Holly: January 2011 Archives
We've all got them: tees that don't fit. Whether it's a cute little babydoll you bought hoping to lose enough weight to wear it, a Transformers tee your kid loves but simply can't squeeze into, or the delightful spouse's old college tee that he still treasures but can't get over his head, it's way too easy to accumulate a pile of clothing that's just too small.
Fear not! There's always a way to make it work.
My solution to the too-tight tee: augmenting with side panels! Here's how:
1. Carefully cut the side seam of your tee, from the lower hem right up to the hem of the sleeve. If your shirt has side seams, this is easy peasy. If it doesn't have side seams, lay it flat and mark the sides before cutting.
Fear not! There's always a way to make it work.
My solution to the too-tight tee: augmenting with side panels! Here's how:
1. Carefully cut the side seam of your tee, from the lower hem right up to the hem of the sleeve. If your shirt has side seams, this is easy peasy. If it doesn't have side seams, lay it flat and mark the sides before cutting.
Once both sides are clipped, you should be able to spread the shirt out flat, more or less.
2. Using a fabric with 25% stretch across the grain (or more), cut two strips along the grain long enough to run the distance from the lower hem to the sleeve hem, plus a little extra - 1-2" - for finishing. I usually leave a ridiculous amount of extra length and trim it after I've inserted the strips into the tee.
The width of the strips will vary depending on how much width you wish to add to your garment. For this particular project, my strips were about 2.5" wide.
The width of the strips will vary depending on how much width you wish to add to your garment. For this particular project, my strips were about 2.5" wide.
3. Sew the strips into the side of your tee, leaving enough to hem at each edge.
4. Hem up your strips at the sleeves and lower edge, and ta-daaaaaaaa! Put on your newly renovated shirt!
A few additional thoughts and tips:
- You will likely discover rather quickly that most tee shirts are not blocked to sit perfectly square. There's often a little bit of twist or skew to them. Don't sweat it. Just line things up as squarely as you can, and go for it! The human body isn't square - nobody will notice if your tee-shirt's seam is a little off.
- You have an opportunity to be a designer with this project just like any other. Choose a contrasting color like the sample for a sporty, color-blocked look, or match the color of the tee shirt for an almost invisible expansion.
- Have multiple tees that aren't in the wearing rotation? If one of them has fallen out of favor, you might be able to use pieces of it to rescue another shirt - check and see if it's a potential donor!
- Remember, no matter what anyone says, you can never, EVER have too many tees. Keep and recycle them if you love them!
4. Hem up your strips at the sleeves and lower edge, and ta-daaaaaaaa! Put on your newly renovated shirt!A few additional thoughts and tips:
- You will likely discover rather quickly that most tee shirts are not blocked to sit perfectly square. There's often a little bit of twist or skew to them. Don't sweat it. Just line things up as squarely as you can, and go for it! The human body isn't square - nobody will notice if your tee-shirt's seam is a little off.
- You have an opportunity to be a designer with this project just like any other. Choose a contrasting color like the sample for a sporty, color-blocked look, or match the color of the tee shirt for an almost invisible expansion.
- Have multiple tees that aren't in the wearing rotation? If one of them has fallen out of favor, you might be able to use pieces of it to rescue another shirt - check and see if it's a potential donor!
- Remember, no matter what anyone says, you can never, EVER have too many tees. Keep and recycle them if you love them!
Bags rock. No two ways about it. And who doesn't need more, more MORE?
The Heather Bailey Smart Girl Book Bag has intrigued me for some time, but I never had the magical flash of inspiration to make one... until we got the Tula Pink Parisville collection. I am crazy in love with this gorgeous Marie-Antoinette-inspired cotton print group and had to make things out of it as soon as I saw it. Off to the races! (Well, off to the the sewing room, but you knew what I meant.)
The pattern itself is initially a little underwhelming. It doesn't offer actual patterns for each piece. For elements that are simple rectangles, it gives dimensions and then you get to do your cutting DIY style. Once I realized how much paper this was saving, I was cool with it. I mean, it's not like I can't handle cutting out a rectangle on my own now and again.
The pattern does have really clear and simple directions, which would be fantastic for someone new to sewing. It goes together lickety-split. Mine went from cutting table to completion in less than two hours.
I made a minor alteration to mine in that I did not cut the two-piece ruffle layer out of two different fabrics. Because the Parisville prints are so intricate and sumptuous, I wanted to give the lovely details on my favorites a little more play.
One thing I will probably add in future versions is either a zipper closure under the flap or a zippered interior pocket to keep a wallet or other valuables safe. I am forever paranoid about important things falling out of my bag if they're not secured.
Another change up I will make on the next one is a slightly longer strap. The bag works ok as is, but I feel it rides a little high if I wear it across my body as shown on the pattern envelope (which is generally my preferred way to wear a bag).
This project gets an A+ in playfulness. It is so much fun to choose the prints for each piece of the bag, and most of them are so small that they require mere scraps.
Many Smarty Girls will be churned out in my sewing room in the near future, I think. If nothing else, it's a great way to use up smaller pieces left after other projects to create a fantastic gift stash closet!
This project gets an A+ in playfulness. It is so much fun to choose the prints for each piece of the bag, and most of them are so small that they require mere scraps.
Many Smarty Girls will be churned out in my sewing room in the near future, I think. If nothing else, it's a great way to use up smaller pieces left after other projects to create a fantastic gift stash closet!
