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Knit Wit

Fri, 31 Aug 2007 13:51:13 EDT

The summer is almost over, and you know what that means … Labor Day! Bikinis, barbecues and hot, hot babes; we can’t get enough. Fore go that boring, old bathing suit for a look that is as unique as you. Crocheted clothes are oh-so-chic right now, so why not turn up the summer heat with a knitted bikini.

These trendy suits might not stand up to the wild waves, but if you play your cards right, hopefully you’ll be enjoying another wild activity over this long weekend … wink, wink.

Planning on diving for balls? Mind out of the gutter … we're talking volleyballs here. This peach-colored Sporty Crochet Tankini ($59) from My Bikini Brazil gives you the support you need in all the right places. The halter adds extra support while the circular cutout creates a sultry style. Need a little extra help in the sex-kitten department? Ujena's red and tan Jamaican Crochet bikini ($84.50) with adjustable sliding triangles will make you look drop-dead gorgeous. Or, if you're looking for a little extra star appeal, check out Super Star’s Crochet Bikini ($85). This adorable summer white suit combs is available in 10 different border colors.

Want to learn how to make your own? Check out Knitting 321 for a free crochet bikini pattern and how-to guide. Get crackin', Labor Day is almost here!

-Images courtesy of Brazilian-Bikinis.org

The Good German

Thu, 30 Aug 2007 10:33:42 EDT

We always knew those Germans were a creative bunch. I ask; who else could come up with blood sausage and 27-letter words. But fashionable? We thought German style peaked with Birkenstocks and the military look … until now. Ach Ach Liebling ("oh, oh darling" auf Deutsch) is a San Fran-based jewelry company run by a "single wayward lass" — as she refers to herself — named Joanna. Similar to those stoic Germans, Joanna is never one to follow trends and is often inspired by books, nature, old movies and antique illustrations and postcards.

Bypassing the norm and pushing the envelope, Joanna follows one simple philosophy when designing jewelry: "Make it special." And does she ever! With everything from earrings and necklaces to bracelets and clips, Ach Ach Liebling is sure to have a piece (or three or four) you'll fall in love with. Here are the ones we're lusting after:

Morbid or realistic … you decide. This So Lonsome I Could Die ($40) double-strand chain features an antique postcard pendant with the words "I am so lonesome" while the pistol charm seals the deal.

Forget those silly Ten Commandments and indulge in a little desire with this Covet ($36) necklace. A sultry old-time postcard charm is accented with a copper pendant inscribed with the Ninth Commandment … you know the one.

Whether you want a posh pirate look or a sexy sailor one, this Ship At Sea ($66) printed on an ivory Scrim tile adorned with a sterling silver anchor, is the perfect accessory.

-Images courtesy of Ach Ach Leibling

Fresh Paint

Wed, 29 Aug 2007 09:27:28 EDT

If the last time you tried a DIY project, you ended up with a shirt similar to the one Denise made Theo (come on, "The Cosby Show!"), it might be time to step back and start with a smaller task. Urban Outfitters has the perfect starter project to get the — um, creative(?) juices flowing. Don't worry, the only things you'll need is an article of clothing, paint, stencil and the artistic ability of a third-grader. These templates from Stencil1 are reusable and made from heavy-duty vinyl. At $10 a pop, you can choose from a deer, sparrow or a chimp, but really, we know you want all three.

We recommend starting off with an old T-shirt, then graduating on to more unique items like a sparrow on the bottom of a romantic slip dress or a deer on a funky plaid clutch. Don't be afraid to play around with different fabrics, patterns, cropping and layering as you get the hang of it — perhaps a chimparrow; yes that's half sparrow, half chimp. Plus, these one-of-a-kind creations make the perfect (and cheap) presents.

Don't worry, we won't tell anyone about the cheap part. But don't stop there, you can stencil anything from your wall to your toaster to your passed out best friend — just make sure you get rid of the evidence.

Images courtesy of Urban Outfitters

Bird on a Wire

Tue, 28 Aug 2007 08:54:09 EDT

OK, you've had a fear of flying creatures ever since you watched Hitchcock's "The Birds" … and there was that one time you swear your grandma's parrot whispered murder every time you walked into the room. Well, we think it's time you faced your fears and that fine, feathered foe for a little positive association. Bird, Brooklyn's chicest boutique has spread its wings and gone national with its first online site. With everything from shoes to apparel to accessories, Bird has the hottest up-and-coming designers from New York, Los Angeles, Paris, London, Japan and Scandinavia. Although the prices can be a tad on the high side, you can trust that any piece is an investment sure to be around for years. Check out some of our faves:

Bing Bang Pendulum Earrings ($79) Hand-hewn copper earrings in the shape of Ginkgo leaves are the perfect trendy yet elegant accessory.

3.1 Phillip Lim Silk Cocoon Dress with Rosette ($609) This light grey cocoon-shaped dress will soon become your favorite go-to dress. With a bubble hem, rosette accent in the back, and draping panels, you'll be the cutest belle of the ball.

Tashkent Flo Raffia Flat ($149) Classic chic takes a walk on the wild side with these squared-toed, scrunched heel flats with a woven raffia texture. Insider tip: A little birdie told us owner Jennifer Mankins has plans to launch her own line of organic, locally grown knitwear called Bird Green. Look for it this fall.

Message on a T-Shirt

Wed, 22 Aug 2007 11:48:24 EDT

Message Tees are an American classic. A few years back, the message T-shirt suddenly popped up again. First gaining popularity in the 1970s, message T-shirts had a definite “rebirth” a few years back.

The I Heart New York T-shirt has become a truly recognizable symbol. In fact, it is so well known that it has inspired more than its fair share of knock-offs and copycats. Message T-shirts, like the I Heart New York T-shirt, are a great way to enhance your look. They are also very versatile and can be bought or made.

To buy message T-shirts I usually turn to Web sites that specialize in funny sayings, but there are also Web sites that allow you to personalize your message. The great thing about message T-shirts is that they express you.

When I want to make message T-shirts I usually go to the local craft store and pick up a T-shirt and iron on letters. All you need to complete a T-shirt using this method is a hot iron. Just place the letters where you want and run the iron over them. Voila! Some other options for decorating your T-shirt include fabric glue, patches, buttons sequins, stamps, paint and sponges.

Image courtesy of The Generator Blog

From the Depths

Mon, 20 Aug 2007 16:16:59 EDT

Nessi lives! Or at least she does on this T-shirt from Heavy Tees titled "From the Depths."

It features a 3-D print everyone's favorite Loch Ness Monster. And it even includes 3-D glasses.

Available now for $28 from Heavy Tees.

From the Depths T-Shirt [Uncrate]

From Flip-Flops to Fendi

Mon, 20 Aug 2007 15:03:41 EDT

To some, comfort equals fashion, but to others, fashion is a $100 cotton T-shirt to be worn once. Most of us fall somewhere in the middle. I have often wondered where one’s fashion sense comes from. Why are some of us drawn to earth tones and others to neons? Do the fashion gods smile upon us when we’re in the womb or are our tacky parents to blame?

No one can say for sure, but fashion is a part of all our lives. We all wear clothes or have worn clothes (I’m pretty sure that even most nudists have worn clothes at some point). I think fashion is a great way to express who you are. Finding bargains and putting together an outfit everyone loves feels great (who doesn’t like compliments?)

Your clothes are one of the first things people notice, so wear clothes that reflect you. I support creativity in one’s wardrobe (mom jeans excluded). Fashion should be fun! The most important (and cliché) thing to remember is to wear your clothes, don’t let them wear you!

Thread Heads Map!

Sat, 18 Aug 2007 11:11:31 EDT

Well, thanks to Crazydiaz on the forums, we now have a dedicated map to see where our fellow thread-heads are residing! Come on folks, and put yourselves on the map and find out which fellow thread-head lives near you! All alone? Time to spread the love, share the show, and the DIY or Die spirit!

Tunng -- It's because … we've got hair

Fri, 17 Aug 2007 17:18:16 EDT

here's the full music video of the Tunng's "It's Because … We've Got Hair"

Directed by James Bates
http://www.jamesbates.com
http://www.myspace.com/setabsemaj
Music by Tunng
http://www.tunng.co.uk
Made with love, magic and woodland secrets
www.atomweb.net
www.myspace.com/thisistunng
www.thisistunng.co.uk
www.fulltimehobby.co.uk
www.myspace.com/setabsemaj

Shrink Plastic Tips from Meander

Fri, 17 Aug 2007 14:40:45 EDT

We featured Meander's Shrink Plastic Necklace in this week's episode … here are some tips she posted on the forum for making them. I'm so in love with this project. I remember making shrink-plastic carebears when i was a kid. xoxox c

Hey, ya'll! n … n The tutorial request for my plastic necklace ( http://forum.threadbanger.com/showthread.php?t=691 ) is kind of hard to do, because there isn't much involved, just your own interpretation! But in case you're not familiar with shrink plastic (Or Shrinky Dinks brand) I'll list some tips, instead!

You can find shrink plastic in the children's section of an arts-and-crafts store such as Joann Fabrics or Michaels or online at:
http://www.goestores.com/catalog.asp...s&DeptID=34365

To start out, you'll likely want to get "Ruff 'n' Ready" because you have to have a roughed-up side to color on, and it beats having to sand plastic by yourself. There are also colors like white and black, as well as plastic you can run through the printer, if drawing is not your best skill -- but remember all that stuff about copyrights, when printing images …

INSTRUCTIONS/TIPS::
To color::
*Hand draw your design on plain paper, or get the picture you'll be tracing, and put that under your plastic. Follow the lines -- it'll help avoid mistakes. And remember that this thing starts out BIG and gets small, so draw much larger than you want the item to be.

(View my sketching! D: Anyway, you can see how large he was when he was first colored and what he shrunk into. So keep this in mind! n.n)

*Feel free to put in a lot of detail. The amazing thing about this is that even on pieces I've made that end up even a half inch or smaller, you can still see every little line you draw- unless you're not wearing glasses and happen to need them. Then you're screwed. : ) You can do intricate work and have it stay in the final form. (This also means its prone to show tiny mistakes though, so trace and color carefully.)

*You can use a sharpie to make seriously black outlines- you can also use markers on shrink plastic BUT- if you try to put embossing powder on after, it WILL smear and ruin your piece. My poor Onigiri Man was SO adorable... and now his rice is forever ruined with grey smudging! Don't let this happen to you! If you use a marker, you can't use embossing powder for glazing.

(R.I.P., dirty grey corners of this lil' guy who will never again see the light of day... *Tosses back into the box*)

*It may suck to hear, but the better your colored pencil, the richer the finished colors you'll get. That means if you use Crayola, you'll have decent, enjoyable results- if you cut off your left arm and sell it on the black market for enough $$ to buy Prismacolor pencils, you'll have a great results. ...But the point is, you can still get good things with normal coloring instruments, so don't think you shouldn't try if all you have is the old shoe box of stuff from your kindergarten years, but if you have the option, Prismacolors run 15$-100$+ a box, depending on the number of shades you get.

*Regardless of your colored pencil, be sure to fill in the image with multiple strokes and maybe swirling motions to work in a lot of color.

To cut::
*After coloring, whenever possible, cut as close to your lines as possible. The more detail you put into cutting out each area of your plastic, the more professional your piece will look. Leaving in a lot of blank plastic or making really jagged cuts is a bummer. ;...;

*When cutting, don't snip your scissors all the way shut. When the tips come together, it will crack a line horizontal to what you're cutting in the plastic, and you may just accidentally snap off part of your work.

*If you have access to a dremel tool, use that after you bake to get the stuff that you feel might be too tiny to snip manually. You can use it to drill a hole for attaching to things as well, either before or after you bake. If you don't have one, just cut as carefully as you can with scissors (or maybe an exacto knife... caaaarefully) and use a hole punch to make the hole. It will get much smaller, no worries.

To bake::
*Put your plastic guy or whatnot on a piece of paper or paper sack on a tin or cookie sheet. The instructions say to bake at 325 degrees F.- but bollocks to that! I've found that the plastic shrinks very slowly at that heat and then is prone to being bubbled oddly (such as a completely round piece just turning into a bowl) so I bake them at 400 for less time, but this is your judgement call and obviously you should practice safety at all times.

*If you do get a piece that hasn't shrunk flat, the plastic tends to curl upward, so flip your plastic over and put it back in to reheat. It should try to flatten and curl up to the sky again, so be sure to grab it out JUST as it's getting flat, or you might have to deal with it getting curled upt he wrong way again. You can even do this later, if it's been cold for a while- even days or EVER.

*Don't burn yourself, dumba#%. I've done it, it sucks. D:

To glaze::
*You don't need to glaze, it will be just fine right out of the oven and may work better for your design this way. You can use a spray sealer, like a clear gloss, in the spray paint section of a store, but it won't make it very shiny. It will just protect it -more- even though they tend to hold up very well and don't smear when shrunk.

*To get the super high shine, sprinkle a healthy pile of clear embossing powder onto your item, trying not to pile up too much extra around it. This is basically granules of plastic, which will melt...

(I'm using "Ultra-Thick Clear")

(See how thick it gets? It adds a professional look that you don't get with the spray sealants ...If you haven't guessed, I only have a cam built into the comp, so deal with my head shot. D: )

*I suppose you can use a heat gun or one of those embossing supply things that looks like hairdryer (Don't try a hair dryer! XD not hot enough, and you'll get granules everywhere) but I've never tried it because I don't have one. This is when I put the oven on broil and transfer the tin under the element. Crouch down and watch- you'll see the plastic melt and unfurl. When it's liquified, pull it out. The nature of the powder is that it will crawl over the surface and glaze even the delicate parts amazingly well, but if you don't have enough on, you'll notice a 'bald spot'. Sprinkle on more just in that spot, and re-heat.

*If you've heated it too long, you may heat your plastic again enough to get it to curl. This won't likey happen, but if it DOES, you troubleshoot by just flipping the piece as before and getting it to flatten. Pull it out, flip it embossed side up again and let it cool down. **THIS is when you MUST be ESPECIALLY careful not to burn yourself. I've done this too. Having melted plastic on your fingertips will burn worse than a high heat glue gun** Then you can put it under the broil for a few spare seconds to soothe over any squishing of the embossed layer that happened by putting it that side down before.

*To keep from needing to trim gloss later, when your piece is fresh from the heat, pick up the paper that it's on and carfully curl the paper away from it. Try to get it unstuck as much as possible while it's hot but without touching it. Besides the pain, you'll get finger marks, if you do. Bah! Then give a blow to cool it, and peel it off the paper, fully. n.n Hopefully, if you DO have any glaze that is stuck from your piece and peeled off the paper, you might be able to chip it or possibly nail file it away or trim with a razor blade. Just watch out for sharp edges- likely this shouldn't happen, it's just a troubleshooting tip...

Notes on drilling::
*A dremel tool bit will spin fast enough to re-melt your embossing powder or melt the plastic you're trying to trim. What that means is that as you work, you'll likey get the plastic sliding up the bit and hardening. This won't ruin your bit, but you might want to pause and peel it off here and there.

*Your bit may make your glaze look a bit rough, or if you've drilled a threading hole before glazing, the hole may have closed and when you re-drill it, it will look a little raw edged. Just a few seconds under the broiler to remelt it, but stopping before it fills in the hole again, takes care of that trouble.

======================

You can get a shrink plastic item in only a few minutes by coloring, cutting and baking. Taking the extra steps to cut the detail, glaze, touch up and things like that can take a few minute project and make it an hour or more project but you just might be more pleased with your results from the extra details your effort has bought you. : )

If I've missed anything in my patented LENGTHY description or I didn't make something clear properly, just ask. And post pictures of your stuff here or in the projects section, where I can seeeeee! <3333

missmeander.etsy.com

Hey Granny, Nice Glasses!

Thu, 16 Aug 2007 15:45:25 EDT

I live in Williamsburg -- the hipster center of the universe. The environment is such that one must often give license to the questionable appearances of one's neighbors, chalking it up to a need to distinguish oneself, kids will be kids, etc. Self-expression being what it is, it's hard to reasonably judge anyone for one's appearance due mainly to the fact that you probably look at least somewhat odd to others yourself. OK.

But sometimes a fad erupts and it's hard impossible to let it slide without spittin' some venom. I'm referring to the rofl-trend that is granny glasses. They're everywhere. I can't leave my flat without crashing into someone wearing the damned things, and I cannot with any certainty peg why people are wearing them.

I can say with large degrees of certainty that few, if any, of these people require the bifocal lenses that these frames were constructed to hold. Furthermore, I get the impression that many of the individuals wearing granny glasses don't even need glasses in the first place, it's completely aesthetic. But why? WHY?!

Please, someone explain this one to me. I like American Apparel just as much as the next kid. It makes some great shirts and such, but this is not cool. It's converting our attractive young people into grandparents. Take this poor, young victim pictured here. Her face has been besmirched by those monstrous spectacles, I only hope she was adequately compensated for such violation, because unless you're seven or 70, specs like that have no business on your face.

Question your trendsetters just as you would authority. And more importantly, always question people who want money from you (read: American Apparel), they're in business and have no problem making you look stupid in order to make money.

How To Make Beads from old Plastic Bottles

Wed, 15 Aug 2007 23:21:40 EDT

Forum member Verdilak posted this sweet tut...i cannot wait to try it out. xoxo c

How to make plastic beads from plastic bottles. Instructions/tute in picture form... much better to understand what I mean heh.

Weasley Track Jacket

Tue, 14 Aug 2007 14:47:30 EDT

lovelikenails posted this awesome track jacket she made. i loooove harry potter...xoxox c

ook soooo a good friend of mine has a green track jacket that has "malfoy" on the back. i got real jealous. so, i decided to find a red track jacket of my own (courtesy of forever 21, only $14.98) and i silkscreened/spraypainted my own favorite character's last name from harry potter.

RON WEASLEY.

yeah i know the 9 is kinda crooked. yeah i know the number 9 doesn't make any sense.. its just my favorite number..(i should have made it "7" becuase there are 7 people in the weasley clan... but i decided to count harry and hermione 'cause they crash at their place all the time. soooo yeah).

but i think its pretty badass.

i'm in the process of drawing the gryffindor crest on the front, buuut i got real excited and decided to post before i was FULLY finished... sorry.

ExpertVillage.com: Awesome Sewing Vids!

Fri, 10 Aug 2007 12:20:44 EDT

ladyjanewriter posted this on the forum:

ladyjanewriter

Moderator

Sewing Vids At ExpertVillage.com - Today, 03:10 PM

Cool! I found a link on YouTube for short clips from ExpertVillage.

Turns out they have Sewing how-tos!

http://www.expertvillage.com/search/sewing.htm

Yay!

Ryan's Generation-T projects

Thu, 09 Aug 2007 15:02:30 EDT

Forum member Ryan Moore sent in great pics of all the amazing projects he did out of Megan Nicolay's book Generation-T: 108 Ways to Transform a Tee Shirt.
Thanks Ryan! xoxo c

these are clothing items i made from the book
its so much fun
tell me what you think

this one was the first one i made
its the halter
it ties in the back
and oh yeah these arent mine i make them for my friend victoria
just so you know i dont wear them

this is the POCKET-ROCK-IT skirt
of course it has a pocket
and i dont know what else to say
....................................

I LOVE THIS ONE
its the one in the book
called diamonds in the rough
so much fun

this one is a tube top
i dont know what else to say
except i love the vintage design

KNEE HUGGERS ANYONE??

OSBOURNE family skirt
it laces up the side
i need to put a drawstring in it though

this one is very
80's-aerobic teacher- esque
there are drawstring in the sides
its called
fermez la ruche inthe book

a simple bag
love the PEACE,LOVE, TORNADO

an old plain sweatshirt i sewed a design from a huge shirt onto
i loved the design so much but the shirt was too big

sweatshirt design upclose

this one is a simple messenger bag, shoulder bag, purse i made
i made up the pattern out of my head
i got that fabric at a thrift store for 5 bucks
there was so much fabric there omg
probally 6x12
for 5 bucks come on now

baby shower anyone???
also my first attempt at a tote

harry potter gryffindor scarf anyone???
its made of a red airplane blanket
and a yellow sheep blanket(both from a thrift store )
my friend maren helped me
we made 3

hybrid shirt anyone??
i love this one because i found two shirts with
the same design ( at a thrift store)
in the same size just different colors
so i sewed them together with a zigzag stitch down the middle

hybrid shirt design upclose

thats all for now
ill try to have my friend model them later
we also made the bathing suit
ill put up pics later
and she has a whole bunch at her house
ill try to steal them
im also doing the quilt thats in the book
its amazing
ill put up pics when im finished
does anyone have any ideas of what to do with the rest of the plaid bag fabric i have so many

-RYAN-

First Timer

Tue, 07 Aug 2007 05:08:34 EDT

Just found this awesome Punk Rock Tye Dye job from Lauren who just found Threadbanger. This was her first project. Congrats. ... and here's to many more ! -Rob

Best Forum Pic of the Week

Tue, 31 Jul 2007 21:37:52 EDT

This was posted by Coffee

Great Picture!

P.S. The awesome wrestling mask is one of Coffee's DIY projects

Forum Member Feature: PINOYBLAZE

Mon, 30 Jul 2007 13:13:38 EDT

Hey, what can I say? He rocks! He has posted more than 200 times so far on the forum and has an average of 15.11 posts per day. Thanks for being such an awesome presence ... we really appreciate it!

A little about PINOYBLAZE ... crafty fashionista

Date of Birth: March 15
Biography: I'm Filipino and hail from the Bay Area. DIY is a revolution
Location: The Bay
Interests: Drawing, painting, filmmaking, singing (not professionally of course)
Daily Gig: School and volunteer/outreach work
Favorite Clothing Style: Casual/Urban/Geeky la la everything I currently wear ... O_o

And some of the awesome projects he has posted:

So for a more urban look, I made a hoodie blazer out of an old pajama hoodie; it's cuffs and a blazer I got at the Goodwill. I used to wear both at the same time but could never survive the heat exhaustion it usually inflicted (argh, not breathable), so I decided to put it together. Check it out .

A shot of the hood on.

I cut out the hood, leaving about an inch on the neck line, as well as the sleeves of the hoodie.
Used safety pins to keep the hood on, and also if I ever want to take it off I have that option.

I glued the cuffs on using fabric glue.

Anyway the project was really easy :P Anyone could do it!!! Yay to male-friendly DIY fashion!!! <3

In the spirit of reconstruction and the need to address issues in our communities, my group, Community of Advocate Teens Today, or CATT, did a recycled fashion show a couple of months ago. Everything was either donated or bought as thrift. I was one of the lead designers, taking inspiration from Generation-Tee by Megan Nicolay as well as other sources to make fashion with a message. Here are some of them; tell me what you guys think :P

Above is the whole pack of them :P

Above are four of my models

The infamous garbage bag dress and Rodney King riots top. Says Love sees no color, sold to help rebuild L.A.

Pardon me being lazy n not turning the photo. The common hoodie. This one focuses on male-involvement programs that help lower the youth-pregnancy rate.

P-Flag (Parents/Family of Lesbians and Gays) Lace up, I love the ribbon.

Suicide hotline shirt. Number on the back. Sleeves slit to address mental health and treatment.

The punky stomp out tobacco top with tote. Megan on the left has a top encouraging the voting process.

This is the tote/purse (I seriously don't know what to call it) made from a old shirt of CATT's.

For more pictures go to http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewPicture&friendID=146 968361&albumId=1964957

Flickr Tutorials and Awesome Reconstructions

Sun, 29 Jul 2007 19:22:49 EDT

hey there everyone! hope your weekend is going great. i just got this email and think it is awesome so had to post. enjoy! xoxo c.....

Hi ThreadBangers.

If you´re interested in tips on shortening and fixing your denims, check out my sewing tutorials at Flickr.

Or my stencil tutorial and gallery

Here are also other pictures of clothes customizing that I have done.

Unfortunately I do not have any videos to post, but I thought send these if you can use them (or just the instructions) in any way :)
Keep on spreading the good word of DIY crafting and sustainable style!

Yours, Outi alias OutsaPop

How To Make a Jumper Skirt out of an old TEE

Sun, 29 Jul 2007 01:27:41 EDT

This tutorial was posted by forum member theinnocent9:

Awhile back, I posted the T-shirt remake of a black T-shirt into a jumper skirt on the Threadbanger forum thread Megan Nicolay Generation T projects and on my blog, September Son. Well, after many requests, I finally put up a tutorial on how to make this out of an extra large T-shirt:

**Jumper Skirt Tutorial**

Ingredients:

1 XL (Extra Large) T-shirt

1 pair of scissors

1 sewing machine
or
1 good sewing hand

1 set of straight pins
or
1 set of glass tipped straight pins (recommended)

1 Iron

1 Yard stick, ruler or measuring tape

1 piece of tailor chalk, crayon or water soluble pencil (in a contrasting color)

1 Seam ripper, nail scissors, or cuticle remover
-----------------------------------------------------

Time:

Depending on your experience, this project should take from one to two hours at the most.

-----------------------------------------------------
NOTE!!*** Each step that instructs you to "sew" use a number 2 zig-zag stitch to retain stretch in the T-shirt. ***
------
Okay lay out your shirt, we are going to divide the shirt into three pieces: the skirt, the straps and the waistband.

The straps will be the first to be cut.

First, you will need to remove the stitches from the bottom hem of the shirt. Do this by using either your scissors, nail cutter or cuticle remover. (My weapon of choice will be the cuticle remover.)

Once you have removed all the stitches, it will look like this.

Press open the unstitched hem with your iron.

Measure and mark 5" from the bottom of the newly opened hem and measure and mark 14" across.

Cut this rectangle out from both sides of the shirt.

Do not cut the fold.

Fold in half, pin, and cut.

Now fold each piece in half, pin and sew raw edges together.

When finished cut off the excess.

With the straps you can do one of three things:
1 You can leave them as they are and not turn them inside out.
2 Press the straps with the hem in the middle
3 Turn the straps inside-out and press seam on one side.

If you decide to turn the straps inside-out:
Attach a safety pin to one end of the straps.
Guide the safety pin inside of the strap as if it were a casing for elastic.
Keep guiding it through until the entire strap has the seam on the inside.

Pin down with glass tipped pins and press flat with iron (starch is recommended) with seam on one side.

Right now your shirt bottom should look something like this:

Next is the waistband.

You cut two separate parts from the shirt, one from the bottom of the shirt, another from the top of the shirt.

First measure and mark a 5"x10" (the 10" should be what is left of the bottom).

Cut that square off, do not cut the fold.

After the cut you should have a 5"x20" rectangle.

For the skirt measure and mark an 18"x21" rectangle from the new bottom of shirt, cut.

Reverse the rectangle and pin only the sides together.

Sew the pinned sides.

For the waistband, cut off sleeves from the leftover of shirt, open at seam.

Lay your first waistband piece on top, pin and cut around.

*Each person's size is different so "pinch and pin" sides of waistband to get desired fit, mark and sew.*

Pleat the skirt to the waistband, remember to pin the side seams of the waistband and skirt together first, to get an even match of pleats.

Pin pleats, and sew.

To finish the raw edges, sew a 1/2" hem at both ends (bottom of skirt, and top of waistband)

Attach straps to waistband: about 3" from side seam at the front.

Adjust the strap length to your desired fit, pin straps ends to the back of waist band 3" from side seam, pin.

Sew each strap end at top of waistband seam with a box stitch (a continuous stitch that creates a box with and X on the inside)

Try on, make and size adjustments (since this is made from a T-shirt, there should still be stretch when fitting on the jumper skirt, if not, adjust waistband with an elastic band or a zipper)

Enjoy!

I enjoy mine with a Ninja Turtle shirt!