Tuesday, March 24, 2009

T-shirt sewing


These shirts are super easy. It wasn't until my third child was toddling around that I attempted to sew with knits. I was tired of seeing his long torso only partially covered by his shirts. T-shirts are either hit or miss--they can be too boxy, too short, the neck too tight....

To make a decent tee I took apart a favorite shirt that was stained, using it as a template I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to make. I have been making shirts this way for 11 years now and have come up with a few shortcuts.


Decent interlock knits are hard to find. For a child's shirt I scout out yard sales and thrift stores for extra large adult interlock polos or T- shirts. I used a Ralph Lauren polo for this red striped shirt. Sam drew the whale for me and I made it into an applique.



Most fabric stores have limited knit selection and the quality usually isn't too good. This time of year is when they have their best selection when the warm weather fabrics are in stock. Occasionally I will find a rainbow selection of rib knit (the neck lining) and will pick a few 1/8 yard colors to have on hand. If I can't find the appropriate coordinating colored rib knit I will buy a thrifted T shirt and cut the neck off and trim the rib knit to size.

Are you bored by this?



Henry will wear these shirts until about August when his two year old mock beer gut pokes out and/or they are covered with grape popsicle stains. Three of our kids have really long torsos and short legs, one has her Nana's really long chicken legs and the other has absolutely no butt. All the same it's fun to dress them when they are young. Around age 12 this changes and it is no longer fun to dress them. I was thinking of that show "What not to Wear" and it would be great to see a child's version. I have some contestants all lined up.

7 comments:

Dawn Gahan said...

I love that you took pictures of the shirts with props. We blogging gals are such the photo stylists!!! Love it.

Also meant to thank you for the offer of your shoulder. I consider you special as well.

With lots of prayer I came out of the last two weeks with things looking up and, most importantly, me being focused on being a good woman. Ugliness on the inside is toxic, and I turned that around real fast.

Thanks for your sweet words. They meant more than you'll know. It's amazing how those sentiments stick with you throughout the tough times and give you strength and encouragement.

Love,
Dawn

Sweet Cottage Dreams said...

I loved seeing the t-shirts that you created and how wonderful that you can repurpose an adult shirt for a childs. So inventive!!!

Your comment on the two year old beer gut made me roar! Teeee heeeee!

Thank you so much for all of the kind words that you have left for me. Pardon my forgetfulness, but have we spoken about you being a part of the Air Force family?
If not, I'd love to hear about you. My email is on my profile.

happy day and keep on sewing!!

xo
Becky

~Lavender Dreamer~ said...

How cute! I remember making tee shirts for my sons...years ago! You have a better variety of designs now than in the olden days! heehee!

Emily said...

This post is proof of why there are two awards waiting for you at my blog!!

Various and Sunday said...

I was not bored by your post, and of course I got my laugh session toward the end reading about Henry's "mock beer belly." Oh my goodness, that's hilarious. I always wonder about knits though: do they require some special setting on the sewing machine? Knits scare me. But maybe I should give it a try!

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