go ahead, try it...

bizarre fortune cookie fortune...
Originally uploaded by cignoh.

tea-dyed tee and another shirt->skirt

this week, i made another shirt->skirt from a button down shirt that i bought at goodwill for $4:

i also took a tee that i had reconstructed recently (the idea was taken from 'tease') and dyed it with tea---it helped to mask some of the stains/dinginess of the old white tee i'd used to make it. i also hadn't been happy with the fit of the shirt before---the empire waist was too low, so i resewed the shoulder and arm line to raise the shirt a little:

wardrobe refashion 06 post

documenting past projects

here are some of my past clothing projects. click on the headings for more examples and on individual images for a little more explanation about each item:

knitting:

sewing:

shirt2skirt

this week, i took an idea from bust magazine (june/july, 2005, pg 21-22) to convert a button down hawaiian shirt into a skirt. i didn't use a hawaiian shirt, but instead, i practiced on another one of my husband's goodwill donations. it was super easy to do! you cut off the sleeves and then cut across the top off of the first button (i cut across the top of the second button because the shirt wasn't wide enough) leaving about half an inch to turn the waist. i didn't have to sew any darts (but you can if you need a better fit) and haven't turned/finished the waistline yet, but i like it and will probably go on and start wearing it... i'll probably make more of them to wear over the summer. i think that shirts that are slightly thicker work better because they are less clingy and drape better.

before: after: wardrobe refashion 06 post

tshirt reconstructions

for my first two projects for wardrobe refashion 06, i converted 2 of my tshirts into button down tees by using 2 of my old tshirts and 2 of my husband's button down shirts that he was planning to get rid of by sewing the placket, buttons, and collar onto the tees. the idea was taken from the book tease: inspired t-shirt transformations by superstars of art, craft, and design, which i highly recommend. i wore the yellow shirt on friday and got a bunch of compliments. my coworker said, i would totally wear that! can you make me one?

other book recommendations:

• 99 ways to cut, sew, trim, and tie your t-shirt into something special: this is such a cute book! the instructions don't go into a lot of detail, but the format is straightforward and simple, and the ideas are fresh and inspiring. each entry contains an illustration of the finished shirt, a description of the look that the tee is going for, an estimated amount of time and difficulty level for each project, and corresponding text and illustrated instructions on how to cut and sew the fronts and backs of each shirt. i made this keyhole top from the book---it was a shirt that fit well, but came from a gym and had logo on the front. i cut out the logo and sewed to the sides of the shirts and made the ties. it is #80 in the book (sarit: for an irresistable look...):
• generation t: 108 ways to transform a t-shirt: i like that this book gives very detailed instructions. it outlines every step carefully, and tells you exactly what you need to make each project, including whether the tee should be fitted or oversized to begin with.

wardrobe refashion 06 post