My own shirt

 

This is first shirt I've ever made for myself.  It was a lot of fun.  Frustrating but fun.  I managed to find the most amazing little sewing book via Dana, who inspired me to start this fun journey of sewing.  It's called Sew U Home Stretch.  If you're a beginner sewer, get it!  I made sure to read all of the introductory chapters.  She shows you how to cut your fabric (working with knits, jersey and such like), care for your fabric, gives you tips on how to get the most from your fabric.  And in the very back she gives you patterns!  You can create your own dresses, shirts, skirts, sweaters, hoodies...It's just plain awesome.  

So, here I am.  Slightly embarrassed at the sight of Larry in a towel flaws but happy I kept going until I finished my project.

This was one of the shirt patterns she offered.  Now, my sleeves turned out a little more "bell-ish" than I had wanted, but the pattern called for and extra 11in ....so, I had to measure it out and make sure I didn't botch the length too badly.  Length not botched but the width was.

I found the fabric on my new fav fabric site, since I don't have any material stores close by it's mostly internet shopping for me, and I just fell in love with the little bubbles on this material.  And after this shirt, I have officially decided to buy a double needle so I can top stitch my next shirt or dress or sweater...or whatever.

So much easier than having to line up my second stitch with my first without getting all crazy.  Ya think?

Aye Matey!

Lately, lil C has been into pirates.  Like, crazy.  He has the pirate chest, the skeleton, the flag, the gold and the eye patches to prove it.  He recently turned four and we did a pirate party for him.  It was a smashing success and I can't wait until next year to decorate for another theme.

So, with this in mind, I set to work making him a shirt.  A very simple raglan pattern and I traced the skull and cross bones on a piece of paper.  Voila!  Arrrrg...

He loves pirates and I love sewing.  But not so great at it, yet...

I was really pleased with the outcome and I discovered a secret!  Well, it's not a secret to those who have been sewing for years and years but for me it was a life saver.  While sewing the skull on, I placed a rather thick piece of, for lack of a better term, interfacing on the back and my fabric didn't twist and get lumpy!  Which is what I was having problems with earlier and it can be oh, so frustrating.  Jersey knit is so testy and will lump around if you don't watch it...sneaky, sneaky.

Basically, the shirt started out as just that. A shirt.  But then, I started to get bored with it and I wanted to spruce it up.  BAM.  Pirates.  What better way to make a boring shirt fabulous than appeal to the wicked side of adventure.  

Skull and cross bones. Finished.  Now the bottom of the shirt caused me some pause.  Should I hem it?  Or should I leave it unfinished?  I decided on a little bit of both.  No hem AND unfinished.

I used the vari-overlock seam on my sewing machine to give me just what I needed.

I rather like this shirt, if I do say so myself.