T-shirt Projects

How to: Tie-Dye Your Life! (via Your Wardrobe)

I always bring a craft project when I visit my niece, Dorothy. One time it was Embroidery Day, another it was Felt Cat Ear Day…this time it was Tie-Day Day! Our goal, which we nobly chose to accept: to tie-dye an entire wardrobe. As you can see, we got pretty darn close…

So, despite all my T-shirt proclivities, I have to confess I actually have never tie-dyed in my adult life. I don’t know what made me think that it would be so hard, but honestly, the only thing that could have made this easier was a nice picnic table outside to craft on (and that’s just me asking for a luxurious upgrade).

The takeway: Tie-dye. Is. So. Easy.

I would go so far as to say it’s foolproof! Next time you have a family reunion, skip ordering the printed T-shirts: Set up a tie-dye station for all the siblings and cousins–by morning, you’ll have a full set of T-shirts perfect for a very colorful family portrait!

Materials:
–Tulip One-Step Tie-Dye Kit (color: “Vibrant” — includes rubber bands, bottles, dyes, two pairs of plastic gloves, and an instruction/inspiration sheet)
-Cotton things to dye: We picked T-shirts (in two sizes, for the two cousins), tights, and socks!
-plastic table cloth or plastic garbage bag to cover your work surface
-paper towels
-plastic cling wrap or zip-lock bags

Note: If you’re working with new T-shirts, pre-wash and dry them to make sure any shrinking that’s going to happen has happened!

Make it:
Hop on over for the how-to at the I Love to Create Blog! (Plus a cute photo-bomb by my niece.) We tie-dyed spirals onto T-shirts, sunbursts onto tights, diagonal stripes onto another T-shirt, horizontal stripes onto socks, and a bullseye design onto yet another T-shirt.

After her cousin, Niko, woke up from his nap, it was time to try on the matching Swirl design tie-dye T-shirts!

Did I mention tie-dye is also great for obscuring grass stains? An added bonus, for sure! There’s definitely more tie-dye to come this summer — and quite likely in my size this time.

[ 2 Comments | Posted on May 28th, 2013 ]

Adventures

Generation T: Beyond Fashion, now in Russian!

There’s a new member of the Generation T family! Can you spot her, all the way off to the right there, standing with the really impressive posture? If you could hear her talk, you’d know she has a pretty hot accent, too.

This introduction is clearly the moment you’ve all been waiting for: Generation T: Beyond Fashion is now available in Russian — and in hardcover, no less. Добро пожаловать, русские читатели! (Welcome Russian readers!)

What do you think about the changes from the English-language cover? Do you like to see more projects pictured? Do you prefer the purple to blue on the spine? What about the halter top I’m wearing (do you prefer it in red or white)?

Head on over to the books section of the website to check out the full library of the Generation T and Generation T: Beyond Fashion editions (foreign and domestic) that have hit the shelves over the years.

[ 2 Comments | Posted on May 17th, 2013 ]

T-shirt Projects

Knit Your Own T-shirt!

Calling all knitters! This is one of those times that I wish so hard that I was a better knitter. Because this hand-knit T-shirt is something I would totally make.

Materials:

Make it:

For the pattern how-to, visit Laura’s Loop on PurlBee, the Purl Soho sewing and knitting blog.

Now that is a T-shirt I wouldn’t touch with scissors!

[ Comments Off on Knit Your Own T-shirt! | Posted on May 13th, 2013 ]

Other Projects

I Love to Create: A Painted Umbrella!

They say that April showers bring May flowers. And in some parts of the country this year there’ve even been April flurries to herald in the blooms! While Mother Nature keeps us on our toes, here’s a colorful springtime project that really brings the flowers when it rains. It’s just one of a slew of ways to decorate an umbrella with paint (because let’s face it, sometimes a purple umbrella isn’t quite bright enough). It’s part pop art (a gumball machine!), part impressionism (Monet’s gardens at Giverny) — and a whole lot of color to brighten any dreary day! We often think of fabric paints in the context of T-shirts and other wearables, but it’s fun to experiment with paint on other fabric-based surfaces: embellished pillows, couches, canvas director chairs, curtains, and…umbrellas!

What you need:
-plain umbrella
–Tulip Soft Fabric Paint in a variety of colors (I used Azalea, Lime, Mandarin Orange, Linen, Crimson Red Matte, and Holiday Green Matte)
–Tulip Sponge Pouncers (foam paintbrush)
-paper plate (to use as a paint palette)

Make it:
Click through to the the iLoveToCreate Blog to watch the how-to video I did for About.com, and follow the step-by-step photos.

What a nice vibrant splash of color while we wait for more flowers to poke through!

[ Comments Off on I Love to Create: A Painted Umbrella! | Posted on April 23rd, 2013 ]

More Fun

From Our Readers: Brenda!

Happy Earth Day, friends! Today’s “from our readers” feature introduces Brenda, a Canadian expat living it up in Mexico and slashing up old T-shirts whenever she can. She asked me a question over Twitter awhile ago, and I was just too slow in answering (I do so understand when the scissors start getting a little twitchy, and one needs to forge on!), so Brenda, resourceful lady that she is, found a design on the Internets to help fulfill her vision (if anyone knows the source, let me know so I can properly link it! UPDATE: Properly linked to the source shirt!). See the result of Brenda’s T-shirt snipping (white T-shirt, left).

And this one (green T-shirt, right), inspired by the butterfly variation on the slashed “Brokenhearted Tee” (project #2 in Generation T: 108 Ways to Transform a T-shirt):

Happy Earth Day to all! What sweet T-shirt hacks are on your creative calendar? What are you making next?

[ Comments Off on From Our Readers: Brenda! | Posted on April 22nd, 2013 ]

More Fun

It’s T-shirt Weather!

It’s a beautiful day here in Brooklyn, the short sleeves are out, and so is the sun. It finally feels like spring, which as you all know, means one thing over here at Generation T HQ: It’s T-shirt weather! Here’s a song by the Lucksmiths that we’re obviously smitten rather with. Enjoy!


[ Comments Off on It’s T-shirt Weather! | Posted on April 14th, 2013 ]

Adventures

Thank you, Peter

If you are a lover of books, you may often find yourself, as I do, turning a book over in your hands, looking not only for the author’s name or the designer credit, but at the spine where the publisher’s name is printed. These are the books I most admire, the titles and pages that have shaped my life and helped me grow. And there’s one name, in particular, that has been remarkably consistent:

When I was little, I used to quiz my younger siblings with BrainQuest decks on long car rides. My older brother and I diligently worked through the pages of Kids’ Big Book of Games. We flipped through a well-worn copy of All I Need to Know I Learned from My Cat, sure that several of the cats featured had to be ours. We crafted from books like Snips and Snails and Walnut Whales and nerded out building the skeleton from the Bones Book & Skeleton (the original edition).  We went on family hikes with the Birds and Trees Fandex tucked into our backpacks; my college roommates and I engaged in existential ruminations over a tattered copy of The Book of Questions; and I consulted 1000 Places before I went on vacation to Puerto Rico. When I became pregnant years later, I turned, as many do, to What to Expect When You’re Expecting. And today, copies of Sandy Boynton’s Belly Button Book and Pajama Time and Rufus Butler Seder’s Gallop! are in constant rotation when I read to my toddler before bed. These are books that one can live by.

On Sunday morning, the founder and publisher of the company whose name is printed on the spine of my two books and countless more titles that have impacted my childhood and my life, died at his home in New York City.

Peter Workman‘s passion for books, for ideas, for trying the unexpected and having faith in the unlikely, was infectious for those of us lucky to have worked with him. He was a generous spirit, a visionary publisher, a wise teacher, a brave dreamer, and an extraordinary human. He will be missed by so many.

May his spirit and vision continue to live through the fine works that populate our bookshelves and engage our minds.

[ Comments Off on Thank you, Peter | Posted on April 8th, 2013 ]

More Fun

From Our Readers: Valerie!

I love it when the T-shirt refashioning community rallies for a cause. Sure, Earth Day is around the corner, and the more old T-shirts that can be saved from the trash bin, the better, but this amazing photo from Valerie, a high school teacher in the Bay Area, really warmed my heart. Valerie’s homeroom group used the Generation T books as inspiration to craft pink superhero capes, pink headbands, pink hats, and pink belts from old T-shirts in honor of Pink Tsunami, a school-wide event created to rally against bullying of LGBT students.

The day, which was founded in response to an incident involving a boy being bullied for wearing pink, has become an annual tradition at the school (which has been featured before on Generation-T.com!) — and this particular photo was from a February 2011 celebration. T-shirt sleeves were transformed into hats, scraps were braided into headbands and belts, and students wore handmade superhero capes all day to show support for the anti-bullying message. And, of course, they had a blast doing it.

[ Comments Off on From Our Readers: Valerie! | Posted on April 1st, 2013 ]

Other Projects

How to: Paper Bunny Ears!

Here’s one last Easter-themed tutorial before the weekend! And this how-to is egg-free (no more glitter, dye, or shaving cream). Best of all, the adjustable band means that both little and big kids can perch these bunny ears atop their heads!

Materials:
-Colored paper (for headband)
-Decorative paper (for ear exteriors; check your wrapping paper stash!)
-White paper (for ear interiors)
-File folder (as stiffener, for perky ears!)
–Tacky Dot Runner or glue stick
-Paper scissors
-Clear tape
-Pen or pencil

Make it:

Click below to follow along with the Paper Bunny Ears video tutorial I made for About.com!

And here’s additional proof that these ears are for bunny-wannabes of all ages:

Happy Easter!

[ Comments Off on How to: Paper Bunny Ears! | Posted on March 29th, 2013 ]

Other Projects

Easy Ombre Easter Eggs

Ombre skirts, ombre totes, ombre shoes, ombre nails, ombre hair, and don’t forget ombre T-shirts — ombre style is everywhere! Here’s Easter Egg DIY decorating #3 of the week: a clever tutorial for applying the trendy technique to your Easter eggs.

Materials:
-eggs (blown or hard-boiled)
-food coloring
-8 oz.clean, empty jam jars (or similar, for containing the dye)
-white vinegar
-warm water
-glass measuring cup
-measuring spoons
-skewers
-rubber bands or tape (to hold the skewer and egg in place in the jar)
-timer (kitchen or smartphone timer work well)

Make it:
1. Mix up your dye: Measure 3/4 cup of warm water. Add 1 1/2 teaspoons of white vinegar and about 20-25 drops of food coloring (in desired color).  Note: I mixed 3/4 cup of dye in order to cover an egg completely in an 8-ounce jar–if your containers are bigger, mix more dye at the same ratio.
2. Click below to follow along with the video tutorial I did for Ombre-Dyed Easter Eggs for About.com!


—

[ 1 Comment | Posted on March 28th, 2013 ]

« Older Entries
Newer Entries »