The Tee Shirt Failure...And A Second Try

Well, I attempted my first tee shirt for Boo. It went together quick and easy and looked great...until I got to the neckline. Somehow I botched it BIG TIME.

See the wonky neckline?

I serged the binding before I sewed it on...and then I serged it after I stitched it to the neckline. I thought I was being smart and securing it well. What I really did was turn it into a stiff, wonky mess. I put the shirt on Boo and the collar was practically 3-D, standing up off of his chest. It was bad. Luckily my little boy is the sweetest toddler ever. He told me it was beautiful and he insisted on wearing it to bed.

Fail!

After seeing my epic failure and doing a few hours of internet research while eating a comforting bowl of chocolate ice cream, I came up with a new plan to tackle necklines on tee shirts. I tried again. This time I took a bright blue tee shirt from the thrifted pile to use as the fabric.

The tee shirt came along nicely. I'm still not thrilled with the neckline but it's 100 times better. I followed a great online tutorial and it came out neat, smooth, stretchy, and attractive. Then I made the mistake of "stitching in the ditch" rather than just plain top-stitching. It looks fine but the perfectionist in me thinks it's too messy looking. I know that no one else but me will ever notice the difference but I still plan to change it for all future shirts.

Since the end result of tee shirt attempt #2 was a plain, boring, but well crafted blue shirt, I decided it needed some embellishment. I stenciled a dark green alligator near the hem in the front and embroidered the outline and some details in a brighter shade of green.

Win!

I'm about to tackle my third tee shirt attempt. Look at this fabric!!! I can't wait to show off my plan for this. Third time is the charm, right?

Dragons and castles!!!

How many tries did it take you to master sewing knit shirts?

Fabric Grab Bags!

My local Savers often has fabric grab bags for $2 - $4. They weigh about a pound and are stuffed with fabric goodness. Last week I was there (with a 50% off coupon!) and scored two amazing finds.

I got this one for $1.50 (originally $3.00) and I think it was totally a steal. It contained a whole pile of 1 yard cuts of vintage style floral prints. They look very 70's and might just be that old. I wonder if someone planned to make a quilt and finally gave up after 40 years of procrastinating!

The bag, as purchased.

The contents, all laid out!

 

 

 I love these two prints, identical in pattern, but one in green and one in black. I've got about a yard of each and I want to make a little girl's dress out of them. I'm thinking either something prairie style or something Belgian style.
















These two prints are very small and very delicate. If the pieces were larger, I'd be making nightgowns out of them. Since I've only got the 1 yard of each, I'm considering handkerchiefs. I'm also considering saving them and using them as contrast for little tops.














I got a second bag during that trip. It was mostly chuff but there was one incredible gem that I couldn't resist! Look at that yellow polka dot happiness. It's about 2 yards of heavy cotton fabric and I just had to have it. It will become a skirt or a giant tote bag. I haven't decided.

Winner!!!

As for the chuff, well, you win some and you lose some. I'm sure I'll use it eventually. I love grab bags though!!!
 

The chuff.

Thrifting Recap

Thrifting was a ton of fun yesterday, but not quite a smashing success. My niece managed to score a great haul by finding 2 band tee shirts, a lace blouse, a brand new "Pink" hoodie, and a black tank top, all for $22. I was not having the same luck. It was a combination of nothing really speaking to me and Boo having a toddler tantrum.

Why was he having a tantrum? Because he is two and he found the toy to end all toys in Savers. And he wanted it. He found a Corvette that was "Boo sized", as he put it. I have to be honest. I was tempted. It worked. It was only $19.99. It was adorable. I kind of wanted it myself. It was the sort of thing that every kids yearns for and most parents can't afford. It was sitting right on front of us, and I wanted to buy it too.

Sadly, reason kicked in and we had to walk away. First of all, it was too big for my car. Second, we had no place to drive it. We live on a busy side street and our driveway is short and sloped. Third, money is tight this month and the car was just unnecessary. I'm keeping my eyes peeled though. If I see another one, reason may not win.

As for my own finds, I got a great tin. That was a fun find. It was .99 and in great condition. It's going into my studio to store buttons.

 I also found a gorgeous Tuscan platter with a great floral design in some really bold colors. I didn't purchase it because it was cracked but I made sure to get a lot of photos to add to my inspiration boards. I'd love to make this into a fabric!

That's it for this trip. Hopefully we'll make it back again on Friday for a second round. We only made it through half the store!

Thrifting

Today is thrift store day. About twice a month, Boo and I spend an afternoon trolling the racks at our local Saver's. He loves to pick out "tchotchkees" and books and can spend hours sitting in my shopping cart playing with old toys even when he knows we won't be buying them. I love to look for vintage linens, handmade quilts and afghans, fun shoes for sock photo shoots, vintage pyrex for my sister's collection, and bags of cast-off craft supplies. I also tend to look for funny tee shirts for Boo, cool jewelry and handbags for me, sweaters for The Mister, and oddles of clothes all around.

It's a treasure trove of goodness the size of a supermarket and I love

Today's list of items that I'm actually looking for includes:

• Small shelving for my craft-studio-in-progress*
• Cork boards
• Picture frames, hopefully with mats
• Picnic basket
• China and/or crystal plates and bowls for a styling a photo shoot next week

This week we will be joined by my 17 year old niece, an adorable style maven. She is barely 5 feet tall with a perfect teenaged figure and she LOVES fashion. That means that she is a dream come true to play dress up with. She'll try on anything! She's never really thrifted before today but I think she'll take to it. I showed her some of the famous designer made garments that I've found (Michael Kors blouse, Rag and Bone jeans) and she was intrigued. I also pointed out that she could get some of her favorite brands for up to 90% off retail and she was sold. Hopefully I can steer her to some J.Crew, Banana Republic, and the like as opposed to Old Navy and Aeropostale. Fingers crossed!

Stay tuned! I'll do a recap later today and post the find goodies that we unearth!

*Craft Studio In Progress - Later in the week I'll post on this, but I'm back to putting together my studio! Boy is it a wreck but it should be functional in about a week. As for being pretty and attractive, well, hopefully by Thanksgiving...