Let The Stash Games Begin!

Hey there lovelies,

Now, this post is picture obsese. SERIOUSLY. I was on a crafty roll yesterday, majorly, and I have a lot of stuff to share with you. I also made quite a dent in my stash. Or at least, in my stash of t-shirts, since these are mostly t-shirt surgeries. I'm going to shut up and show you some pictures now though. Hooray!

This is the Wolverine Slasher Skirt Mark 2. I used up two t-shirts to make this (and, the last of my Wolverine t-shirts!). Also, the waistband is not actually lumpy like that. Dammit, I always stand wierd for my DIY photos.

Back view (shit, I only just realised that bottom strand was hooked under like that). The slashed strands are actually sewn into the seams between the skirt panels. Nice and tidy! Since I don't have an overlocker (serger), I zig-zag stitched the bottom hem to leave it looking unfinished, while actually being finished. Sneaky right?

This shirt I made from scratch, using the my last metre of this striped fabric, and the t-shirt patten from my TAFE course. The Marvel Superheroes graphic came from a thrifted t-shirt, which I'm pretty sure was a kids shirt. The little piece on the arm has their names on it: Storm, Phoenix and The Invisible Woman.

Coffee bottle bracelets! I used the beginning of Thera's upcycled bracelet tutorial, and then I just went crazy with the craft glue. The bases of the bracelets are made from Dare Double Espresso iced coffee bottles, courtesy of The Boyfriend. Notice that one has dinosaurs. This is because everything is better with dinosaurs.

Cat ear headband! I took a headband I never wore, and attached ears made from a thrifted leopard-print velour bag. BEST HEADBAND EVER.

The first of my random things necklaces. Made from plaited t-shirt scraps, gold, black & silver thread, and random embellishment things I found at Spotlight ages ago.

Again, plaited t-shirt scraps, silver & gold thread, and some random hearts.

When I bought the first season of Glee on DVD I got a free t-shirt, which of course was a Men's size Large. I resized it, and tried to make it a bit more nerdy/highschooly by adding the raglan sleeves & collar. The sleeve material & collar came from the free t-shirt I got when I bought House on DVD.

And, last but not least, a skirt made from a t-shirt and a wierd stripey tunic dress that I only wore once. You can wear it about a million ways (or even as a dress, if you so desire). It also has maximum twirl factor - see picture evidence below.

I don't really know how many points I get, since most of these were reconstructions/refashions, but I'm sure someone can fill me in. As for me, I'm back to planning more things. I already have a dress and a bag (possibly two) in the works. Keep hitting me with your DIY links, and don't forget to check out Sliced & DIYced for what all our other Stash Games participants are up to!

Until next time, xo.

DIY Madness!

Hey lovelies!

I finally procured some batteries for my camera, so you get pictures of my mad weekend of sew-tasticness. Hurray!

This one was serious t-shirt surgery with the objective of saving one of my favourite t-shirts. It may be too much information but I have recently, shall we say, "grown" from a B cup to a D cup, leaving most of my upper body garments a little short. I added the lime green pieces (thrifted fabric) using this technique.

Note: Don't wear white bras under thin black fabric when taking photos with a flash. Moving on. When The Boyfriend pre-ordered his copy of Starcraft 2, he got a free shirt. However, we had already ordered him the same shirt from Jinx! So of course, I asked to get the largest size so it was good for DIYing. This was super-easy, because I had the bodice piece left over from another shirt. I just chopped off the sleeves/neckpiece of the t-shirt, and reshaped it to be more dress-like. Then I sewed the shirt piece to the left over bodice, and there we go. Nerdy dresses all around!

Now for the first peek at what I've been making with my 5 metres of anchor fabric. Again, using this technique tute from the wonderful Max California, I made this cute skirt. This skirt was another very easy piece to make - just a few rectangles and a bit of folding. I love it!

Eeep, I used Max's tute again for this shirt! Do you see how versatile it is yet? I adapted a basic pattern that I got while doing a TAFE course in basic sewing - made it slightly looser and longer, and added the white bands around the edges.

There you go guys! That's what I've been up to. How about you? Any crafty endeavours? Link me up lovelies!

Until next time, xo.

DIY Madness!

Hello there lovelies,

Now I know that at least some of you out there have been dying to see some more DIY goodness from me, and you know how I hate to disappoint you! As my first from-scratch sewing project for 22 Things Before 22 I decided to finally finish the Madeline Mini Bloomers which were the first project in Max California's Rock & Roll Sewalong.

Ta-da! Cute, puffy, rock & roll shorts.

Back view, hurray!

The fabric I used was gotten on sale at Spotlight as a remnant. I added some cool buttons, and bows of ribbon covered in hearts.

I did a terrible job (read, didn't even try) matching up the tartan, but when you're wearing the shorts you don't even notice because of how puffy they are. Yay!

I also reconstructed a t-shirt using Max California's bow-back tutorial. It started life as a rather boring stripy v-neck top, which I acquired for $2 at the op-shop. But, when combined with a little bit of lime green jersey (also from the op-shop), it became something else entirely.

From the front, it has become a round neck top, with lime green neck binding.

From the back, superawesome bow back top! Excuse bra straps, and my wierd posture making the shirt look wonky. I even used fabric from the original shirt for the middle of the bows. I'm so in love with this! I can't wait for Summer so that I can wear it.

There you go lovelies! You can be expecting a lot more DIY madness from me in future, because I'm determined to start handmaking/refashioning more things. Next on the list includes this, this, a few of these, bleached jeans, distressed/studded cutoff shorts, lots of jeans to skirt conversions, a jeans to dress conversion, a patchwork t-shirt maxi-dress, tops and skirts made from the awesome pillow cases/quilt covers I have acquired and lots of fabric paint. Oh, I also want to make some of these bracelets! Stay tuned!

Until next time, xo.

DIY Madness!

Hello out there lovely readers,

Ok, so The Boyfriend is working another night shift, and I can't sleep. So, I turned this:

Into this:

It only seems right to make something summery considering the recent heat wave, and I'm so happy with how it turned out. Once again, modified from one of the designs in Generation T: 108 Ways To Transform a T-shirt. The black on the front is a pocket, and it's got a drawstring waist. Ignore the vacant facial expression - it is almost 3AM after all. I think I may make more skirts in the near future - my amazing grandmother has gifted me an almost-brand-new overlocker. Hurrah!

Until next time, xo.

DIY Madness!

Hello hello,

Have to admit, at least one good thing came of being sick - I finished this top after lounging around researching how to put darts in the bust. What do you think? It was made from a baggy, poorly cut women's t-shirt that I bought for $2 from the Lifline warehouse. Hello new Summer top.

PS: These sweatpants are the most comfy things I own. They're Reebok and they cost me $14.95. Not bad, not bad.

Until next time, xo.

Generation T

Hello lovelies,

Up until now I haven't really mentioned the other side of clothing & fashion that I enjoy - creating it. I love to DIY, and started learning the ins and outs of sewing over the last few years when my boyfriend's mother was kind enough to purchase a sewing machine for me. (Unfortunately, said sewing machine is currently out of action!)

So is anyone out there into DIY? If you're into clothing reconstruction then you've probably already heard about Generation T. You probably actually already have a copy, and use it on a regular basis. But, for anyone like me - who has either been living under a rock, only recently got into DIY or who has been unable to get their hands on a copy (Many thanks to my beautiful Canadian friend!), I'm going to give it a bit of a review.

Basically, if you're a first-time DIYer this book is absolute gold. Having said that, there are projects in this book suitable for all skill levels (and the levels are indicated with each project). Plus, with a little bit of imagination DIYer's with higher skill levels can tweak the projects to their own liking - and their are suggestions for ways you could do this. If you don't have a sewing machine/can't sew to save your life, have no fear! A good portion of the projects in Generation T do not require any sewing whatsoever. As the front cover suggests, there are 108 projects in Generation T, ranging from your run of the will t-shirt to tank top transformations to the t-shirt wedding dress. If you're like me, and end up with way too many t-shirts laying around your already-crowded house, this book will show you exactly what to do with them.

Generation T is split into seven chapters plus instructions for the t-shirt wedding dress at the very end. The first chapter deals with materials, basic stitching and all the sewing techniques you'll need for the projects. This chapter is especially helpful for first-timers - it's loaded with tricks, tips, helpful information and well-labelled, clear diagrams. Taking measurements, pinning, threading needles and different types of useful stitches are all covered, as are some simple ways to jazz up your old t-shirts (or that original Ramones tee you've been dying to steal from your parent's closet*).

The second chapter includes 13 ways to spruce up t-shirts, while still being able to call them t-shirts. I've attempted a few of these myself, and I've always found the instructions to be clear and easy to follow. Just for kicks - the pic here is Project #8 : It's A Cinch. This required very minimal sewing, and was the last thing I made before my sewing machine died! The pages are also packed with interesting "t-shirt trivia" - for example, did you know the t-shirt was originally worn as Men's underwear, and was not permitted as outerwear in schools until the 70's. Doesn't that make you feel a bit more risque when you're sitting around home in a holey old t-shirt and trackpants? I suppose it might just make you feel a little manly.

Moving along! Generation T's third chapter includes 22 ways to turn t-shirts into tank tops, the fourth chapter 14 ways to turn t-shirts into boob tubes and the fifth chapter 23 ways to turn t-shirts into skirts! That's a whole lot of ways to jazz up your old shit, let me tell you that. And, as I've said already, those without sewing skills shouldn't be put off. There are a good many projects in each of the chapters for those without the knack or equipment for sewing - and I should know, as I've been on a mission to make each and every one in the last few weeks. Pictures to the right are Project #32: All Strung Out. Heh, please excuse the piles of crap on the couch, and my ugly bra in the second shot - of course I ended up stopping in the middle of house cleaning to fit in some DIY.

Alright, onto chapters six and seven! Chapter six gives instructions for making t-shirts into just about anything except clothing - bags, belts, scarves, ponchos, cushion covers, blankets and more. Then chapter seven is a handy guide to making useful things out of all the t-shirt scraps you will have accumulated from making everything else in the book (which tends to happen if, like me you suffer from severe lack of social life). There are instructions for making scraps into 19 different things, from headbands to rugs.

The "grand finale", or epilogue is my personal favourite project: the t-shirt wedding dress. Of course, it is possible that I'm the only person in the world who is now severely tempted to get married in a dress made wholely of t-shirts. But I like to think there are other people as crazy as me out there. To sum up my rambling, I think this book is a valuable resource for the DIYer's out there who are into t-shirt reconning, or recycled clothing. Not only are the projects in the book awesome, but flipping through this book gives me endless ideas for new projects (And makes me incredily sad that my sewing machine is out of action).

If you're interested, it is available to purchase here. Also, I didn't realise but there is a sequel! Generation T: Beyond Fashion : 120 New Ways To Transform a T-shirt by Megan Nicolay was released in May of this year (buy it here). I believe I'll be snagging myself a copy come pay day, so keep your eyes peeled for another review!


Until next time, xo.

*No responsibility will be taken for injuries sustained should anyone actually try to steal an original Ramones tee from their parents closet.