Tutelage.
Hey chicas y chicos. Remember this top?:
Of course you do. A tut was requested, and since I exist only to acquiese to the needs of fellow seamstresses, I did so.
Okay, kiddies. Here we go. Start with a t-shirt that fits mostly but is a tad bit big on you. (It should fit particularly in the arms/sleeves cause you'll need those. Though you can always adjust to fit.)
I used this totally awesome shirt:
Because I am awesome. Now, the graphic is kind of large, so I decided to flip it around and put it on the back. Don't worry about that graphic there... it's not going to be on the final product, though you can certainly cut it out and save it to applique later. I didn't. Anyway. Cut off the sleeves and trim them down:
Now cut the top of the shirt off, where the lowest part of the collar is:
(I moved into the room with the sewing machine here, just so you understand the change of scenery)
Now try the tube on and pinch/pin, trace a well-fitting tube, hold it up and mark with chalk where it fits or do something mathematically ridiculous. Somehow, sew seams on each side of the shirt to create a tube that your body will fit into:
Yes, I used pink thread on a black shirt. No comments. I did later change the thread to black. I'm not THAT lazy.
Anyway, at this point, I usually try things on to make sure I haven't sewed them too tight:
I have wings! But it fits alright. Cut off the extra fabric and hem the top all the way around:
Fold the top in half (the front will be on the outside) and mark with chalk (or something) the middle of the front so you know where to gather:
Then gather. There are a multitude of ways to do this, including elastic, pleating by hand, and using a basting stich. I used a longer stitch on the machine and didn't backstick, then pulled the strings so it gathered and tied the ones on the inside together, then stitched over it so it would stay. My method was ridiculous. Use elastic. Elastic works very well. Anyway, it should look something like this:
Now take the sleeves from before and pin them to the sides of the tube, lining up the seams. Actually, it's hard to explain, just do this:
Sew the sleeve to the tube, about an inch on either side of the seam. Or, well, I used an inch, but I'm tiny, so if you're bigger than me, it comes out to more or less how wide your arm is. Anyway, should look like this:
On me:
"But wait!" you say. "That droopy sleeve thing is tre sexy, but what if I'm at school/work/somewhere that require sleeves or I don't like my shoulders/they're cold!" I have the solution, and the final step. Sew a length of ribbon to each sleeve, about .5 - 1.5 inches (again, depending on the size of your arm) from the top of the sleeve. The ribbon I used is about two feet long on each side and it makes a nice long tie.
So the finished product:
Comments/questions/thoughts? Let me know how this tut was! And if you make something from it, PLEASE post pics! I want to see!
Ciao,
Brinn
Of course you do. A tut was requested, and since I exist only to acquiese to the needs of fellow seamstresses, I did so.
Okay, kiddies. Here we go. Start with a t-shirt that fits mostly but is a tad bit big on you. (It should fit particularly in the arms/sleeves cause you'll need those. Though you can always adjust to fit.)
I used this totally awesome shirt:
Because I am awesome. Now, the graphic is kind of large, so I decided to flip it around and put it on the back. Don't worry about that graphic there... it's not going to be on the final product, though you can certainly cut it out and save it to applique later. I didn't. Anyway. Cut off the sleeves and trim them down:
Now cut the top of the shirt off, where the lowest part of the collar is:
(I moved into the room with the sewing machine here, just so you understand the change of scenery)
Now try the tube on and pinch/pin, trace a well-fitting tube, hold it up and mark with chalk where it fits or do something mathematically ridiculous. Somehow, sew seams on each side of the shirt to create a tube that your body will fit into:
Yes, I used pink thread on a black shirt. No comments. I did later change the thread to black. I'm not THAT lazy.
Anyway, at this point, I usually try things on to make sure I haven't sewed them too tight:
I have wings! But it fits alright. Cut off the extra fabric and hem the top all the way around:
Fold the top in half (the front will be on the outside) and mark with chalk (or something) the middle of the front so you know where to gather:
Then gather. There are a multitude of ways to do this, including elastic, pleating by hand, and using a basting stich. I used a longer stitch on the machine and didn't backstick, then pulled the strings so it gathered and tied the ones on the inside together, then stitched over it so it would stay. My method was ridiculous. Use elastic. Elastic works very well. Anyway, it should look something like this:
Now take the sleeves from before and pin them to the sides of the tube, lining up the seams. Actually, it's hard to explain, just do this:
Sew the sleeve to the tube, about an inch on either side of the seam. Or, well, I used an inch, but I'm tiny, so if you're bigger than me, it comes out to more or less how wide your arm is. Anyway, should look like this:
On me:
"But wait!" you say. "That droopy sleeve thing is tre sexy, but what if I'm at school/work/somewhere that require sleeves or I don't like my shoulders/they're cold!" I have the solution, and the final step. Sew a length of ribbon to each sleeve, about .5 - 1.5 inches (again, depending on the size of your arm) from the top of the sleeve. The ribbon I used is about two feet long on each side and it makes a nice long tie.
So the finished product:
Comments/questions/thoughts? Let me know how this tut was! And if you make something from it, PLEASE post pics! I want to see!
Ciao,
Brinn