TRASHION: How to make a long halter tunic from a t-shirt

So, I made one of these a bit ago, and EVERYONE wanted to know how to make their own. So, in honor of the Trashion trunk show/art party (happening here on Friday, July 27 from 6-8PM), here it is, guys. All you need is a t-shirt, scissors, thread, and a sewing machine (and you could prolly do it by hand if you want). Arright, let's begin!

Here's the "before"

1. With the tee inside out, stitch the sleeves closed.

2. Cut off the top in a straight line, just below the neck band. Cut off the sleeves, leaving about 3/8" seam allowance.
3. Try the shirt on inside out. Pin the sides to fit.

4. Sew along where you've fitted, all the way to the top edge, and backstitch.

5. Trim the seam allowance to 3/8". Press the seams open.

6. Turn the shirt to the correct side. Make two tiny holes (it will stretch) near the top of the shirt for the straps.

7. Cut off the hem and string through the holes. Tie several knots on each side to hold.

AND DONE!

to get to the Etsy Labs for the Trashion show!

325 Gold St. 6th Floor

Brooklyn, NY 11201

Learn more here: http://etsylabs.blogspot.com/2007/07/trashion-last-fridays-trunk-show-july.html

HOW TO MAKE A TRAPEZE DRESS FROM A MUUMUU

Hi guys! Do you need a cute and swingy dress or top to get you through the summer? Well, grab a muumuu from the thrift store and chop it down to fit. Mary and I had a great time making our dresses, and it only took about 30 minutes. Here's how to do it:

SKILL LEVEL: Intermediate (you've made, oh, at least 3 projects)
MATERIALS:
* muumuu, dress, or nightgown that is too big for you
* sewing machine
* matching thread
* clear plastic ruler (or piece of cardboard or printer paper if you don’t have it)
* tailor’s chalk or pencil (or regular pencil if you don’t have it)









BEFORE PICS (sad faces!)




1. Try the dress on inside out.
2. Fit under the arms on both sides: Place a pin vertically through both side seam layers to mark. Fit test: you should be able to move your arms comfortably.
3. Decide the length (optional): Fold the hem up until you find a length that you like. Pin in the front in a few spots to hold it in place. Fit test: stand up straight, and look in a full length mirror. Hint: get it to hit the slimmest part of your thigh for the most flattering look, or just wherever you want you don’t care about such things.
4. Marking and cutting the hem (optional):
a. Put a pin in the crease that marks the final length. Measure ¾” (for the double hem fold back) below this point and mark this spot with your tailor’s chalk.
b. Take the pins out of the hem area, and lay the muumuu flat, still inside out. Measure the distance from the mark to the existing hem (or cut a piece of cardboard or paper to size- you might have to tape several together). This distance is the hem length
c. Moving around the hem, mark hem length.
d. Cut along the marks.
5. Sewing the side seam:
a. On the bottom of both side seams, measure ¾” up from the hem. Mark with tailor’s chalk.
b. Using your ruler (or straight edge of cardboard), draw a straight line from the point where you pinned under the armpit to the mark ¾” from the hem.
c. Sew along this line. Cut off excess fabric on the side seam, leaving 3/8”. d. If you like, clean-finish the seam by pressing the seam allowance towards the back, and zigzag stitch over the seam allowance on the front side.
6. Sewing the hem:
a. Fold the hem up 3/8” towards the backside. Sew ¼” from the edge (you can use the foot as your guide).
b. Fold the hem again 3/8”. Stitch on the correct side with a zigzag stitch.
7. Making the cap sleeve (optional):
a. Turn the muumuu inside out.
b. Measure 3” (approximate guideline- see what will look best on your dress-this is where the bottom of the sleeve begins) up from the armpit/side seam on front. Mark with a pin.
c. Measure 2.5" (approximate guideline- this is the length of your sleeve- look at this with the muumuu on and see where you'd like it to hit) from shoulder seam down outside edge of sleeve. Mark with a pin.
d. Draw a gently curved line between these points.
e. Cut around line. At bottom of sleeve, cut ¼” from sleeve seam.
f. Fold back ¼” all around, and sew with narrow zigzag stitch.
8. Finishing touch: If you want, you can make a belt out of the excess fabric you cut from the hem. I just folded it back 1/4" on all sides and zigzagged around. Mary appliqued on top of hers and added a fat belt for extra style.





ALL DONE!

questions, grasshopper? Send an etsy conversation to HeyMichelle and I'll help you get on the path to muumuu-dom.

Tutorial: How to Turn Jeans into a Skirt

After doing a round of spring cleaning, you're bound to create a pile of old jeans you just can't wear anymore. You may be tempted to throw them away, but wait...you can make cute skirts out of them to wear all summer long! This supersimple technique will save you money and keep you looking cool.

Start by cutting the bottom off your jeans legs to the length you want your skirt to be.


Then, cut the inseam of your jeans like so:





Continue the cut made at the inseams up the center front and center back seams of the skirt as well.



Then, lay one side of the cut material over the other and pin like so:



Do the same in the back.



Then, run two lines of stitching over the material to secure the pinned fabric both in the front and in the back.




Once your fabric is sewn down, you can turn the skirt inside out and trim away the excess fabric with pinking shears to prevent fraying.




You can then hem the bottom or let it fray a bit, it's up to you.

You are now the proud owner of a new skirt!

How to Hem a Garment: Fast and Easy

Roll the bottom edge of your garment over twice so that all raw edges are concealed. Pin to secure. Stitch all around as close to the top edge as you can. Press. You are done.

Labs Tutorial: Invisible Zippers - Easier than You Thought!

Here's a quick and easy way to insert an invisible zipper. First, unzip your zipper and place face down on the right side of your garment like so:



Using a zipper foot, sew a line of stitches as close to the zipper teeth as you can get without actually touching them with the needle.



Once you have one side down, pin the other side in the same manner (zipper face down on right side of fabric.) Before sewing, zip your zipper to test that it closes properly. If it is twisted, correct and re-pin. Use the zipper foot and secure with a line of stitches. Be sure to backstitch to reinforce your sewing.

You're almost done! If your zipper is longer than the opening you wish to create, you can trim it to your desired length and put a horizontal line of stitches across your zipper to create your own zipper stop. Be sure to leave some extra zipper length below the zipper stop (about an inch).



Now, using a standard foot, close up the rest of the seam below the zipper being sure to continue your stitches all the way to where the zipper ends to make sure there are no holes. Press seam open.



Zipper insertion is now complete!

Labs Tutorial: How to Make a Yoked Skirt

Here is a simple method for creating a yoked skirt. First, make a pattern for the yoke. This pattern should be based on the measurements of the person who will be wearing the skirt. This yoke has a subtle v shape. Take your waist measurement and divide it in half and then add 5/8" for the seam allowance. For example, if your measurement is 31", divide that in half (15.5") and add 5/8" (16 1/8"). Use this measurement to create your yoke pattern, which should look like this:



Place this pattern piece on the fabric. The fabric should be folded and the center front of the pattern should be placed on the fold. Pin to secure.



Cut carefully around your pattern piece. Take out pins. Place on folded fabric and cut the same piece again. Now you have the two pieces necessary to make your yoke: the yoke and the yoke facing.



Pin the yoke pieces right sides together and sew across the top.



Flip your yoke pieces so they are wrong sides together. Press along seam to ensure they are flat.

Next, cut your skirt piece. Since this is a gathered skirt the measurements don't have to be exact. I used a piece that was 19" x 50". The 50" will be gathered and pinned to the yoke so that the finished skirt will be 19" long and 31" around the waist.



To add gathers, baste the skirt piece across the top 5/8" from the edge. You can either do this by hand or on your machine using a long stitch length. Then, pull the basting thread until the skirt gathers to your liking.



Next, pin the bottom edge of the yoke and the top edge of the skirt right sides together.



Stitch with your machine.



Your skirt should now look like this:



To finish, add a zipper closure and hem around the bottom. I will be doing follow up tutorials on how to do these things, but for now have fun making yokes!

T-Shirt Reconstruction: Installment III

Ok, I can feel the momentum building for our T Shirt Making Party on Sunday. We just had a nice shoot for ABC News this morning and I got to finish this shirt during filming. Here's how to proceed:

Start by cutting the bottom 2 inches off the sleeves of a regular t-shirt.



Then cut the rest of the sleeves off.



Then cut a scoopneck.



Then place darts around the bottom, three in the front and two in the back. Be sure you measure around your hips (where the bottom of the shirt will sit) to prevent making the shirt too small.



Cut the darts out and pin the fabric right sides together to sew the darts closed.



Sew about 1/4" from the edge of the pinned fabric. Backstitch at the bottom of the darts. At the apex of the darts you can leave the thread long and tie it in a knot to secure your stitches.



The darts should look like this when they are done (this is the inside of the shirt).



Next, take the 2" strips you cut off the sleeves and cut them in half so they form two strips. Sew the strips together to form one long strip.



Sew the two ends of the strip right sides together to form a circle. This will become the band at the bottom of your shirt. Pin the band to the shirt right sides together and sew a line of stitches all around.



Your shirt should look like this now:



For the trim I used strips of fabric that I folded and then sewed onto the shirt. To get the v-neck I pinched the bottom of the scoopneck to make a triangle and sewed a straight line on the inside (much like a dart) to hold it in place. The circles I also simply cut out and sewed directly onto the shirt. This is your chance to get creative - viva la craft! See you Sunday!