutting. I cut and cut until the flap was removed. It was a full flap-ectomy. I cut the flap off as close to the seam as I could. It won't fray and you won't be able to see that I cut the flap off.

It was a better dress but it was still a clingy across the bum. I decided to make the dress into a shirt. That involved more cutting. There was a seam at the waist so I used that to decide where to make the hem of my new shirt.

Now I had a sleeveless shirt to wear for St. Patrick's Day and also any other day of the year. Check out that visible gold zipper in the back. That is my favorite part.

This green tank is a great layering piece. 

 I am wishing you the luck of the Irish and every good thing today and always. I saw this card and it caught my eye because my grandfather used to say it and this was the toast at my wedding. 

 

Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself. See you soon.

***Chickie's Year End Review-I love green and I really liked that zipper down the back of the shirt. It is great under things in cold weather too.

More Blue Overload

 Hello Readers. You might remember this snazzy blue blazer from last week. I loved the blazer but not the blue under-layer that was sewn into it. 

 

I took it out to make the blazer more versatile. I wanted to wear it with other shirts.

When I removed the under-layer I was impressed with the construction. I didn't want to throw it away. I try to save and use all my sewing left-overs. What could I make from half of a tank top?

 Well, I could try to make an entire tank top! I had a blue tank that I liked to wear under other shirts but I got something on the front of it and I could not get the stain out. I cut the cotton tank in half and used the back of it to go with this velvet front.

I could put them together and then I would have a stretchy blue tank top. It would be a really fun layering piece. The velvet/velour was such a pretty color.

These two parts made a complete tank top pretty easily. The stretch in the fabric made this tank really comfortable to wear. I am thinking about the next refashion.

Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself. 

***Chickie's Year End Review-This tank is handy and I love the color. Win-win!