Saving the planet... one garment at a time!

... and one upcycle at a time... Welcome to my blog: A place to have an "over the fence conversation" about sewing, altered couture, upcycling, and all kinds of crafts using found objects, beads, ephemera and other vintage finds!


Thursday, March 15, 2012

Completed Project: An Upcycle UFO

I began this project last summer.  It was planned to be the first tutorial on my blog, but life intervened and I had to put the project aside.  Looking through the stash for the next UFO, I came upon everything to do the project, all in one bag, so I took that as a message that this should be this week's project.  It's a simple T shirt upcycle.  First, find a T shirt that you do not wish to wear as is.  The T shirt certainly does not need to be new, but it should be in good condition.


Cut the torso off the shirt just below the armpits.


Put aside the part with the arms (We'll do something with that later!).  Next, decide how you would like to embellish your top.  I had some old lace curtains in the attic, so I harvested a nice lace ruffle to go around the circumference of the T.


Next, I added some white satin ribbon for straps.  I cut the ends of the ribbon, and finished them with fray check.


Next, I sewed the lace curtain ruffle and the ribbons to the unfinished end of the T shirt tube.  Once this was completed, it seemed to need a bit of color, so I got out some fabric flowers I had leftover from one of my daughter's tutus.  You can find these in the wedding aisle at big box fabric stores and some craft stores.  I also had some organza ribbon on hand, and a tiny button.



And there you have it, a cute summer top, upcycled from a T shirt, an old curtain, and some random embellishments on hand in the sewing room. 



I hope you like it!  With another UFO down, and the Titanic anniversary looming, I think I'll do some Edwardian sewing!  Any thoughts?

11 comments:

  1. very cute I'm your newest fan through refashion co op

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  2. Pretty! I love the little flower pin and the lace makes it such a cute top!

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  3. So pretty! What a great job! And congratulations on another project finished!! Darlene

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  4. This simple shirt it lovely! I like to see refashions of all kinds and this is beautiful!

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  5. Awesome! I am stopping by from your link on Sew Country Chick and now I am your newest follower. Love T-shirt redos! Also pinned this to Pinterest! So cute!!!!

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  6. I love the name of your blog! So clever! I'm your newest follower and I can't wait to see some more of your refashions. I also have a refashion blog www.chicenvelopements.wordpress.com

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  7. Stopping by from the Frugal Days, Sustainable Ways Wednesday Blog Hop! http://queenofsavings.com

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  8. Very cute idea-- especially with summer right around the corner! Thank you for sharing your project at the Green Crafts Showcase! I hope you'll come back this month and share even more projects! Also, the top 10 features for this month's showcase will be up on Friday so be sure to check it out!

    -Bonnie @ Crafting a Green World
    www.craftingagreenworld.com

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  9. love the layer of lace and the satin ribbons. perhaps with the leftover, you could create a couple of blooms for a hairband or so.

    Rose
    http://www.finecraftguild.com

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