10 Ways to Style a Plain White Tee Few things beat a classic white tee. Throw it on with a pair of jeans, cork wedges, a long necklace, and you’re good to go just about anywhere. Best of all, white tees are such a staple that you can find them at just about any corner store, grocery store, mall, or pharmacy. Seeing as we love style hackery oh-so-much, we decided to take on the classic tee, and came up with 10 new ways to restyle, rework, and totally transform it. If you have any questions about specific tutorials below, be sure to leave us a note in the comments. We went with a few 3-packs of men’s undershirts by Hanes but, for most of these tutorials, you can use any old t-shirt you’ve got. 1. Grab a pair of tricked out cutoffs and throw on this top for a day of summer fun. To create this look, You’ll want to cut off the sleeves and collar of your tee. 2. This look is definitely a romantic one and makes us think of a refined take on hippie chic. 3. Maybe it’s time to up your workout style game. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.
How to Turn Bootcut Jeans into Skinny Jeans Can’t seem to shake those old bootcut jeans in your closet? But never wear them? With a couple zippers, a few trials on the sewing machine and a little hackery, it’s surprisingly simple to turn them into skinny jeans! This is definitely on the more advanced side in terms of projects, as you’ll need to know the basics of sewing on a sewing machine and be willing to learn how to use a zipper foot. Before you get started, we definitely recommend watching this video on how to sew zippers. You could potentially do this by hand, but it would take a lot of patience and some seriously strong stitches. Now, onto the tutorial! Materials: - old pair of bootcut or flare jeans - two zippers - sewing machine - sewing pins First, put on your jeans inside out (or put them on a friend who happens to be your same size) and pin along the outer seam to tighten the pants around your calves. Be careful taking off the pants so that you don’t poke yourself (or lose any of the pins)!
Applique Tutorial | Sew Like My Mom June 23, 2010 I’ve had several requests for a tutorial on how I do my appliques. There is no right or wrong way to applique, this is simply how I do it. Also, this is going to be a long post. I don’t like when tutorials are split into several posts as it’s hard to go back to previous steps. More information on how to applique curves. Materials you’ll need: -item to applique (I’m using a shirt) -fabric for applique -fusible web -thread -if you don’t have a Mac, or the ability to horizontally flip an image, you’ll need a flat, transparent surface with a light source on the other side (such as a light box, or a window during the day) I want to talk briefly about fusible web. First you need to select something to applique. So to begin, I found a good Mickey silhouette on my computer by Googling. If your image is directional (like words) you’ll need to flip it so it’s backwards on the paper. Trace all your images separately on your fusible web. Cut the pieces apart according to your fabric.
No Sew, DIY Tee-Shirt Halter #2 This is a variation of the basic Halter I did HERE.. For those of you who did not like the back on the first DIY halter; this one makes the back tighter. I love taking one thing and creating different looks, is one of my favorite things to do. Enjoy! Tutorial Things you Need Tee Shirt * this is a Mens Extra Large, Hanes T-shirt I wear a Medium/ Large Womens normally.ChalkScissors #1 Front Cut on the red lines #2 cut the back on the red lines. #Back Cut the red lines #4 Twist the straps *This will make the back tighter as well* Criss cross them and wrap around your neck and tie Have a Super Saturday!! Lots of <3, Anne
The Shirt Skirt | Sew Like My Mom July 28, 2010 I’m so excited to post about this! When I met Dana, I fell in love with the skirt she was wearing. I developed an idea in my head I thought just might be crazy enough to work. The Hubs thought I was a little crazy when I explained my idea to him. It’s the easiest thing in the world to do! The shirt skirt perfect for summertime. I wore the green and white one to Sofie’s birthday party. I had 2 women in Walmart stop me to tell me how comfy my skirt looked and when I told them how I made it, they demanded I call Rachael Ray immediately! The process is so easy. I do my shopping at Goodwill for 1 reason. So, get your super cheap thrifted shirt. To determine what shirt size you should get, just make sure it will go around you. So, lay your shirt out flat, and whack it off right under the sleeves. I like to use thread the same color as my fabric. **If you don’t know how to shirr, check out some online tutorials or videos. Now, I break a rule of shirring. And that’s it!
Stenciling with Bleach So here’s tutorial #3 in the bleach series! It’s an easy way to customize a shirt, fabric by removing color instead of adding it. For my first project I used a $1 doily as my stencil. I moved the stencil to another location and sprayed again. Navy….turning to a dark pink/purple: Finished: You can also use vinyl or freezer paper stencils. I used a sponge to dab the bleach around the stencil and I used a spray bottle to mist around it: Once the shirt began to change colors, I sprayed the back of the shirt with bleach. Bleach stenciling is an easy way to add lettering to a shirt too. Finished! Visit the other two projects from this week by clicking the images below:
hoodie + tutorial [image heavy] so to start things off. my veggietales hoodie. not really a flattering color or print but it's super warm because i lined the entire hoodie, sleeves and all, with flannel. now onto the tutorial. please read this carefully before asking too many questions. I'll try to be as clear as possible. Materials: 2+ yards of main fabric, .5 yard lining (for hood), 20" or longer separating zipper, .5 yard rib knit fabric, 1 tshirt, it would also be useful to have a hoodie next to you while you're doing this just to make sure things look right. Instructions: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. I hope this tutorial made sense and that some of you will make use of it. Questions and comments are welcome.
DIY Peek-a-boo Lace Trimmed Shorts Happy 1st of July everyone! This week’s DIY is something that certainly has been done before. I’ve seen this numerous times and I’ve always thought it was an amazing idea. Not only does this DIY upcycle clothing you already own but it’s also really cute and girly. Since this particular DIY has been done before, I decided to add a “Peek-a-boo” pocket. You can customize your shorts with just the Peek-a-boo pocket, a lace trimmed Peek-a-boo pocket, or everything lace trimmed like I show below! Supplies: An old pair of short (mine were originally jeans) Any type of Fabric Glue (Elmer’s Craft Bond was used) A few yards of Lace A sharp pair of Scissors **For those of you who would prefer to sew the lace in place, this tutorial would simply serve as inspiration as I do not show you how the sew it down. Step 1: If you want the Peek-a-boo pocket, you’re going to want to grab your pair of scissors and cut out the pocket. Next take the piece of lace and place in the position you prefer.
Simple Light-Up Hoodie Step #1: Sew velcro to hood. PrevNext Cut a length of velcro equal to the length of the EL tape and hand or machine stitch the soft side onto the inside of the hood near the edge. You may want to remove the drawstring first. Step #2: Attach velcro to EL tape. Attach the prickly "hook" side of the velcro to the back of the EL tape. Step #3: Juice it. Attach the EL tape to the hood. Step #4: Going further To achieve a longer wear time, use 2 shorter lengths of EL tape that meet at the apex of the hood, each with its own 2×AA inverter. Simple Bow Tie Top I'm so happy about how this turned out. This is one of those projects that's been on my to do list forever and now that I finally got it done, I wish I had done it a long time ago. This is such a simple project. Materials: 5/6 + yard knit & 1/3 yard silk, cotton, etc. My knit is 60" wide and my dusty pink silk (faux) is 45" wide. Your fabric doesn't have to be exactly as wide as mine, just keep in mind that if you buy a fabric that is less wide you may need to purchase more to compensate. Cut two large squares to the dimensions of 30" x 30" If you bought 5/6 yd of 60" fabric all you have to do is cut along the fold line. **Edit- 30" length gives you a long top. Make a casing at the top of each square. Sew down with a zig zag stitch (so it can stretch). Start working on your sash. I made a mistake when I made my sash and cut where I shouldn't have. Cut right down the middle of your fabric so that you have two 45" by 6" strips. Sew your two strips together (Short sides with right sides together)
DIY: Turn a Broken Necklace Into a Chic Chain Strap Tank Top Confession: deep down I am a bit of a fashion pack rat. When it comes time to get rid of unworn wardrobe items, I usually have a tough time parting with some pieces because I never know what may come in handy later. The nude tank top in this project is a perfect example of my hoarding habits. Before I added the chain straps, this shirt hit just below my waist. And while this type of midriff-baring top might've been cool back when Britney Spears sang "Baby One More Time," I probably should have taken the tank to Goodwill a long time ago. But I'm glad I kept it because it was the perfect shirt for my chain strap summer top. What You Need to Make the Chain Strap Tank Top: For the necklace, I recommend using a thicker chain so that you prevent any wardrobe malfunctions. Then, you need to lay your tank top flat and snip off the tops at the shoulders. You can also add a bit of ribbon to cover where the chain meets the shirt, but this isn't necessary.
How to Make a Shirt Smaller When you buy most of your wardrobe off the clearance rack and from thrift stores, odds are that most of the stuff is not going to be in your size. ie: GiNoRmous trousers and teeny tops. :) While I haven't figured out a way to make small things larger, I do have a system for making shirts smaller. Fair warning-- this is not rocket science and I'm not one for specific measurements when it comes to sewing up thrift store finds. This makes my detail-oriented, sewist/seamstress of a mother VERY uncomfortable... but that's just how I sew. ;) Step 1: Try on your extra large shirt and figure out just how extra large it really is on you. Step 2: Take off the shirt and turn it inside out. Step 3: Sew it up! Extra tip: I pinned the shirt in place along the chalk like that I wanted to sew up-- this just keeps everything in place and it makes it so that there is less that could go wrong. PS-- Sorry I don't have more tutorial photos. From extra-large to a good fit. :) Want to see how I tied my scarf?