Monday Morning Inspiration/T-Shirt Tango Part 2

Now that summer is officially here, at least in the northern hemisphere, I think that most of us begin to think about cool, comfortable clothing. So last week, for our Monday Morning Inspiration post, I shared a number of t-shirt ideas that I've collected and gave you the opportunity to share some of your work. I had hoped for a number of entries and lots of ideas, but only 3 shared their work. But the 3 who did shared some great ideas.

First up, from Pauline is a Rachel Roy knockoff that she did. Love the combination of the lace and print. 

From Amy is her Boho t-shirt refashion. The addition of the prints really takes a t-shirt from boring to fabulous.

Ernie K Designs also shared a top that she made. Sadly, I couldn't copy the picture from Instagram, but you can see it HERE.

So many of you liked the addition of the lace on the piece below. 

I like the idea of doing a cut out design and adding the lace to the shoulders and sleeves.

This is a great idea for making a basic cami extra special.

For other t-shirt ideas, I really like the addition of the fabric insets in the examples below.

The bow could be tied a little neater, but what a fun idea.

Here are a couple more embellishment ideas that will make a simple tank really pop.

It looks like a vintage tablecloth was added to the hem of this tank. Really cute.

I came across this top and it reminded me of a top that I did for Sleeves on Saturdays. I like the strips that are pieced together to form the sleeves.

Below is the top that I made. The sleeves were crocheted to the bodice. You can see the post HERE.

Do you have a concert tee, or a tee from a vacation that shrunk, but you just can't part with it? Add an inset, and extend the length with coordinating and contrasting fabrics.

Here's a vacation t-shirt that I purchased and couldn't bear to part with. I turned it into a skirt! You can see the post HERE.

The nice thing about all of these ideas is that they are fairly quick and easy to execute. So before you thrown on that boring basic tee again, have a little fun and make it tango!

Monday Morning Inspiration/T-Shirt Tango

Happy Monday! I hope your week is off to a great start :) 

I have a secret pin on Pinterest where I pin what I think are fun t-shirt ideas. Hey, I enjoy a basic tee just as much as anyone, and I think they are a necessary part of our wardrobes. But why wear basic all the time when we can be a little inventive and wear something interesting? So I thought I would share a few of the ideas that I've saved as I thought you might enjoy them as well.

This top is so easy to do. Just a little different take on the Sweeping Rectangles Tee that I did HERE.

If you're a little short on fabric, adding insets can really be an eye catching idea. Take note of how the black band around the neckline pulls the whole look together. 

I thought that this was such a sweet look. Add a sheer piece of organza and use up a few left over pieces of lace to create this top.

With this top, zippers were added to the side seams and a half circle contrast was added.  

The neckline was cut a little deeper and then the contrast added. Notice that the neck piece is a simple rectangle as are the cuffs that were added to the sleeves. 

A great look for what could be a simple striped t-shirt. Cut an asymmetrical seam and trim with the stripe in a different direction.

If you have a basic tee that you would like to have a little fun with, this top offers lots of inspiration. Slice it open and add the button tab. Or you could just sew a fake tab down the side. Use a couple of coordinating fabrics for the ruffle hem and you are set to go. Fun!

With this example, just slice up to the neckline and add in a triangle. Add one triangle and then slice into that triangle and add another. 

This top is very oversized, but I really like the idea of adding the darted tucks to the side. It's a little difficult to see, but there is a seam on the other side of the top that adds to the fullness. Great top for when you want all out comfort. 

Those are just a few of the ideas I've saved. Hope they've given you a little inspiration for you summer t-shirt sewing.

Do you have some t-shirt ideas that you might like to share? Or have you made a t-shirt that isn't just a basic t-shirt that you would like to share? I've added a link-up to this post, so share away. I would love to show off your ideas and what you've made!

Happy creating!

Rhonda

An InLinkz Link-up

Adding a Shirttail Hem to the iCandy Summer Tee

I mentioned that I had made another iCandy Summer Tee, but that I had kind of a high-low thing going on with the hem. I absolutely love the pattern, but I felt that the hem was just a little fiddly. My opinion for sure, others might think it's great.

With the first top that I made, I ended up just cutting the back off and making a straight hemline. This is the tee with the lace back. You can find the original post HERE.

My second tee, looks exactly the same from the front, although this time I used 2 coordinating knits to create the top.

From the side you can see that the back is longer than the front.

You get a better idea of the hem with it laying flat. What's nice about the hemline is that it hangs over parts that we may not wish to emphasize, if you know what I mean ;), and the hemline is also quite easy to sew. No fiddly edges to deal with.

So here's what I did. As you can see, the back of the top is longer than the original pattern. I lengthened the back pattern piece  2".

In order for the front to gracefully flow into the back, the front side edge will also need to be lengthened.

To do this, begin by matching up the front and back pattern pieces and overlap the seam allowance. The seam allowance on this pattern is 1/4". Remember, the hem will not match as the back is already longer than the front.

Tape a piece of paper to the hemline of both the front and back pattern pieces.

Add 2" to the back hemline. Now draw in the hemline. When drawing the line in, just draw it in. Once the desired line is drawn in, go back and clean up the line with a ruler and if you have a hip curve or a French curve, you can clean up the curved lines. If you don't have a curved ruler, this is such a small area and it doesn't affect the fit, so I think you can eye it and get a fairly nice curved line.

Now simply cut on the lines that you drew in and your pattern is ready to go!

After I made my first top, I received a message from Julia of https://titesmains.wordpress.com/ She said that she had made a few of them, loves them and wears them all the time. You can find her post on the tops HERE. You can see in her picture that she too cut the back hemline off and made it straight across.

If you would like to give the top a try,you can find the pattern HERE. Sadly, it only comes in a medium size, but they do give some pointers on how to enlarge it a little if you would like to give it a try. And if you do give it a try, I hope you'll try out the curved hemline. Hey, if you don't like it, you can always cut it off!!!!
Enjoy!
Rhonda

Thrifty Thursday/Free Tee Pattern Perfect for Scraps

Yep, it's Friday! And yes, I am still a little behind, but not as much behind as it may seem as I will have a Fabulous Free Pattern Friday post up later today. Yea! Not that I need an excuse, but I had a doctor's appointment yesterday that put me through the mill, so by the time I got home, I was ready to hit the bed and sleep. No worries, I'm fine, so all in all a good day.

I came across this free summer tee pattern from I Candy and thought it was so cute and a great idea. It's the perfect pattern for using up some pieces that are just enough for a front or a back but nothing more. Be warned up front that there is a draw back to this pattern, it only comes in a medium size. They do give instructions on how you can enlarge it a bit. For me, I did take it in a little and gave the top a little shape at my waist. Taking it up a little will not distort the look.  

So here's my version of the top, actually, it's the first version of the top. I really do like the pattern. I used a piece of bamboo knit for the front and a piece of stretch lace for the back.

I didn't line the lace. The pattern is busy enough that my bra will be basically invisible.

My "photographer" isn't here, so you're stuck with a crummy selfie once again. I really need to get a tripod!!! At least you get a little bit of an idea of how it fits.

In the original picture of the top, you can see that the back is longer than the front at the hemline. I didn't especially care for how it was finished, so I cut the back off even with the front. The second top I cut out, I actually lengthened the back and gave the top a little high low look which worked out well. As soon as it's finished, I'll post pictures.
Since this is a very basic tee, you can always lengthen the pattern and make a great, easy fitting summer dress.
The pattern prints out with the front and back overlapped. My suggestion is to print 2 copies of the pattern and then you'll have a front and a back pattern piece.  The pattern includes a 1/4" seam allowance, so no need to add unless you would like a little more seam allowance.

Other than the fact that the pattern only comes in a medium size, it's a great little pattern that is super easy to make up and absolutely perfect for scraps.
Once again,you can find the pattern HERE.
Enjoy!