Check this out! Forget Carson, Conan, and Colbert. Megan Nicolay and Generation T and a pile of T-shirts will be making an appearance this December on Talk Show, a new live “reality” improv performance at Grand Opening/Studio 139 hosted by Ellen Reeves, author of the book Can I Wear my Nose Ring to the Interview?The show runs from November 12 to December 22, 2010 with a new and different lineup every night! And, nestled right in the middle of December will be an appearance by Megan Nicolay and who-knows-who-else (it’s a surprise!).
Buy your tickets here! (Hint: Scroll down to the December 11, 2010 performance.)
Excitement! Back in April, I was in Des Moines, Iowa to tape a pilot episode for for Sew It All, a new public television show premiering in the early part of 2012 with host Ellen March. See the preview below! Fast forward to several months later when Sew It All got all their fabulous sponsors rounded up and built a smart-looking new set in Golden, Colorado.
I flew out a couple of weeks ago so that Ellen and I could rework the segment on the new set, and in a slightly new format. Here are some highlights from behind the scenes! (P.S. That’s my sewing project on the dress form!) They taped for over a week straight, getting all of the first season episodes squared away–future guests include Carmen Webber (from Project Runway cycle 4), Crafty Chica Kathy Cano-Murillo, Suede (from Project Runway cycle 5), and more!
Editorial Assistant Kim Lee made sure everything ran smoothly off-set, from ironing samples to donning a headset and giving us those silent fingered countdowns to “action!” off-camera. Angela Lewis did our hair and makeup–here she is with host (and editor-in-chief of Sew It All magazine) Ellen March. Angela’s also responsible for the super curls I got to wear all over my head!
Here’s another shot from the super cute set — my tank top and Ellen’s cardigan…both made from T-shirts, of course.
Where on-set meets off-set: There were three cameras–operated by Layne, John, and Kevin–one on each side and one that swooped down from overhead to zoom in on what our hands were doing.
Flowers arrived on set for Ellen since it was the first day of taping!
Director Andi Coyle hunkered down off-set, making sure that we kept our energy up, that our mics didn’t get bumped during taping, that every shot was there and looked good! (And check out the cue cards Ellen prepared — I always love the phonetic pronunciation of my name: Meegan Nicol-eye!)
Angela and Kim also continued to keep a watchful eye over the on-set proceedings.
On the wall of the set: A simple, colorful reminder of what we are all there to do!
And, after a long day of taping, there’s nothing like ordering in a New York-style calzone to the hotel room! Yum.
Stay tuned for an air date! (Please contact your local PBS station to make sure they carry the show! Click here to fill out a form to encourage them to make it happen!) I can’t wait to share my project with you all.
…of a copy of the 2011 Doodle: A Chalkboard Calendar as featured in the video online right here on Generation T is:
Congratulations to Veronica Suarez, who plans to doodle a scarab beetle Journey logo for the totally doodle-icious “Design Your Favorite T-shirt” prompt in August.
Las Vegas Weekly writer Deanna Rilling dug right into her own closet before penning–okay, more likely typing–this nice review featuring both Generation T and Generation T: Beyond Fashion, which she calls collectively a “bible and inspiration for garment repurposing.” Sweet! Rilling even models her DIY creations in the article: a T-Bird halter top and an off-the-shoulder no-sew hybrid Outer Lace/ Looney Tunic tank top.
So, I rarely share much of what goes on at my day job (needless to say, T-shirt refashioning doesn’t pay all the bills!), but when I get to work on a project that’s whimsical, clever, and vaguely T-shirt related, I can’t resist. Cue Doodle: A Chalkboard Calendar. It’s chalkboard-meets-calendar doodling fun with a new scene to embellish each month. In January, it’s a scene of a deserted city with the prompt: Make this city come alive. In April, an outline of a bulging bicep with the creative order: Give this guy a tattoo. And so on. You can only imagine that I was a wee bit biased when I was selected to be on the jury that decided which calendar spread would be featured in this little video! Meet the August calendar pinup, what else but Design your favorite T-shirt.
Fun, no? So, in celebration of the calendar’s first year (2011), Workman has offered me one calendar to give away to one of you lucky reader/doodlers. All you have to do is leave a note in the comments sharing the classic T-shirt you would doodle on this calendar page — Ernie and Bert’s stripes? the Rolling Stones’ lips and tongue? your favorite baseball team jersey?
Leave your doodling brainstorm in the comments section on the blog or on the Facebook page by the end of the day Sunday (October 31st–it’ll be a Trick or Treat prize!), and we’ll select a winner at random and make the announcement on Monday.
Disclosure: Generation T received a review copy of the calendar from Workman Publishing.
I’ve always lived by the adage “make T-shirts, not war” — in fact, a friend once designed a T-shirt for me with that very sentiment ironed onto the front. (Yes, she ran out of “e”s in the cursive blue fuzzy letters — I think it gives it character!) I took it on the road with me during my first book tour.
BUT, a war like this T-shirt battle waged by Rhett and Link is a different story–so creative and artfully done! Perhaps you’ve seen it:
Behind the scenes: Per their description, Rhett and Link changed shirts more than 100 times each, and took “individual pictures of each unique shirt. The designs on the shirts are not photoshopped. They are real shirts for each frame of animation.” Wow.
[ Comments Off on T-shirt War! | Posted on October 27th, 2010 ]
Five days till Halloween, and still don’t have a costume? Not to worry. Grab a spare T-shirt (pre-washed is best, so scavenge away in the dresser drawers!) and some paint (of the glow-in-the-dark persuasion), and just be sure to schedule in a few hours for the paint to dry (you have to get some pumpkin carving in there anyway!). You’ll be ghoulishly good-looking in no time.
1. Sketch the outline of a skull (eye sockets, nasal cavity, teeth) on the piece of freezer or parchment paper. Then cut out the inner pieces to make a stencil. Lay the T-shirt flat and slide a sheet of scrap paper (a brown grocery bag will work) between the layers to keep the paint from going through to the back of the shirt. Lay the stencil over the front of the shirt. Note: If you’re feeling bold, skip the pattern-making and go straight to free-handing the design on your shirt.
2. Squeeze out a bit of glow-in-the-dark paint and generously dab it onto the shirt using the sponge brush.
3. Remove the paper from the T-shirt and hang the shirt to dry.
4. Charge it up in front of a light and wear it out on the town! (Just be sure to pack a flashlight in case you need to recharge yourself throughout the dark, dark night!) Note: I tried really, really hard to take a picture of the glowing shirt in a dark room, but without a tripod, my camera just couldn’t process it. But it does glow rather bewitchingly and it’s just plain delightful!
Beth Engelman from “Mommy on a Shoestring” strikes again! This time, she’s whipping up some irresistible no-sew pillows out of old tote bags (secret ingredient: Velcro) and my personal fave (surprise, surprise): old T-shirts. This time, she’s tackling project number 30, “Pillow Talk,” from Generation T: Beyond Fashion. Here are some stills below plus a link to the segment and tutorial!
[ Comments Off on T-shirt Pillows with “Mommy on a Shoestring” | Posted on October 25th, 2010 ]
A short time ago, I came across Ginny’s blog over at Aunt GiGi’s Craft Corner, where she was stitching up a storm during during what she called “T-shirt extravaganza 2010.”
First up, an oven mitt, inspired by Up in My Grill, project #40 in Generation T: Beyond Fashion. I love the brown, pink, and blue color palate! Click here for a peek at the reverse side.
Next, an apron, inspired by Central Cooking, project #41, also from Generation T: Beyond Fashion. Though the apron design in the book is only one-sided (but double-layered), Ginny cleverly made hers reversible. Click here to see the other side!
Then, the “It Ain’t Me, Babe” babydoll dress (project #22 from Generation T: Beyond Fashion) to which she added contrasting patch pockets. (Thrifty note: Her husband paid 25 cents for the Google tee at a yard sale!)
Oh, and then there’s the “Plastic Surgery” grocery tote (project #42, from Generation T: Beyond Fashion). As you can see, Ginny’s been busy–she didn’t call it a T-shirt Extravaganza for nothing. (Also, love that she found an old-school Hypercolor T-shirt for this one!)
And lastly, the Pin-Up Girl halter top (project #1 from Generation T: Beyond Fashion), which she expertly finished with a gorgeous brooch.
Very unselfishly, Ginny made all of these projects as gifts for friends! So here’s your little reminder that those gift-giving holidays are slowly creeping closer, and there’s nothing like a gift of the handmade variety. (And, should you decide make a project from Generation T orGeneration T: Beyond Fashion to show how much you care, don’t forget to print the free, downloadable gift tags located in the right column of your screen.) Happy making!
