Funky T-Shirt ReFashion

November 8, 2014

Born Natural T-Shirt Funky ReFashion

This is another refashion attempt, yes, attempt (as in no plan ahead of time).

I have a couple of natural hair T-shirts that I am refashioning into something a... little more.  T-shirts with a little pizzazz was the plan.  But of course when you don’t lay your plans out ahead of time...and when you don't you simply grab the scissors to start cutting and serging pieces back together.  When you do this I find you are taking great risks.  What risk of what you may ask, of coming out with something that looks NOTHING like the picture you had in your head when you started, sigh.   But it is done.  

This particular T-shirt is from a local young lady named Daphne Pollard and her hometown small based business is called ‘Born Natural’, you can find her on Facebook here.  If you are not local you can find her T-shirts, sweatshirts, totes, tank tops and even cell phone cases here . 

As I stated this one did not come out according to plan, I mean had there been a plan PRIOR to starting.  But no worries, I plan to buy a red one (of course, being my favorite color and all) and start with a well laid out plan and hopefully come out with the picture I stared with in my head.  

So here is the T-shirt as it came from Born Natural. 

Isn't that the cutest?!  So, I somewhat planned (in other words, as I was standing there staring at it about 3 minute before I started cutting) where to make my first cut although I had no idea where this was going after that initial cut. 

                             

That first snip is always the hardest and most nerve wrecking, but there I did it.   

 

Then I cut off the sleeves.  

Then I measured one side on the front rib neck to the middle and marked it, I repeated the same on the other side.  

                   

     

This was to mark how low in the FRONT only that I wanted to cut my T-shirt, to far down and you will be showing a lot my of your ahem, natural born beauty.

Cut the front neck off.   

Then cut the back of the rib neck off.  You may dip down an inch or so if you want it to fall lower on the neck.  I did go down just a bit.

You will be left with something like this.  (this tag was ironed on so there was not cutting it off completely)

My first thought was to use this zipper yardage I bought on our anniversary trip, but decided I didn’t like it for this project.              

My second thought was to use bias binding the same color (you know, since I had some in the cabinet).   Hated that idea.                 

I left that for now and moved on to open both sides (I’ll come back to the neck).  I cut them open.           

I wanted to do something with the waist area of my T-shirt so I held a ruler up to myself and measured (I don’t know where my tape measure just disappeared to) 2 or so inches under the middle section of my bra down to my navel. 

     

I then folded that bottom piece in half (with the entire hem on the bottom), went up the number that I measured, drew a line, and then cut all four layers on that line.  .                 

     

    

   

 I ended up with this.                

Then I cut a wave in the middle piece like this (still folded the same from the previous cut).     

I then laid that piece upside down on the bottom of my T-shirt and cut my T-shirt to match.  

And I got this.                  

This is how the T-shirt looked when it was open, you see the sides are split (previous step).       

Now I sewed the middle wave part the matched wave part of the T-shirt.  

 Actually I serged them together, on the right side of the fabric (the pretty part they people will see).  That’s my baby Ricardo, he’s such a good boy.     

I ended up with this.  Apparently I did not cut the wave deep enough to get the effect I was going for.  But moving forward anyway. 

I then serged the sleeves back on, again on the right side of the fabric (T-shirt).                        

     

I ended up with this.   

             

I then took those leftover pieces from the bottom piece of the T-shirt and cut off the hem.  

I then serged 2 pieces to each other, twice (reminder there were four layers that we cut because we had it folded in half).               

Next I put each of those new pieces on each open side of the T-shirt.

     

And came out with this.          

Then I remembered the pretty little remnant piece in my stash that had sparkles in it.  Ohhhhhhhh what girl doesn’t like to sparkle a little?  Okay, okay, a lot!  

            

With the fabric folded in half and then folded in half again (out of the 4 sides of this now square piece of fabric you will have bottom with 4 open layers, one side on the fold with the opposite side also having 4 open layers and the top have 2 folded layers.  Whew, it’s clear as mud now, right? LOL)  I did the same you would do for a circle skirt.  I always ended up making mine too big so I followed some wise advice if you are small go 3 inches down, medium 4 inches down and large 5 inches down and about ½ an inch down for each bigger size.  Not sure that’s good advice because I still come out too small or too little.  So from experience on myself I know to start at about 5 inch cut.  So I put the tip of tape measure on the point of corner with fold and mark with chalk at 5 inches from one the folded edge all the way over the top side with the 2 fold edges.  I then cut that out and then open the fabric and hold it against my waist just to be sure it will fit (believe it or not some fabrics are just different with this).  

           

     

And of course that is some type of the flimsy fabric like chiffon so I had to refold it and go back to take off another inch.       

        

Now I measured from there as long as I want the little peplum type bottom to be.  In my case I wanted it as long as I could get it.   Again I moved my tape measure all around the bottom of the first cut.  Cut this piece out.  As I was cutting I decided to just use as much of the fabric as I could since it was so cute and sparkly.   

                         

Tadaaaaa!  

                      

               

Here’s a close up of just how purrtttty it is. 

                          

I then slipped the top of my top right side out (pretty side out) into my little peplumey skirt bottom with right sides (pretty sides) of each touching and pinned. 

                            

There’s my bob Ricardo again, hard at work.    

         

In the end, after no planning, I ended up with this little number.  

                         

Close up of the top portion with the ‘Born Natural’ logo. 

This is my attempt to style it for a run around town to look for a stove date night with the hubby.

Sorry the pics in the stores just didn't come out right, so you just get to see these 3 in our driveway.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Love and Shimmies,

Special Event or Dinner Party

Special Event or Dinner Party by stephsgotit featuring a trench coat

Monday Madness...herstory, updates, Sept. schedule

Howdy Hon,

No I have not forgotten about my dear blog!!

But I have been taking some much needed time to get my head and my heart together.  I was feeling some kind of way mentally, emotionally and physically.  But this blog was not only meant to share parts of personal life but to be fun and share knowledge/information.  That's what my whole world has become.  Learning new things and sharing those things with others.  And if no one reads it, then at least I have a location to refer back to all my notes on things, lol.  

There are so many new things coming into add our lives a new homeschool program, new grade, and yours truly will be going back to school as well.  woot-woot.  I will officially begin the Pathway  program on the 18th of this month.  I have already been officially accepted and paid my tuition for the fall quarter which is really inexpensive with this new program set up by my church.  I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints!  Our church has always been big on everyone getting an education.  They realize that sometimes life and finances (or the lack there of) can get in the way and prevent higher education from happening.  Sooooo, the presidency of the church and one of the churches school's BYU-Idaho (Brigham Young University, in Idaho)  established a program for members with just such situations in life.  The program starts out with the Pathway program which each student enrolls in and must take for one full year.  There are only a few basic life courses to complete (because so many people didn't learn how to do some the of the basic things every adult needs to run a household, ex. create a budget...).  In addition we must also attend a meeting once a week during this time.  Upon completion of the Pathway program we get to enroll as official students of BYU-Idaho On-Line degree program.  We get to take any course currently being offered and the best part of all we get to do it at that same rate per credit that we had in the Pathway program.  So you darn tootin' I am in!!  

My life concerns these last couple of years have moved from computers to a interest in health and wellness.  Although my DH and friend that I should go for the CIT (Computer Information Technology) degree my heart just wasn't in it.  But I wanted to get a Bachelor's degree, I have an Applied Associates degreee in Business Computer Programming.  My intention was to start there and get my Bachelor's degree in Computer Science.  Soooo, what happened you ask,  I fell in love, completed my Associates degree, got pregnant, and started working on my Bachelor's degree at Tuskegee Institute (now University).  Somewhere along the way he did propose and I accepted.  Long story way short - I was rushed from class one day to the emergency room.  Due to my size, condition and distance between classes and stairs, it was decided that I should drop that semester and return after the baby was born.  Speed forward, I gave birth to a beautiful baby girl, realized my relationship was not one a child should use as an example, so I set out in the workforce to support myself and child (with the help of my loving mother).  So thus life began (I like saying that line).  Years later I got a job at a nursing home which allowed me to go to classes for CNA (Certified Nursing Assistant) and I worked my way up the ladder with that company until employment ended.  Okay, that's enough herstory.  The point is although I have had many trainings, have an associates degree and have many certifications I still want that Bachelors degree.  I am going to go get it.  Thankfully the church has provided a way for me and many others to go about getting it.  Also they have added some more courses to the BYU-Idaho On-Line degree program which means I will NOT be taking CIT but I will be majoring in Health Science, yeah me!!  This scares me to death, there is a possibility of a Physics class, yikes.  I can get through the Algebra with studying but Physics... I hopefully will not have to take that one.  Of course, I could start studying Physic now so it won't be so foreign, lol, that's an idea.  I have a whole year to finish Pathway before starting the degree classes soooooo,guess  I better get to work huh?

I still intend to blog, I'll be doing so all along and keeping ahead of the schedule so things will be in place and ready.  I hope to share not only the stuff I already know but all the new things I continue to learn along the way. Including hopefully some stuff from school as well as the things you're probably checking out for blog for anyway, like sewing, crafting, recipes, natural hair, DIYs, etc,...

I'm so excited again to get back to it, I did enjoy the little I have done on this blog and hope that someday you will feel the same! 

Thanks for stopping in.  Oh, if you're interested in a schedule for the rest of the month: of course it's still all the Monday's and we're counting today as the first Monday for September (I know it's actually the 2nd Monday, just work with me here okay).  So that makes the 8th, today, Madness; 15th, Recipe Review: Spinach and Cheese Manicotti - ooohhh yummmmm; 22nd, DIY finally finish Large Picture frame thread and bobbin holder; and 29th I am doing several sew-a-longs in a couple of Facebook groups I am a part of so we will just have to see which one will get featured in this months's Marvelous Monday.  I'll also post one in the OOTD tab, so you get two of them this month, woot-woot!  In addition I  have a tutorial I am doing for one of the groups.  It's for a very simple top which is in one of my pictures already posted on the blog, so I think I will post it this month as well!!  Yes, so much coming up, I do hope you will stop by and check it all out.  Feel free to leave a commit, I would love to hear from you and if you like the direction the blog is going in.  Of course, I would not mind at all if you became a subscriber as well, tee-hee, I know, shameless!

Love and Shimmies,

Still Editing, software update, temp Break!

Howdy Hons,

Yep it's Monday, and yes I am editing the video for Stitch Fix Review Box #2.  Apparently I was late getting the update for my editing software, sigh.

I was beginning to wonder should I just give this up, this blogging thing.  I mean really, I have homeschooling for our son about to start in a month, I will be starting school for myself as well, just got a new calling in church, two new roles in Toastmasters, taking a tribal bellydance class, sewing for myself, sewing for charity, learn to play (again) and practice my autoharp and psalter for a Christmas performance with my honey, learn to play something else, and or course everyday life like cleaning (which I hate), cooking, being a better wife, a better mother, scripture study, prepare Zumba classes, bellydance troupe practice...That sounds like a full plate already without the aggravation of trying to blog.  Especially when no one sees it but me, sigh.

So that brought me to one major question.  Why did I want to do this blog in the first place?  What drives me to constantly be thinking of ways to make it better?  Why do I feel like a failure if I don't put a post up?  I keep coming back to the same simple answer.  The things I post about are things that I love, that I enjoy.  And it's my nature to share the things that bring me joy in hopes of helping to bring that same joy to others.

Sigh... soooooooo here I am.  I know I need to be more consistently with the times in which I post.  But it's hard sometimes to get on track when you know it's not being seen yet.  Of course, how can it be seen if it's not where it's supposed to be right?!

So I have decided to take the next couple of week off, BUT not just to sit around and mope.  Oh no, I am going to build up the posts and get a head start on them so that I have a better grasp at posting on a regular schedule about the things I said I wanted to post about.  I would like to add more sewing related posts as well since that is a major part of my life and there is always something to learn and share.  There are always cool DIY's to try and come up with.

So the next post is scheduled for August 11th!  That will  be the review and YouTube video complete with pictures, then the recipe I promised, also with pictures.  I am praying that this will help me get ahead of the game and thereby posting more quality for your bang.

Okay darlings, it's back to editing right now!

Love and Shimmies,

P.S. Remember I'll be on a short break and will be back on August 11th!!