T-shirt To Tube Top

This is a good DIY for a nicely fitting t-shirt that you just want to re-vamp and make into something cute and flirty. You should make sure you to use a nice fitting shirt, maybe even a little on the looser side. Your shirt should have a hem at the bottom that is NOT closed on the side seams. DISCLAIMER: There is an optional sewing step in this tutorial. I put it in to tighten up the fron tof my shirt and make it more flattering. If you don't want to sew, you can skip that step. You probably won't need it if your shirt is on the tighter side anyway.

Materials:

scissors

thread

needle

safety pin

#1: Start with a shirt! This is one of my favorite comfy shirts that I recently forgot about and found at the very bottom of my drawer...

...and this is why. See those tiny bleach stains that fell perfectly on the green stripe? Because you know, if it was on the white stripe it never would have mattered. One of those things that I said to myself, 'PSH no one will notice!' and EVERYONE noticed. So it stayed at the very bottom of my dresser drawer, until now :]

#2: Cut straight from one underarm to the other, front and back. I'm lucky my shirt is striped because I can follow along the line and the stripes match up perfectly on the side seams from front to back.

      

#3: Take the tube part of the shirt and turn it upside down. The original bottom hem of the shirt will now be the top of the tube top. In the dead center on the front, cut a small V-shape into the hem. The space inside the hem will be where we thread the tie for the tube top through.

#4a: If you would like to thread a pretty ribbon through the top of the tube top, you may skip this step. This step outlines how to cut t-shirt yarn out of a limited piece of t-shirt. Using the back of the other piece of the shirt where the sleeves were, cut a line going straight up right near the left sleeve.

#4b: Make a cut going around and down, but dont cut all the way to the edge. There should be at LEAST a good 3/4 of an inch width.

#4c: From the bottom edge, cut a line going up to where your first cut ended. You should start to see a zig-zag pattern. Remember to keep at least 3/4 of an inch width.

#4d: Continue alternating cutting up and down. The zig zag pattern should be apparent. When you stretch out the t-shirt yarn it should be one complete expanse of string.

#5: Thread your t-shirt yarn (or ribbon if you skipped step 4) through the space in the hem using a safety pin. DO NOT trim the yarn/ribbon until you try on the top and determine how long you want it.

#6: This is the OPTIONAL sewing step. Scrunch the material under the V-shaped notch in the hem where the strings are coming out. Sew the material while it is scrunched up and it will give a rouched look on the front of your tube top. I made two lines about an inch apart that went about 5 inches down and scrunched the material with my needle. 

Cheers and Happy Crafting!

Knit-Crazy!

My love for knitting came after I learned to crochet. The same friend of mine who taught me how to crochet bought me knitting needles for Christmas just a couple months later. If I had to pick one over the other at this point, it would probably be knitting, but switching back and forth between one and the other definitely keeps it fresh. Also, please note that I always use Red Heart Soft Yarn unless otherwise noted. Since these pictures are old and this blog is fairly new, I might not remember what specific brand or color name these yarns are. I will do my best to make it up to you in the future!

I made this little number using my size 6 knitting needles. I like making big, long, comfy scarves, but I also like this little variation I made. I'm sure other people have come up with it but I came up with this independently without a tutorial. I hate when my scarf falls from around my shoulders under my jacket and I have to unzip my jacket and re-tie it. This is a perfect solution, and so far all my friends who I've made it for so far agree. This pattern is a simple knit-1, purl-1 pattern in the colors grey, white, and Red Heart Soft Yarn in Teal. When I got to the end, I folded it back about 8-10 inches and fastened it into a loop. The hearts that I knit into the purple (Red Heart Soft Yarn in Grape) end I learned from CraftCookie.com. This is my go-to website for all my knitting, essentially. Most of the patterns posted are just knit and purl which I learned simply by searching lessons on youtube. Done and done!

This hat I made for my sister using Red Heart Soft Yarn in Vanilla Swirl. I made it with a 16-inch size 9 magic loop using knit-1 purl-1 for the band, and the knit stitch form the middle up to the top. I made this up as a variation from this nice lady here. The pom-pom came from scraps from other projects I had already finished. I will say this again and again, it always pays to keep a scraps-stash!!

       

A very functional headband for warm ears in cold weather. Red Heart Super Saver in Black and Red Heart Soft Yarn in Grape. I made this using my double-point size 5 bamboo knitting needles. This headband is cute because it looks like a big bow! Or it's supposed to... I think I made the purple part too long. Nevertheless, I'm sure my other sister will like it. She's got a big head anyway... More to the point: I started off with purple, 30 cast on, knit-1 purl-1 for as many rows that would make my bow as long as I wanted it, then switched to black. To switch colors, you can just get to the end of a row and yarn over the new color, then start working with the new color when you turn your work (just search 'knitting change colors' on youtube). When I got close to the other end, I switched back to purple and finished off, sewed the two ends together, and wrapped with yarn to make the center of the bow. Voila!

Grandma's Crochet Hat

My dear grandmother is the best and she's been so morally and financially supportive of my new crochet and knitting hobby that I couldn't go long without making her something that she would love.

This is an old project from months ago, so I don't have the specific color. I know that it was a Red Heart Soft Yarn brand, though.

This is a good pattern for beginners to start learning stitches other than the bare basics of the crochet world. I know everyone needs a little nudge in the right direction when trying new things, so I strongly suggest YouTube! Anything you want, just type it in and browse the videos until you find someone who can teach you efficiently. Everyone is different, so not all videos may be helpful to everyone. I personally found the video for this puff stitch hat VERY helpful and easy to follow. The best thing about YouTube is that you can rewind at any time.

Cheers and Happy Crafting!

DIY T-shirt Cami

So every girl has those oversized ugly t-shirts that are not so fun and flirty to wear. I end up just wearing them as pajama tops... But I have one too many nowadays! I read a couple different DIY projects and unfortunately I couldn't find exactly what I wanted. I decided that I was an independent woman with an innovative mind! And I made it up as I went along... I hope you like the outcome as much as I did! DISCLAIMER: Very little sewing involved! I do NOT have a sewing machine and I admit I am not good at sewing, so I always find my way around it.

Materials:

needle

thread

pins

safety pin

scissors

#1: Oversized t-shirt, check!

#2: Fold in half. I have a graphic on the front that I wanted to preserve in this upcycling process, so I made sure I folded it so I could cut around it.

#3: Cut from under one arm to the neckline, in a semi circle along the neckline, and diagonally down to under the opposite arm.

#4: I had excess along the bottom, so I cut it off to make the strap along the neckpiece. If you don't have enough to cut off the bottom, you may use a ribbon or a piece of string, if desired. 

#5: I cut in a spiral so that I had enough 't-shirt yarn' no make into the neckline of my shirt. I made the t-shirt yarn about an inch and a half in width.

#6: Fold the front of the shirt down where you cut along the neckline.

#7: A small notch in the middle of the shirt will make it easier to fold the hem so that we can make a sleeve for the t-shirt yarn. Make sure to fold over an inch or so. (That black this is my camera strap, please disregard!)

#8: Pin and sew the hem. I don't have a sewing machine so I did mine by hand. This part will be sort of bunched, so no one will see the stitches!

#9: Attach the safety pin to the end of your t-shirt yarn/ribbon and thread through your hem, front and back.

#10: Try on your shirt and decide your desired length of where you would like your new cami to sit on your shoulders. You may decide to keep it long and adjustable and make a bow that you can tie and untie to your liking, but I decided to pin the t-shirt yarn where I felt comfortable, sew the ends together, and cut off the excess.

#11: If you did decide to hem it like I did, you can fit the seam of where you sewed your t-shirt yarn into the little notch we made in the middle of your hem on the new neckline. It will hold in place, and will not show. You may also hem the underarms of the sleeves! I do enjoy the raw edge look myself, and I do not much like sewing.

Front!

Back!

Cheers and Happy Crafting!