Strip Circle Scarf, a T-Shirt Refashion

I saw this refashion of an old t-shirt into a scarf / necklace via a link on Pinterest from HelloGiggles and had to give it a try.  I used my husbands cast off brown XXL Old Navy t-shirt, and a rotary cutter. I was done in 5 minutes. Seriously. It took me longer to find a t-shirt to cut up than it did to actually complete the scarf. It looks best worn doubled around the neck. I tied on a rolled fabric flower to dress it up.

You can even triple it up if your t-shirt was wide enough (shown below). I'm wearing it now and it's pretty warm and cozy.

Voile Circle Scarf

This past weekend I stopped into a warehouse sale for one of the large Chicagoland fabric retailers. It was my first time in a fabric warehouse. I want one. I have been trying to branch out from quilting cotton, so I spent some time touching all the other types of fabric that have caught my fancy. I am especially interested in velveteen and voile and lawn. I am not 100% sure of the technical difference between voile and lawn, but I'm gonna guess lawn is more sheer. Anyway, I'm in love with voile, so I grabbed three different bolts. The way the warehouse sale works, you pick a bolt, but you have to buy everything on the bolt. So you take it to the guys who measure it and then have fun guessing the yardage. Then you do the quick math and decide if you can afford it, or you try to figure out what you'll do with 20 continuous yards of the same fabric. This fabric was too beautiful and ridiculously cheap (we're talking a sale markdown on top of the wholesale price) so yes, thank you, I'll take the bolt. So far I've used 1/8 of a yard to make a circle scarf.

 

Voile and lawn fabric are perfect for scarves. They feel soft, drape nicely and  keep you warm but not too warm so you can wear it all day as an accessory. I love the way you can wear a circle scarf long or doubled up. You can pin on a rolled fabric flower or other pin to dress it up. This is a wonderful project for a beginner sewer or for a sewing social. It makes a great gift and sews up in less than 20 minutes once you know what you are doing. Here's a great tutorial.

Interior Design Anyone?

This past weekend, some friends and I had our own version of one of those "while you were out of town we remodeled your room'" shows. Here's a few pictures of a basement that was once beige and didn't have enough storage for the family's toys / books games, or a work station that actually worked for them. Now they have some work and storage options all made from Ikea furniture (top and bottom pictures) and a cozy reading nook (also Ikea stuff). Oh and they have green now. Lots of green.

Jersey Scarves and Rolled Flowers

 

This afternoon I brought out the big guns. Not really. I brought out my glue gun, which is small but really hot. I burned my finger a little. But the end result was this super cute rolled flower from a torn edge strip of fabric. It's a chic way to dress up a circle scarf. Thanks to my friend Carrie who showed me that gluing on a simple strip of fabric to the back of your rolled flower (between the flower bottom and the felt circle) makes it easy to tie onto a scarf. Here are some pics of an ensemble...

A friend of mine ordered two jersey scarves, one in a black and grey stripe and one in teal. You can wear the flower with either scarf or with both twisted together (top picture). There are just so many pretty ways to wear a circle scarf. I didn't get a picture of the flower on one of the scarves worn long, but it looks good that way too.

It all wraps up lovely for the perfect holiday gift. The fabric in the flower is quilting cotton from the Del Hi collection by Valori Wells. If you don't want to buy jersey knit yardage for your scarf, you can do the same thing by cutting the hem off the bottom of a t-shirt and then cutting the shirt bottom off the width you want your scarf to be. You can pair two different t-shirts for the layered look. Because t-shirt knit rolls up on the edges and doesn't fray much, you don't even have to sew it. Although the scarves pictured have totally enclosed hems on all sides (think of an inner tube). And what out for those fingers, glue guns are hot!

New Sewing Social Nights Added

New Monday nights added:

Nov 14: We'll be adding cute fabric to store bought kitchen and bath towels. Bring your own towels to embellish. We can also make aprons too.

Nov 28: Project TBD. We might be doing t-shirt refashions, adding ruffles made from vintage ties, etc. If you come to this session, bring a t-shirt or two or plan to shop from my bin of old t-shirts.

As always, you can pitch in a few bucks the night of to cover the cost of any of my fabric you use or bring your own.

Don't miss the details of other Sewing Social Monday Nights and Saturday afternoons in this post.

See you in the basement!

Vintage Tie T-Shirt Collar

My mom dropped off an entire grocery bag stuffed with vintage ties, some belonging to my dad and some from his dad. I've been mulling over what to make with them for a few months now. I've considered using them as accent strips on handbags and clutches. I've considered doing an entire dress or skirt from them, but I'm not sure how they will wash up. Then I came across this tutorial for using one to dress up the neckline of a t-shirt. I grabbed a plain t out of my closet and picked a tie and sat down at my machine.

Literally a few minutes later and I had a much cooler t-shirt. The tie adds a stiffness that makes the t-shirt sit up across my collar bones, it's pretty. I decided to make my pleats do a bit more of a zig zag instead of the straight line shown in the tutorial. It gives my look more of a haphazard quality that works with my personal style. I realized I just called my personal style haphazard. If the shoe fits...

Sewing Social Calendar 2011

Now that the basement remodel has happened, I can get more social with my sewing. I've decided to put some dates on the calendar for sewing socials. I'm going to be down there sewing anyway, so you might as well join me. Please RSVP to me via email or in the comments section if you'd like to attend one of my socials. I'm going to put down some potential projects but I'm always open to a change in plans based on who can attend.

Monday Nights, 7:30pm - whenever:

Nov 7: Scarves - circle scarf, jersey scarf, Anthropology Catch and Release knock-offs, you can even bring your knitting or crochet scarf project to work on


Nov 21: Pants - pj pants for kids or adults, Matilda Jane knock-off ruffle pants, or jersey leggings

Saturday Afternoons, 1pm - 3pm:


Nov 12: Sewing basics class, or work on any projects you want, a whatever night

Nov 26: Zipper Pouches / Reusable Snack bags - oil cloth, patchwork, for make-up bags or with a wristlet strap for going out or close with velcro for a reusable snack bag (I have food safe lining you can use)

So get ready for some social sewing and drop me a comment if you can come, or let me know what you'd like to sew in December...Christmas presents anyone?