Quick T-shirt Makeover: Cute Shrug, a Simple Cardigan, Plus Doll Tees

As promised, here’s my next craft projects.  Just a few things I whipped up with some t-shirts.

A super easy black shrug and an even easier white t-shirt cardigan.  I was inspired by a few tutorials I found on Pinterest to make them. 

For the shrug, I used this tutorial for a t-shirt shrug.  It’s a classic, but I didn’t follow it exactly.

I cut off a few inches from the bottom of the shirt.  Just enough to reduce some of the bulk from gathering the shirt at the end of the tutorial.

And while re-hemming the bottom, I added some lace along the edge.  This adds a somewhat dressier touch.

After that, I just followed the rest of the tutorial as is.  Sadly, my photo doesn’t do it justice.  It’s still pretty though.

And versatile too.  I think it still looks cute when worn in-gathered.

Now for the white “cardigan”.  I used this tutorial for a t-shirt cardigan.

All you have to do is cut the t-shirt open and zig-zag stitch along the edge.  I decided to cut and stitch along the sleeves too for mine.  I kind of want to try it with a long sleeve shirt like in the tutorial.

Now with all this t-shirt cutting there comes plenty of scraps, and what do you make with t-shirt scraps?

Make doll t-shirts!

I made three little doll-sized t-shirts, two white and one black. 

They were made specially for this fine boy.  He is the only male ball jointed doll I have, so he is in desperate need of clothes.  Clothes that are not girly looking.

They fit him nicely, and thanks to the Velcro closure in back, are super easy to go on and off.  If you want to whip up a few of your own for similar sized dolls, I have posted the pattern and tutorial on my doll blog.  Enjoy!

Here’s the updated list:

• Baby
• Blue dress
• Tiny outfits
• T-shirts
• Halloween
• Pink dress
• More T-shirts

Six down,  just one more to go!

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5 a Week: Cute Doll Tank Tops with a Tutorial

 

It’s Sunday, and time for week 2 of this year’s edition of…

 

…The Five a Week Pledge.

If you haven’t been around here, it’s where you pledge to do five things each week of your choice (see here for more info).  I pledged to make five small crafts each week.  Feel free to grab a button and join me.  If you already have, post a comment or a link to share what you accomplished.

This week’s craft:

Doll Tanks Tops

I made cute little drawstring tank tops for my doll (you can see her reaction here).  I say drawstring, but will always think of them as pillowcase tops.  The first time I learned how to make tops like this was from a tutorial for a top using a pillow case I saw in a magazine.  Since then I have made several (see Dolly Dressing and Give Me a Doll With Hair).

The first I actually made two of, one for both of my ball jointed dolls.  Simple with cute thin pink ribbon.

The second one I used lace instead of ribbon.  It also has lace running along the neckline.  Cute and a little dressier.

The third top has the ribbon tying in front instead of at the side.  I think it’s a nice touch, or least it’s different.

And the last one is a little rough.  I left the edges unhemmed and uses some fabric strips instead of ribbon for the ties.  By the way all these tops where cut from t-shirt scraps from previous projects.  Great way to use up the leftovers.

Now as an extra bonus, I decided to make a video tutorial for these cute doll tanks tops.  Now everyone can dress their dolls easily for summer.

Enjoy!

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Two of a Kind Doll Dresses

As promised yesterday, it is the final project on my craft project list, right on time.

So what exactly did I save for last?

Doll clothes!

I bought another ball jointed doll a few months ago (see the unboxing here on my doll blog) and she has been in need of something decent to wear. 

For her first outfit, I thought it would be extra cute to make matching doll outfits for both of my bjds.

The tops I made by cutting up an old t-shirt.  They both open in back with Velcro to make putting them on easier.  I used the same pattern for both shirts but there are a few tweaks. 

The one on the left has lace along the neckline with a bow in front, and the sleeves are gathered with elastic.  The one on the right is considerably different.

Here it is on the doll.  The neckline is trimmed with rolled strips of t-shirt fabric.  It’s a look I first saw on a cute t-shirt I have that I have been wanting to try out.  I thought it would be easier to try it on a doll sized piece first.

The sleeves are slashed, I’m not sure how else to describe them.  It wasn’t how I originally planned to make them, but things kind of went wrong with them so I just went with it.  I also gathered the shoulders a little and added the little bows for a touch. 

Now for the dresses.  This one for my first bjd is made the same way as the one from my doll dress tutorial (see Doll Dresses for All, With a Tutorial).  Just with different fabric, different straps, and two bows instead of one.  It was ultimately made to be similar to the next dress with out being exactly the same.

Speaking of the next dress, though it is more of a jumper style skirt.  Pretty simple with straps that cross in the back.  I added lace “straps” connecting the straps in front on a whim.  I think it adds a sweet touch. 

It wasn’t until after I had already sewn the front ends of the straps to the skirt that it occurred to me.  I could have made the straps completely detachable so that this could be worn like this or as a regular skirt.  Why didn’t I realize that before?  Oh well, maybe that might be a better idea for another outfit.

Anyway, now let’s try on the outfits.

Here’s my new ball jointed doll wearing her very first outfit.  Doesn’t it look cute on her?

Her name is Usagi which means rabbit, and she is just as energetic as her name.  So her outfit needed to be cute but a little more casual, less stuffy.

And here is my older ball jointed doll, Hikaru.  She prefers clothing that’s more detailed and elegant (you can see her reaction to these clothes here on the doll blog).

The lace edge t-shirt works well with her new lace trimmed dress.  Perfect to her taste with out being too stifling in the coming summer weather.

Two different, yet matching doll outfits.  They look so adorable together.

Can’t wait to make more doll dresses for them.

Here’s the updated list:

• dress
• hair accessories
• small bag
• pins
• clips
• doll clothes
• video

Seven down and out.  Now to get ready for the next list, and some more surprises.  Look forward to it.

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It’s In the Bag!

 

This past weekend I stopped by the last day of Epic Thrift’s Back to School Bag Sale.  I really didn’t want to miss it because of how great the last bag sale was (see Bagging It on Black Friday).  I wanted to show off share what I scored at the sale. I’m afraid the pictures were taken as soon as I got back from work that evening.  Bad lighting ahead.

I found a pair of Julius the monkey pajama pants as well as some nice pillowcases.  Perfect for bedtime, or possibly to cut up for sewing other things.  I saw a pair of Hello Kitty pajama pants too, but they were too big.  It’s hard to see at the bottom of the photo, but I also found a pair of long white gloves.  They were easy to fit in the bag and I thought they might come in handy.  I also got a white curtain that I thought was a sheet until I saw the loops for a rod.  It will still work, I can either use it for sewing or for taking pictures. 

The blue dress on the left is actually made of terry cloth, as in towels.  I thought it was really cute and comfy, plus it would be perfect after swimming.  The other blue dress I kind of took a chance on, it may or may not work for me.  That’s one of the good things about bag sales, you can squeeze in extra items you may not normally consider otherwise. 

And yes, that is a Barbie movie.  Barbie’s The Princess and The Pauper, I actually like it.  It’s really funny, especially the bloopers at the end.  Remember, all Barbie movies have bloopers you don’t want to miss.  Plus, remember to check out movies from the library for free before buying.  That way if you hate them you didn’t waste any money.

Three pink tops, can you tell I like pink?  Two of them are polo shirts, I guess there is something about a pink polo.  It just looks so cute, on men as well as women too.  Of course that a completely different topic. 

It’s hard to see the black skirt, but it’s a short A-line skirt and simple but super cute.  I’ve already worn it, it works with practically everything and is really comfortable.  Can you tell I really like this skirt?

The skirt on the right has pretty embroidery on the edge and looks like it’s hand made.  It does remind me of a white and brown skirt I got before at a bag sale.  Sad this about that one is that I haven’t worn it because it doesn’t match anything.

I also took a quick peek at housewares and found three really pretty saucers.  They have gold edging and two of them have English violets painted on them.  I sadly couldn’t find the matching tea cups.  Maybe another time.

Why in the world are black clothes so hard to photograph?  Anyway, from the left is a see through lace top, a sheer black blouse and a black vest with lace on the sides.  Basically three pieces that require me to wear another top underneath for the sake of modesty.  They are also all small things I took a chance on.

Here is a couple of basic tank tops and a really cute red violet sleeve less top.  It has lace, pin tucks and ruffles and it ties in back and on the front.  It look really pretty on me too.  I wore it the other day with the cute A-line black skirt.  Told you it works with everything.

Another black top that wouldn’t photograph well, it’s a nice button down that fits me well.  It actually has nice looking cuffs with cute buttons.  I also got a pair of embroidered napkins and a wallet that looks just like the one I currently have.  At least it has the same design for things like pockets and stuff.  It even has a built in keychain, just like my current wallet which is why I like it.  It’s really handy to have my keys attached to my wallet.

I know it’s still Summer, but I like to plan ahead so I got these pretty long sleeved tops.  They will come in handy when it finally cools down here.  I also got this short sleeved bolero, it’s perfect to use year round.

More trouble with black clothing.  The black velvety dress is so adorable, I would actually wear it now if it weren’t so warm outside.  I also found another pair of black pants for work and a special pair of jeans.  Special because they actually fit me.  I have the most trouble finding jeans that fit me.  They are either perfect everywhere but the waist, or fit the waist perfectly and are baggy everywhere else.

And the best piece.  A coat.  Yes more planning ahead for Winter.  I’ve always had trouble finding cute coats on sale, no matter what the season.  That’s another good thing about bag sales.  It doesn’t matter what the price tag says, it only matters that it fits in the bag.  Of course things fit better in the bag when you know how to roll it.  Rolled up clothing takes up much less space than folded, meaning you can fit more in the bag than usual.  That’s why I could get so much in the bag.

Speaking of which, here are the totals:

• 4 white pillow cases (1 with lace!)
• 2 floral print pillow cases
• 1 white “curtain”
• 1 pair cute pajama pants
• 1 pair long white gloves
• 3 dresses
• 2 skirts
• 3 pink short sleeve tops
• 2 long sleeve tops
• 3 black tops
• 1 vest
• 1 bolero
• 1 small piece wall art
• 1 Barbie DVD
• 2 pretty napkins
• 1 pink wallet
• 1 pair black pants
• 1 pair jeans that actually fit
• 3 sleeve-less tops
• 3 pretty saucers
• 1 cute coat

38 items total for $20 plus sales tax.  A pretty good haul.  Still can’t wait for the next sale.

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Lovely This and Lovely That

Well I said I would “hopefully” post the rest of my Christmas projects on Sunday.  Sadly that lead to posting them 3 days from Sunday, on Christmas day of all days.  To be fair I actually finished making them all yesterday.  I just was a little too busy to post them what with preparing for Christmas eve services a such. 

First up, this lovely top made from a plain t-shirt.  It had been ages since I’ve done one of these and nothing completes a lovely holiday skirt like a lovely dressy top.  I did the usual things I do with t-shirts (remove sleeves, cut sides and necks, add elastic, etc.), but the neck line is slightly different.   I used two types of eyelet lace to embellish the neckline, and I added cris-crossing straps on the front.  I’ve done something similar in the past but with straps that tie around the neck.  By doing them this way I don’t have to worry about tying them just right.  Saves time getting dressed.

Speaking of holiday skirts, I made a couple more this year.  That’s right, not just one, but…

…Two skirts.  They are both very similar in design and made out of almost the same fabric.  Same Edwardian style pattern, but one is red and one is black.  In fact it’s the same fabric I used for the wreath and some of the ornaments on my list.  One might think it is a bit obsessive to have two extremely similar skirts, luckily one of them isn’t  for me.  It is a gift for someone, but I won’t say which one so as to not ruin the surprise for them.  Of course what’s more fun than lovely matching skirts?

Lovely matching hair accessories!  When I made the fabric yo-yos for the wreath and ornaments, I made a few extra to use for hair accessories.

To go with the black skirt I made this lovely headband.  It is trimmed with white lace, black bows, and silver and white buttons.

For the red skirt I made these hair combs.  Similar to the headband except I used white bows and use dark red rose buds instead of buttons.
Here’s the updated list:

• Pouches
• Zip, zip, zip
• Red skirt
• Black skirt
• Bird skirt
• Hair accessories
• Ribbon fun
• Top
• Wreath
• Ornaments galore
• Bun-bun

Eleven down and out.
Have a lovely holiday everyone!

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Once Upon a Bag…

A funny thing happened a few weeks ago, I made something and forgot about it.  No not one of my pink pants recons (see A Challenge), really need to get back to that.  My everyday bag has been looking a bit worn lately, so I thought I’d whip up a new one.  I had a shirt my mom dumped on me that I thought would be perfect.

Here’s the before.  The t-shirt had some holes and a few stains in odd places, but it had some sparkly embroidery that was promising.

And now the after.  I cut two large rectangles to sew the body of the bag and cut the embroidery off separately then attached it to the front of the bag.  There just wasn’t enough usable material around the embroidery, so doing it this way made more sense.  I cut strips from the rest of the t-shirt and twisted them into cords for the straps.  I also used some fabric I had lying around for a lining, no photos of that though, not exactly easy to take a picture of that.  Overall I think I did a decent job, except one little problem.  I don’t like it.  The bag just isn’t my style, strange since I made it.  I tried to use it, but it didn’t feel right.  Oh well, at least I can make another one.  I just need to figure out what to do with this one.  Hmm.

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Basic Black

So yesterday I went to Phoenix Comicon with some good friends.  Yay!  First time ever too, so I decided to make something special to wear to commemorate the occasion.  It had been forever since the last time I altered a t-shirt.  It took me a couple of days to complete mainly because I did it entirely by hand.  Yep, still no access to a sewing machine. :(

So here’s the before…

…and after.

Both of the photos were sadly taken by my webcam since my camera is currently out of action.  Anyway, I used a black t-shirt I’ve had for a while.  I was getting a little bored with it.  I first chopped off several inches from the bottom and cut off the collar.  I cut the bottom hem and used it to make a ruffle for the neckline.  It was perfect for this since it already had a finished edge.  Some elastic, straps or neckties, and the original collar was all that I needed to finish up the neckline.  And to finish the shirt, I just had to re-hem the bottom and used a scallop stitch on the hems of the sleeves.  I learned the stitch from a vintage sewing book, it’s really easy and super pretty.  Someday I should explain how to do it. 

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Of Black Tees and Roses

This past week I’ve had two major tests, two major assignments due, plus a quiz, but I still found the time to make three of my projects.  Word of warning, I am still stuck using my webcam instead of a decent camera.:(

I acquired this rather large t-shirt for free along with a large pile of other castaways.  As many of you know, I just adore taking these old tees and making them cute and wearable.  So here’s the before…

…and after.  Ugh, that webcam, you can barely tell how much cuter it is now.  First I chopped off the sleeves and cut the shirt down the size before sewing new seams.  I cut down the sleeves a little before adding lace and some elastic.  Most of the time with these t-shirts I just sew the elastic straight on the fabric, but for this one I used the hem as a casing and threaded the elastic through.  It takes a little more time, but it makes the shirt more comfortable to wear.  I re-attached the sleeves, redid the neckline with some lace, then finished up by attaching two tiny black bows along the neckline.  Now it’s a comfy and pretty t-shirt that actually fits me.  Yay!

Next, I saw these black roses at SAS over a year ago.  At the time I didn’t buy them, but they were on my mind.  A few months later I thought of an idea for a headband using them, but when I went to the store they were all out of them.  Fast forward to now.  I spotted them on my last trip to SAS and immediately grabbed a couple.  After a bit of maneuvering with the wire and some black ribbon (and a couple glue gun burns), I fashioned this lovely headband as modeled by my niece.  The photo doesn’t do it justice, it is beautiful.  So much so that I am thinking of buying more roses to stock my shoppe with some lovely hair accessories.  Good idea?

I found this tutorial for glass head sewing pins and thought it was a fantastic idea since I have tons of plain straight pins lying around and I tend to avoid using them because it’s so easy for them to fall out or get lost.  A few minutes of fiddling with glue and beads, and now I have a handful of custom pearl head pins.  I used faux pearls because I still have tons of them to use up, plus they look so pretty.
Here’s the updated list:

• Pins
• Altered top
• Rose headband
• Doll
• Bracelets
• White dress
• Gift

Three down, four more to go.  And only a little over two weeks to finish.

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