Posts Tagged ‘T-shirt scarf’

T-shirt Transformer Scarf: Wear It Your Way!

Here’s an easy T-shirt transformation project from Generation T: Beyond Fashion (project #9, Transformer), courtesy of Homemade Holiday 101 that requires just one seam’s-worth of sewing! So if your crafty self is feeling at all unsure whether you’ll actually be able to knit that scarf in time for Christmas, grab the nearest two T-shirts (the larger the better), a pair of scissors, and a needle and thread (or a sewing machine!), and make a whole scarf-plus in about 10 minutes.

T-shirt Transformer generation-t.com

Materials:
2 T-shirts of the same size (L or XL)
Scissors
Ruler
Chalk marker
Straight pins
Needle
Thread

Make it:
For step-by-step instructions and illustrations, go to Homemade Holiday 101: 30-minute Scarf.

BONUS:
Just a reminder that Generation T and Generation T: Beyond Fashion ebooks are on sale for $2.99 throughout the holiday season. Just head to HomemadeHoliday101.com to download!

homemadeholiday101logo

[ Comments Off on T-shirt Transformer Scarf: Wear It Your Way! | Posted on December 17th, 2013 ]

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 ]

Tee Party at The Duplex NYC!

Here are some belated highlights from the Tee Party we hosted at The Duplex in NYC in October!  I thought it might be just the thing to inspire a last-minute craft night to finish up those DIY holiday gifts (and don’t forget to download the free Generation T gift tags in the right column of the website to attach to all of your fabulous reconstructed T-shirt projects).

We made stylish no-sew scarves (and for those cracking open your books, it’s the Mane-iac scarf, page 235 in Generation T: Beyond Fashion).

Sassy no-sew tops, too! This couple made the Back in Action tee (page 260 in Generation T: Beyond Fashion).

Then there was the Pinup Girl halter top, page 28 in Generation T: Beyond Fashion — and a mash-up of the Makes Me Wanna Collar and the Back in Action T-shirt (shown above), pages 38 and 260 in Generation T: Beyond Fashion.

A variation of the Outer Lace sleeveless top, page 56 in Generation T: 108 Ways to Transform a T-shirt (check out all the scraps re-purposed as bracelets, too). And, my good friend, host and bartender for the evening, Matthew!

So keep stockpiling your old T-shirts! Because you never know when the next Tee Party invite will arrive in your inbox…

[ Comments Off on Tee Party at The Duplex NYC! | Posted on December 16th, 2011 ]

From Our Readers: Carol Schneider Designs!

Recently, I had the opportunity to sit down with Carol Schneider, lecture series publicist by day and fashion designer by nights and weekends (y’all know how much I love a crafty superhero alter ego!). She started making scarves from vintage kimono fabrics, but eventually (as we all do, right?) found her way to discarded T-shirts. Here are some scrap-fabulous highlights from her website.

For those of you in the NYC area, I found out that Carol and some of her designer colleagues (Annie Walwyn-Jones, Teresa Montalvo, and Danielle Mailerare) are hosting an open house this Tuesday and Wednesday, December 6 and 7, 3:00 to 9:00 pm to share and sell their designs!

I got a preview of some of Carol’s more recent T-shirt scarves that will be on sale this holiday season for kids and adults, and gosh they’re pretty cute and clever. I love the New York-themed one (that Coney Island tee is a great thrifty find!) and there’s a pink one that incorporates a pocketed T-shirt into the quilted mix.

I just love all the colors she uses–isn’t it inspiring? (I’m always looking to keep the color quotient high when winter grays settle in!). If you’re feeling crafty, I encourage you to turn to project #77 “Scarf It Up” in Generation T: 108 Ways to Transform a T-shirt (page 194) to make your own scarves from your T-shirt stash. Or check out this video from the Generation T/Threadbanger archives for some more basic scarf designs.

And if you’d rather buy than DIY, support a small business and check out that open house I mentioned above (Tuesday and Wednesday, December 6 and 7, 2011, from 3:00 to 9:00 pm) at the home of Carol Schneider Designs in NYC!

27 East 22 Street, 7th floor, NYC
(between Broadway & Park)
212-505-6615


[ Comments Off on From Our Readers: Carol Schneider Designs! | Posted on December 3rd, 2011 ]

How To: T-shirt Boa Scarf!

Hey there, Generation T! Are you ready to get really knotty? Today’s T-shirt tutorial comes courtesy of one of our esteemed readers: Ms. Liz Russo of Craft-Stop. It’s the “Tic Tac Boa,” project #115 in Generation T: Beyond Fashion — the boa scarf is perfect for spring, infinitely personaliz-able (pick a color, any color!), great for using up scraps (cut strips from old T-shirt sleeves) — oh, and did I mention it’s no-sew? Well, it is. Settle down in front of a good movie while you complete all the knots (you won’t notice when your fingers start to cramp) or, if it’s warm enough where you are, kick back in a park, your backyard, or poolside!

Watch the tutorial here:

Thanks again to Craft-Stop for featuring one of our projects!

[ 7 Comments | Posted on April 12th, 2011 ]

How to: T-shirt Hooded Scarf

Hat plus scarf? Yes, please! Pack just one item and save space for other necessary springtime accessories. In honor of the first full day of spring (the official start to the new season) and our bidding goodnight to winter, I present “Hoodnight Moon,” project #27 from Generation T: Beyond Fashion. This hooded scarf will bring out the kid in you. Pretend that you’re a mysterious spy in a foreign land… Wrap yourself up and hide from that not-yet-summery-breeze… Wear it to walk your dog, keep a low-profile at school, or take a late-night trip to the deli to buy a pint of ice cream and the next morning’s paper.

Make it:

Excerpted from Generation T: Beyond Fashion (Workman, 2009).

[ 5 Comments | Posted on March 21st, 2011 ]

How To: Amazing Technicolor Sleeve Scarf!

It’s hard to “think spring” when the maple syrup buckets are out, the frost heaves are quaking, and oh, it’s snowing. Not exactly T-shirt weather. And yet, T-shirts have their place.

This scarf design grew out of a challenge for my first week students at Artward Bound: We were running low on T-shirts (having already refashioned 206!) and so we hit the scrap bin to make accessories.

I like the rough edges and charmingly awkward shapes and how they patchwork together (and yes, those white blurs are real, legitimate snow flakes swirling about).

Materials:

-16-20 T-shirt sleeves

-scissors

-straight pins

-needle and thread (or access to a sewing machine)

Make It:

1. Gather T-shirt sleeves in various colors and trim off extra fabric or stitching on the inside edge of the sleeve.

2. Line up the sleeves, overlapping the ends about 1″, and pin them in place.

3. Sew a straight stitch along each pinned overlap. Remove pins and trim the threads.

5. Wear your new scarf to add a splash of color (or eight) to a winter wonderland!

On a related note: Stay tuned! One of my students this week has fashioned a pair of pants almost entirely made from sleeves. Appropriately, I have nicknamed them “The Amazing Technicolor Dream Pants”–he’s pondering a blog to track their travel…i.e. The Brotherhood of the Traveling Amazing Technicolor Dream Pants).

[ 5 Comments | Posted on March 15th, 2011 ]

Artward Bound is Runway Bound!

The countdown is complete. The Holderness School Artward Bound “ReMake It New” eco-fashion show is tonight! Here’s another behind-the-scenes look at my young designers in action.

The boys shocked and awed us all with their refashioned tight-tight shorts (they used project #57 “Antsy Pants” toddler pants from the kids chapter in Generation T: Beyond Fashion as their guide, so are we really surprised?) Here, Andy cuts out the pattern. Then Gavin oversees him adding a storage pocket.

Danielle learns the no-sew lacing technique to modify her T-shirt before she takes it the spray paint table to frost the edges in blue.

Using masking tape as a freehand stencil, Ben fabric spray paints his mark of rebellion. Christian handstitches a fabric applique onto the front of a T-shirt (his third this week!).

Jeff pieced together parts of three different T-shirts to make a tie to wear for dress code!

Riggs pinned a T-shirt applique on the back of a not-so-exciting sweatshirt he brought from his room before he hit the sewing machine. Dan outlined his basketball number 35 with masking tape and spray painted it, then added some appliqued patches–he even took it for a test run in the gym the same afternoon!

On Day 3 we started to run low on our T-shirt stash, which introduced the scraps accessories challenge! Iashai and Macy responded solidly with laced-up glovelets (from Generation T: Beyond Fashion) and….a mitten!

Faculty leader Lindley made a no-sew fringe-filled scarf (“Mane-iac,” project #91 from Generation T: Beyond Fashion).

Francis M. made a ski mask, while Andrew attempted a T-shirt scrap sock…

…before abandoning it for a black-gray-white sleeve scarf (tutorial to come!).

And, in the non-wearable department, faculty leader Merilee stitched a giant stuff sack (using project #38 “Clean Machine” laundry sack), Hannah worked on a knotted throw (#63 “Roll it, Patch it, Mark it with a Tee!” no-sew quilt) from Generation T: Beyond Fashion.

GP stitched up a #42 “Plastic Surgery”grocery tote (as well as a drawstring bag with scraps!) that he personalized by hand stenciling his name with masking tape and white fabric paint. Kendra made a no-sew knotted pillow #30 “Pillow Talk.”

The garment racks are full, so now it’s off to rehearsal!

If you’re in the area, the student performance will start at 7:30 in Hagerman Auditorium (in addition to the “ReMake It New” eco-fashion show, there’ll be live drumming, dancing, and slam poetry!). For the rest, you’ll have to wait for the pictures.

[ 1 Comment | Posted on March 11th, 2011 ]

12 Holiday T-shirt Projects!

To celebrate and count down the 12 days until Christmas (yikes), here’s a roundup of 12 T-shirt crafts we love over here at Generation T (and yes, we might be biased on a few of them, but we can’t help it). So if your halls aren’t completely decked, here are some last-minute fixes that will make you sing fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la. Or at least do re mi fa so la teeeee…. Wow, this holiday punch is tasty!

1. T-shirt wreath by Tara Gentile at ScoutieGirl. A colorful (no-sew!) decoration that won’t smell as sweet, but you also won’t have to sweep up dried pine needles in two weeks!

2. T-shirt stockings by Megan Nicolay at Generation T (or by Kathy Cano-Murillo at CraftyChica). Two takes on that old classic–the holiday stocking–made from a classic old T-shirt.

3. T-shirt garland by Ash and Kimmy at GreenEyedMonster. A festive pom-pom decoration that can be brought out year after year–for the tree, for the mantle, for a little window dressing!

4. T-shirt advent calendar by Megan Nicolay at Generation T. You might remember seeing this one during last year’s solstice giveaway–and you better get cracking in order to make and fill this one up in time for a countdown!

5. T-shirt hat by Kalleen from AtSecondStreet. A cute brimmed hat for the milder winter weather–bonus points if you add ear flaps! Or this one by Whitney Moss and Heather Flett at RookieMoms–forget ear flaps, this one’s got ears (and yes, we give you permission to make it in an adult size).

6. T-shirt snowflake by Megan Nicolay at Generation T (project #4 in Generation T: Beyond Fashion). Forget the overplayed sparkly Santa sweater, make a T-shirt snowflake as unique as you are! ::sigh::

7. T-shirt knotted scarf by Gwenstella at BecauseSheStartedKnitting for her. And for him: a Fringy T-shirt scarf by Paul Overton at DudeCraft. Or any of these three scarves, by Megan Nicolay at Generation T (on Threadbanger)!

8. T-shirt mittens by Ashley at LilBlueBoo. Okay, okay, so she makes them from sweatpants (which might be warmer than T-shirt), but the tutorial and techniques still apply since they’re both knit fabrics!

9. T-shirt Christmas tree skirt by Megan Nicolay at Generation T (project #43 in Generation T: Beyond Fashion). And, we’ll have a no-sew variation to post very soon–stay tuned!

10. T-shirt necklace by Melissa Esplin at ISLY. Sometimes it’s not enough to deck the halls or trim the tree–you need to deck yourself for all those holiday parties!

11. T-shirt headband by Megan Nicolay at Generation T for iLovetoCreate. See number 10. Now it’s time to add the tree topper! (Tee topper?)

12. T-shirt apron by Disney at RufflesAndStuff. Or this one by Kayla at KaylaKsThriftyWays if you’re short on time. This was tough: it was between the apron and the T-shirt oven mitt–for all the holiday cookie baking, of course!

Happy last-minute crafting to you! What are your favorite holiday T-shirt tutorials? What have we missed that you would like to see on this list?

[ 3 Comments | Posted on December 14th, 2010 ]