T-shirt Projects

…were made from a T-shirt with care, with hopes that old tee could get some more wear. It’s not exactly how the traditional poem goes, and I realize I’m a little late with the tutorial should you have wanted to take a stab at it yourself, but stow this one away for next season! Here’s a holiday stocking variation on the Stocked Up wine cozy (project #32 in Generation T: Beyond Fashion):

1. Make a pattern by sketching or tracing the outline of the stocking on a sheet of scrap paper. Cut it out, make any adjustments, and pin it to the front of a large T-shirt. Trace the outline on the tee using a chalk marker.

2. Flip the pattern and trace to make a double-sided, double-thick stocking.

3. Pin and sew a running stitch around the curved edges.

4. Snip a scrap piece 3″ by 1″, fold it in half to make a loop.

5. Cut three strips from a sleeve, and stretch them to make cords. Braid them together to make trim.

6. Pin and sew the trim in place around the top edge with a running stitch. Secure the hanging loop as you go.

7. Remove the pins. Now it’s time to make them in multiples (and in varying sizes–the one on the right, made from a Tiger Cubs uniform, is for the four-legged meowing member of the household, naturally!), and hang them by the chimney…or the key hooks with care.

8. Then fill ’em up with goodies!

From the mailbag: Rebecca from Wyoming writes that she made the Pin-up Girl halter top for her…dogs! She wanted to make them bright-colored vests so they wouldn’t be mistaken for wild animals when she took them hiking during hunting season. Rebecca used the Generation T halter top pattern as described in project #1 in the book (minus the pin), then cut an approximately 4″ slit from the center of the bottom front edge.  Her dogs, Mbera and Yaz, wear the halter backwards. Rebecca tied the corners created by the slit at the dogs’ backs to make the vest more fitted.

Here they are, the pinup pooches, outfitted and ready for an outdoor outing!

Rebecca reports that Mbera and Yaz find their vests very comfortable–and the bright oranges sure make them stand out!

Don’t forget to check out Chapter 5: Pet Central in Generation T: Beyond Fashion for more ideas and inspiration.

We’re comfortably into December now and many of the holiday countdowns are upon us. Between these great roundups at WhipUp and Threadbanger, the advent airwaves are crowded…but let’s not forget our fair T-shirt. (Never!)

I made the Final Countdown pocket calendar (project #35 in Generation T: Beyond Fashion) using 1 large T-shirt as the base (cut off the bottom of the T-shirt just below the sleeves, then up the side to make a large rectangle), several T-shirt pockets (or you can cut and stitch on your own from sleeves and other scraps), and iron-on letters to personalize it. I ran a drawstring through the hem (now oriented at the top) to tie it at each end–or you can simply use tacks to pin it to the wall.

Despite its name, this DIY project can be used again and again and again–and again!

In fact, this one can be used for every event around the year. Celebrate the eight nights of Hanukkah, the twelve days of Christmas, or the countdown to your VIP’s next birthday, an anniversary, or your own graduation. Fill it with candy, cookies, gift cards, handmade coupons, knick knacks, paper fortunes, or other party favors.

But to kick off some serious fun, we’re giving away Generation T surprises in celebration of the “Ten Days of Solstice.” There happen to be 10 pockets in this countdown calendar, so this season Generation T is excited to count down to the day of the maximum tilt of the Earth’s equator! Exciting.

Starting today, you can enter to win one of the ten Generation T items shown here. The first winner will be announced tomorrow, December 12, and new surprise will be given away each day until Monday, December 21.

Each pocket on the Final Countdown calendar represents a surprise gift that I’m raffling off daily. (Mr. T mixed them all up, so even I don’t know “what’s behind door number 1.”)

Here’s what happens:

1. To enter to win the prize in pocket #10, email me (megan @ generation-t.com) during the day today (December 11) until midnight (Eastern Standard Time), with the subject line “My DIY High” and one sentence about what gives you the DIY high. Don’t forget to include your mailing address so I can send you the prize if you win!

2. Your email qualifies you for the daily raffle to win what’s in pocket #10.

3. When the clock strikes midnight (EST), entries are closed for that day. I will  select a winner at random and announce that winner the following morning. I will also announce the new prompt (subject line/email) needed to enter to win the next daily prize (again, entries will be accepted until midnight, EST).

YOU CAN ENTER EVERY DAY! Any questions, leave them in the comments…

Besides all the cooking and baking and cheese-plate making that happened over Thanksgiving (playing host to 14 adults, 1 preschooler, and 1 newly adopted kitten), there was also the task of entertaining the little one (our adorable niece) as she scrambled around underfoot. So Mr. T and I put together a big pink bag-o-fun tote that she could dig into whenever she got bored. Of course Generation T made it into the bag: the Shake It Up Baby skirt (no-sew project #59 in book 2), made from a bunch of sleeves and other scraps in my workshop. I’m glad a took a picture of it before our niece tried it on, because as you can see, she didn’t stop moving once she had it on (between dancing to the music we had on and charging at me from down the hallway–that’s a lot of blur to try to catch on camera!).

And because I was on a roll,  I went ahead and made a skirt for another young friend of mine and mailed it out in a care package I had been sitting on for months. The skirt was lightly longer (she’s a little older), and with purple and blue color strips this time! This is such a great project because it a) gives a use for all those scraps b) is no-sew c) is super easy–seriously, it will only take you about 15 to 20 minutes d) is ridiculous fun for the wearer!

And, as a variation, if your tiny dancer likes bling, you can always glue on some “gems,” buttons, felt shapes, or feathers at the bottom of each fringe strip.

Let’s not forget our four-legged guest–the kitten was also in need of entertainment, once she got over the massive crowd invading her space. We tied extra T-shirt strips to the arms of a wooden chair and let them dangle there with a knot at the end so she’d have something to grab hold of. Whenever she was feeling playful, she wandered by and attacked! The T-shirt strips are perfect because they’re springy; when she releases them from her grip, they snap back and bounce around like they have a mind of their own. I’ve now added a Mouse Padded (stuffed cat toy, project #67) to my “to make” list…