A Little Sewing Project
Jun. 3rd, 2012 08:39 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
gothrockrulzA while back, my friend sent me a video about how to use a fitted t-shirt you already have as a guide to streamline a t-shirt that's too big. I can't for the life of me find that video now, but that's okay--I tried the idea anyway!
I found this really cute shirt at the retail store I work--but it was a young men's shirt. (Why are the majority of graphic tees for boys more interesting than the ones for girls? WHY?!) So I bought a small and set to making it even smaller for me.
Basically, all I had to do was layer my fitted shirt (Audrey Hepburn FTW!) over my other shirt, trace around the bottom edges of the sleeves and the side seams, and then cut away the extra fabric. Then I had a t-shirt with no seams beneath the arms or along the sides, so I pinned it and sewed it.
The finished project. (I would have taken a before picture, but I was so excited to get started, I forgot. There's only an after picture. LOL.)
The project itself was really easy. The hardest part was actually wrangling with my sewing machine. It's from the 50's (still working strong!), and every time I sit down in front of it, I have to re-learn everything. This time around, I learned that you DO NOT try to machine-sew seams with quilting thread. Quilting thread is for detail work by hand--on quilts. Okay. Got it. (Why did it not occur to me that my thread was snagging for a reason? My last project was a four-hour mess because of that--and I still haven't gone back to it!)
Also, I learned that yes, you can snap a sewing needle while the machine is humming away. And watch tiny pieces of needle shrapnel hit your collarbone, but luckily miss your eyes. Good to know. (Maybe, since I'm so talented at breaking what I thought was unbreakable, I should wear goggles while sewing?)
I paused work on my elven cloak project and worked on this shirt because I knew I had to re-acquaint myself with my machine. I'm glad I did. Don't need needle shrapnel hiding amongst folds of velvet. LOL.
I found this really cute shirt at the retail store I work--but it was a young men's shirt. (Why are the majority of graphic tees for boys more interesting than the ones for girls? WHY?!) So I bought a small and set to making it even smaller for me.
Basically, all I had to do was layer my fitted shirt (Audrey Hepburn FTW!) over my other shirt, trace around the bottom edges of the sleeves and the side seams, and then cut away the extra fabric. Then I had a t-shirt with no seams beneath the arms or along the sides, so I pinned it and sewed it.
The finished project. (I would have taken a before picture, but I was so excited to get started, I forgot. There's only an after picture. LOL.)
The project itself was really easy. The hardest part was actually wrangling with my sewing machine. It's from the 50's (still working strong!), and every time I sit down in front of it, I have to re-learn everything. This time around, I learned that you DO NOT try to machine-sew seams with quilting thread. Quilting thread is for detail work by hand--on quilts. Okay. Got it. (Why did it not occur to me that my thread was snagging for a reason? My last project was a four-hour mess because of that--and I still haven't gone back to it!)
Also, I learned that yes, you can snap a sewing needle while the machine is humming away. And watch tiny pieces of needle shrapnel hit your collarbone, but luckily miss your eyes. Good to know. (Maybe, since I'm so talented at breaking what I thought was unbreakable, I should wear goggles while sewing?)
I paused work on my elven cloak project and worked on this shirt because I knew I had to re-acquaint myself with my machine. I'm glad I did. Don't need needle shrapnel hiding amongst folds of velvet. LOL.
