Upcycled Tees

Ever since I started my sewing journey I have tried to upcycle/ refashion existing garments. Over the half term holidays I spent a day doing just this. I had several of my hubby's t-shirts that didn't fit him, so I had a look at them to see what could be made, rather than ditching them.

3 of them I made into t-shirts for me. I had to choose a pattern carefully so that I could fit the pieces on the existing body/ sleeves of the t-shirts. I considered both the Stellan T-shirt pattern and the Basic InstincTee.

Both of these are free patterns, but I found that the stellan pieces were a touch too wide so I used the size small of the Basic InstincT tee. This fits my frame well and the shoulders are a good width, which is always my issue with T shirts!

The Blue and Black Tees had a graphic print on, so I had to be careful to place the front in a good position to have the print placed well. I cut self bands from the T shirt hems to create the neckline.

The grey Tee was plain and I used some contrast ribbing from my stash to add a neckband and sleeve bands.

These are already getting some wear with my new wide legged Dawn jeans.

The other couple of Tees were desitined to be made into underwear. I used my TNT Watson pattern by Cloth habit. I thought I had nailed the fit on this, and I have with the regular band, but the longline version fits very differently. The hook and eye is very low at the back and this means there is not as much underbust support, which is where fitting is key in a bra. The longline version is wearable, but the fit is not great. I really like the back version though. Lingerie is fab to make from t shirts as the pieces are so small.

All the elastics and hardware I had in my stash. I lined the cups with mesh and used cotton for the inside of the front band, making it stable.

I enclosed all the seams so it looks pretty neat! I really should have different colours in my bobbin thread to ensure that it matches the elastic - but life is too short.

The knickers are also the watson pattern, but the waist is raised by 2cm. I do need to find a good source of suitable elastic for knickers as my options are not the best here.

Room Revamp

So I have't been sewing much lately. I set myself a slightly more challenging task - to revamp the front room.

My Hubby has been away and I need to keep myself busy so I planned to redecorate.  The room has been looking rather sad for a while and the dado rail was coming away from the wall and some of the shelves were falling down too. The paper had been painted over several times and was also getting rather battered. Time for a new look.

Wallpaper Stripping

I prepped the room over the first two weekends he was away. One weekend I stripped the wallpaper and then filled the walls during the week. The following weekend I sanded the walls ready for papering. I had also been keeping an eye on Freecycle and managed to aquire a new to me sofa, which was perfect for our needs and would replace our rather battered leather sofa. A friend helped collect it and I waited for a week to get rid of the old one. The space was difficult to work around!

On Saturday, my Mother in Law and I went to South Shields market and bought the fabric for the curtains and some fabric for sofa throws; went to B&Q and bought lining paper and paint and we were ready to go.

Walls ready to paint

Sunday morning we emptied the room and set to work painting the ceiling and papering. Most of the paper went on well, but there were a couple of sections that i wasn't happy with the finish and I ended up taking them off and pasting some more on. just putting lining paper on made such a difference, lighter and brighter.

Alcoves and walls painted

Monday we painted. The alcoves were painted "Proud Peacock" and the rest of the walls buttermilk. both by Dulux paints. I used the spirit level to ensure all my top edges were straight. I have a fairly steady hand and only needed to touch up the white paint on the coving in two places.

Impressive art

Tuesday was spent making glossing the woodwork and making the curatins and throws and getting everything ready to dress the room before John arrived home on Wednesday morning. Unfortunately the curtain tape I had was faulty and it failed to gather and the threads snapped, which meant a trip to Dunelm Mills to buy more on my way back from picking John up from the airport on Wednesday. I also needed he assistance in hanging the large painting.

Freecycle Sofa and my painting.

He has said he wanted the walls painted orange, but I decided to include one of the large paintings I made for my MA. It's very orange and contrasts nicely with the feature walls. All in all a job well done, and a nice room to relax in.

Hearth and alcoves

The finished room.

Getting Ready

I have a lovely shirt that my hubby used to wear - it's much to big for him now. I love the fabric and was wondering what to make from it. I tried wrapping it around myself, trying to visualise it as a top - and decided it was far to big a pattern to get away with. I've decided to make it into a skirt - A line, the type you might find in Fat Face or White Stuff. So I've been busy trying to locate my patterns. I know I had loads and loads of patterns - but have a feeling I may have got rid during a moment of madness - either that or they are under a load of junk in the loft!
So - as I can't find them - I decided I'd have a go at drafting a pattern  - I know how a skirt is constructed, but i've never made my own pattern - i've just cut the fabric and hoped for the best! This time I need to be careful or I wont have enough fabric to complete the skirt. so I found this post on Sew Mad, showing how to construct a skirt block - so this week I'm giving it a go. Look out for updates as I upcycle this shirt into a stylish skirt.

Ragbags - batch 1

crochet rag bag - first attempt

Rag bag

and the other side

woven fabric and machine embroidery

small messenger style bag - recycled jeans and summer skirt

and under the flap

Crochet shopper - old t shirts

crochet bag - using King Cole Riot wool - not recycled

These are my first attempts at creating bags from recycled fabrics. I've used a patchwork effect, woven fabrics together and crocheted strips of fabrics to make a bag or two. I'm not sure they've all been successful and I will adapt the designs. feedback greatly appreciated.