Itch to Stitch: Creation No. 2

Another pinterest inspired creation. What can I say, the DIY's on pinterest are cute and actually do-able - perfect for someone like myself just starting up with needle and thread. The simple DIY instructions make it easy to follow along and while presenting minor challenges (depending on the fabric and type of shirt you use), the results are always great, therefore keeping you motivated and willing to thread the needle again.

The inspiration for Creation No. 2 comes from Adventures of a Middle Sister. Her idea to turn a simple shirt to a swimsuit cover or alternatively a tank top/halter top was brilliant. The timing too, was perfect as I am currently in garage sale mode and so had a few shirts on which I could try this idea out.

I'm not too huge a fan though of a plain white cotton tee nor am I of the tie-dye print (looks great on others and the prints can be fun but don't seem to suit me). So I opted for a black shimer shirt that I was tossing out because I never ever wore it.  

BEFORE

I decided to turn this shirt into a tank because the fabric was comfy and the print was quite dressy. And how hard is it to find dressy, loose and comfy tanks these days? (well, it's hard for me). So began my chalking and scissoring. Adventures explains the details so well that even if I try to explain, it just couldn't compare. But here's a quick step-by-step, check out her site for great details.

1. cut out sleeves (save them for later; Adventures had the cool idea to use one cut out of the sleeve as a template for the other side)
2. deepen arm opening by cutting 2 inches below the bottom of the cut sleeves
3. flip shirt, only cut back portion of sleeve/(now)tank strap deeper to give a racer back effect
4. cut out collar (if your using a cre neck shirt then deepen the collar cut, I just cut along the collar because the neckline was already deep
5. flip shirt, cut in straight line 1 inch below back collar only thereby separating back collar from rest of shirt
6. cut the newly loose pieces vertically (what would have be the back to the racerback) into three strips
7. braid three strips all the way from bottom to the tip
8. lightly stitch end of braid to the inside middle of the back collar
9. cut a 1 inch straight strip off of the discard sleeve extras (from step 1)
10. wrap tip of braid in sleeve extra to hide the stitches
11. tack in the end of the wrap
 TADA!!!
**The instructions will slightly vary depending on what kind of shirt you choose to use.**

AFTER

**The instructions will slightly vary depending on what kind of shirt you choose to use.**

Mentioning it twice, because it is that important to remember. As you can see my first attempt was on a much more complicated shirt but I think that it turned out quite well. No I do not think I ruined what was an otherwise frumpy shirt ;) And I am extremely glad I used this shimmer fabric because the finished product is now actually a dressy yet comfy tank. Mission Accomplished.

Let me know how your shirt to tanks turn out. Yay summer ;)

Itch to Stitch: Creation No.1

So I was recently gifted/handed-down a Singer body form (see image). I've been looking internationally for one of these but they were all too pricey for a hobby-in-try-out. The last time I stitched something was when I was eight years old and it was made out of scraps from my designer aunt's leftover pieces. This of course is ignoring the cross-stitch class that I was made to take at the age of 11. So, unsure about whether I would be able to stitch let alone if I would be too lazy to actually make something, I wasn't too willing to shell out more that fifty bucks. And then Singer, Betty Singer to be clear, appeared (yes I've named my body form, she is no longer inanimate).

So with that backdrop I present to you my first ever creation - the necklace collar tie.
And might I add that I'm pretty darn proud of it.

This piece was inspired by a pinterest board of DIY things and comes from Crazy Wonderful (check out the link to see the step by step tutorial). I saw it, loved the idea and said why not. Usually seeing something creative leads to "hell yeah, I could do that", but rarely leads to actually getting down to doing it. This time since Betty was staring at me and I had the Itch to Stitch, and got to it...and voila! Keep in mind that I initially had no idea how this project was going to turn out so I borrowed/took a tie that wouldn't be missed, hence some may need to excuse the print. So if you've got issues with the print, push that aside and focus on the design. Besides, I think I like the way it turned out and the print kind of rubs off on you, no?

Items required:

- a tie 

- a button 

- thread

Time taken:

 - an hour

keep in mind that this project would take someone who is familiar with stitching/tac-ing about 20-30 minutes...no lie. Putting the pleats together took me a whole five minutes including pinning the pleats down. Then comes stitching the pleats down from the back followed by stitching in the button.

Also be prepared to accidently swallow/chew/eat a healthy daily dosage of thread.

Thread the needle, sew, knot, repeat.

There are a few ways to wear the necklace collar tie. The first image above wears the collar at a U while the image below wears it at an angle. Also, I'm looking to see what else it can be paired up with on the top. There are different necklace collar tie styles to experiment with and I will post pictures up as soon as I successfully complete them. Drop off some ideas, but I can't promise I'll develop all the necessary skills overnight... will try though ;) Enjoy.