Curl up in a T-shirt?

During a cleaning spree a few years ago, I was confronted with a stack of T-shirts from various memorable events from my past. Though I didn't need them as T-shirts, I was hesitant to lose the sentimental associations they represented. I ended up with this quilt of sorts. Rather than layer it with batting and back it with another fabric like a traditional quilt, each seam is a french seam, totally encasing the raw edges. I was very pleased with this choice as it made a very lightweight blanket, perfect for shielding me from over-achieving air conditioner vents on airplanes and buses. ;)

Some of my favorite emblems on the t-shirts were on the front, where I couldn't cut out a full square block and have the design in the center. So, echoed the quilt theme and pieced a few blocks from the front and sleeves of these shirts. To finish, I cut sashing from the leftover scraps and pieced them together to form a multi-colored border.

Now all that's left to do is to curl up in my old t-shirts and remember the good old days!

Altered Borders

This is a blouse I made for a friend of mine about a year ago. Originally it was a broomstick skirt with a wide border. Besides being flattering on very few, broomstick skirts are rather dated. However, my friend loved the colors of this particular skirt so much that it made the decision to let it go very difficult. When she did agree to part with it, I snagged it and tried an experiment.

I cut out a simple tunic-style blouse on the bias, turning the wide, horizontal border into a diagonal stripe extending from the shoulder to the hem. I then cut the sleeves from the remaining fabric in such a way that the colors of the diagonal stripe would continue into the sleeves.

Neither my friend nor I could have been happier with the result! She was pleasantly surprised to see her old skirt in this new form that is updated, flattering and unique.

A Simple Summer Top

Every once in a while I am given a bag of unwanted clothing. This XL T-shirt was such a pretty shade of burgundy that I knew that I had to think of some way to salvage it. Fortunately for me, the placement of the logos left me just enough space to cut out a fitted sleeveless top with a criss-cross front.

I used the sleeves of the T-shirt to make the criss-cross bodice. I also saved myself time by cutting the edge of the bodice as well as the front and back panels on the existing hems. I'm considering trying to add some kind of beading or embroidery to the neckline, but am notorious at procrastinating when it comes to embellishing my projects, so we'll see if that happens. ;)