More Fun

Our pal Stephanie from Massachusetts loves to get her craft on with T-shirts. She and her friend Maddy report that they dig into the Generation T books all the time (sweet, sweet music to the ears!).

Wow, am I behind! In addition to March being Women’s History Month (which I just narrowly acknowledged), it was also National Craft Month (which I did little to celebrate), and it was also Mr. T’s birthday (whose handmade birthday gifts have yet to be completed!). I won’t even get into the project posts I’ve promised many of you in the upcoming weeks and months (I promise, they’re coming). In the meantime, to remedy point two, I’m going to dig into a mystery care package that arrived (surprise) a couple of weeks ago. And though I’m late to excavating it, it truly is a delightful sort of package…full of the most delightful fabric remnants!

A little back story: In January, after a long day at CHA, I hitched a ride with my friend Sonya back to my hotel. When I pulled my suitcase from the back of her car, I saw some sequins peeking out from a bulging trash bag. “Wow, where did those come from?” I marveled. Sonya confessed that they had been part of a rescue mission of sorts–she had happened upon these bags and bags of remnant fabric, and couldn’t bear to see them go to waste. “But there’s no way I can use it all…” she insisted.

A month later, this package arrived. In it, was a wide selection of scraps from the trunk of Sonya’s car: sequined fabric, patterned fabric, jersey knit fabric, stretch fabric, gauzy fabric, layered fabric, dark fabric, light fabric, silky fabric… So, my question to you all: What should I make? I’m open to a challenge. Please leave your suggestions in the comments below!

How totally sweet is this? The necklace at right, made by Rebecca, is inspired by the Tic Tac Boa scarf in Generation T: Beyond Fashion. I’ve come across a few variations of the boa, and this one is a gorgeous specimen. The complete boa (more than twice as long) is quite time consuming and therefore an impressive test of patience–knot after knot after knot (an excellent task for watching that Bravo marathon on a rainy Saturday)–a necklace, on the other hand, is a delightful half-version that will accessorize and glamorize any outfit. Quite a statement piece itself, pair the necklace with something rather basic so it doesn’t overwhelm. Thanks, Rebecca, for sharing this modern interpretation on the Elizabethan ruff!

Megan writes that she’s been DIYing T-shirts and other fun things for about three years now. Here’s the most recent product of her refashioning efforts: It’s project#41 from Generation T: Beyond Fashion, an apron titled “Central Cooking.” Megan used a Seattle Bon Odori T-shirt to make her charming maroon and yellow domestic masterpiece.

Also in the picture is a delicious-looking, not-made-from-a-T-shirt, cake. Though Megan would love to claim it as her own, the dessert is actually a DIY project her mom made to donate as a prize at their local Wednesday night BINGO game. Generous, and yum! Wouldn’t you love to be on the winning end of that dessert? When Megan saw how the cake turned out, she knew it would make the perfect prop to show off her newest handmade accessory.

As you might guess, we’re a bit obsessed with all things T-shirt-related over here at Generation T (just a little). There are those totally cute T-shirt shaped key cozies, that cleverly au naturel leaf art “Tree-shirt” from a couple of months ago, this modestly self-referential T-shirt tee (right) by Paste that I became smitten with at the BUST Holiday Craftacular last December…

…And now this delightful find, below (which I was particularly inspired to post after the recent Craft: Tea Party in California): It’s Tee Tea, or should I say Tea-shirts. It’s a set of T-shirt shaped tea bags (tee bags) by Soon Mo Kang, complete with hangers (color-coded by flavor) and a closet to hang them in.

Have you come across any cool T-shirt references lately? Please share!

What a pair! New mom Andra and baby are totally rockin’ it refashioned tee style. Both are sporting DIY stitched applique tops inspired by the “Tattoo You” project (#79)from Generation T: Beyond Fashion–and note, mama even made baby’s basic T-shirt from a larger one she had lying around! I love the punk rock heart with the superhero star–it reminds me of a comic book “POW!” I wish I knew what this little superhero was dreaming about!

The base of Andra’s halter is the “Halt Right There” top, project #45 in Generation T, and baby’s drawstring bottoms are inspired by “Antsy Pants” pajama pants (project #57 in Generation T: Beyond Fashion). So comfy cozy…can you imagine a better use for that completely softened and well-worn T-shirt in the back of your closet?

Let’s not overlook that striped hat, which baby wore home from the hospital (inspired by “Top Knot” baby hat, #46 in GT:BF)–it was made from a larger shirt mama scored at a clothing swap from her friend Rebecca. That’s one crafty mama! (And one lucky kid!)

If the delighted blur of a little girl in the photo looks familiar, it’s because you may have seen her around in the recent Thanksgiving post! She’s my niece, and she’s wearing The Little Empress dress (project #58 in Generation T: Beyond Fashion) made from a single adult T-shirt by my dear sister-in-law, who loyally reads the blog, and battled bravely through both her claims of lost sewing skills (not so!) and the flu (note the well-placed box of tissues on the workspace floor below) to make this cute jumper. This particular little empress was so enthusiastic about this newest addition to her wardrobe that she wanted to wear it to bed!

The dress design was featured this summer in Chicago Parent magazine–it’s a great project to make on the cheap for your daughters, nieces, and granddaughters. And, come to think of it, you could adapt the dress to make a full, empire-bodice halter top for an adult!

Margaret, from Texas, writes that Generation T is one of the most visited books on her shelf! (Aww…we love to hear that!) She has always collected different fabrics like T-shirts, denim (jeans), and corduroy, and even though Generation T is all about the T-shirt, she’s been able to take her old fabrics and use patterns from the book to create new things. Attached is a picture of her and a friend visiting New York City. Margaret, right, is wearing a skirt made of three navy blue T-shirts plus a Chinese batik T-shirt that someone brought from China for her as a gift. The skirt she made became a favorite  in her closet! She says, “I love giving new life to tired things.” We do, too!

Happy Solstice! Today we announce the final winner in the Generation T “Ten Days of Solstice” giveaway (as well as celebrate the shortest day of the year–or rather, celebrate that the days of sunlight only increase from here!).

So what was inside pocket #1 of the Final Countdown Pocket Calendar?  The winner is Kayleigh–whose favorite Generation T project is #108, Tying the Knot, the T-shirt wedding gown which she adapted from the first book for a dance class. Kayleigh’s surprise is the vintage patch and pin embellishing set. And the bonus surprise is a signed, brand new copy of Generation T: Beyond Fashion.  Congratulations to all the winners in our countdown (Amy, Elaura, Juliet, Elizabeth, Deborah, Claire, Julia, Lauren, Barbara, and Kayleigh) and thanks to all who entered! Let’s do this again, soon, okay?

In the meantime, make the most of these daylight hours!