Save a sentimental T-shirt as a pillow

Remnant-pillow

We all have loads of T-shirts, don’t we?

A lot of them commemorate certain events, so we don’t always want to let them go. I have a few I keep though rarely wear — one from my high school swim team, another from my time at the University Daily Kansan.

I also have some hand-me-downs: a University of Chicago shirt, where my dad got his MBA, which I wear to bed; and a University of Arizona shirt from my mom, proclaiming her alma mater.

You’ve probably seen the T-shirt quilt idea before, in which you cut out the designs from the front of the T-shirts you want to save and stitch them together. It’s a neat idea, if you have a lot of shirts.

But if you only have one or two shirts you want to save, like me, and/or you’re pretty certain even a T-shirt quilt would take you a decade, like me, here’s a smaller-scale project for you: make a pillow.

Mom’s U of A shirt doesn’t fit me, but I didn’t want to get rid of it. Because the design is circular, I decided to make a round pillow.

This involves a bit of geometry you wouldn’t have to worry about if you made a square pillow, but it truly wasn’t that hard or time-consuming.

Supplies

  • T-shirt
  • tailor’s chalk or marking tool
  • measuring tape
  • scissors
  • pins
  • thread
  • sewing machine
  • round pillow form

Instructions

  1. Look on the pillow form to see what size it is in diameter; mine was 14 inches. You can make your front piece the same size or up to an inch bigger.
  2. Figure out the center of your design and place the end of the measuring tape there. From the center, measure half the diameter, i.e. the radius (in my case, 7 inches), to points at the top, bottom, left and right of the design. Then, using the tape as a compass, hold the chalk at the same measurement and move it in a circle, connecting the marks.
  3. Cut out the circle, and make sure not to catch the back of the shirt when cutting.
  4. Smooth the shirt out and use the circle cut-out from the front of the shirt as a template: Trace the edge of the top half of circle onto the back of the shirt, and extend the line an inch on the bottom, then draw a line across to connect the semicircle. This leaves extra fabric to cover the whole back of the pillow form.
  5. Cut the front of the shirt away. Fold the back of the shirt on the line across the bottom of the semicircle. Cut out the semicircle through both layers, then cut apart across the fold. You’ll have two semicircles.
  6. Fold the straight edge of one semicircle down half an inch, wrong sides together, and pin. Repeat on the second semicircle. Then sew a straight line across this hem on each semicircle.
  7. Lay the front circle right side up. Place the top semicircle aligned with the top of the front piece, right sides together, and pin around the edges. Align the bottom semicircle with the bottom edge of the front piece and pin edges. The top and bottom semicircles should overlap.
  8. Starting at the overlap on one side, sew around the edge of the circle with a 1/4-inch seam allowance. With a small seam allowance and the stretchiness of the jersey, it’s not necessary to clip the curve.
  9. Flip the pillowcase right side out through the opening in the back and insert the pillow form. Jersey stretches quite a bit, so it should be easy to get your pillow form into the case.
Tagged pillows sewing t-shirt

Tea towel from @Spoonflower print

Remnant-teatowel

In December, I stumbled across a treasure trove of tea towel designs on Spoonflower.com, and one particularly caught my eye. (And they were on sale!)

Spoonflower is a site that allows users to design their own fabric. Upload a design, decide your size and repeat, and select from their fabric options, which range from Kona cotton to organic cotton knit to upholstery-weight twill to silk crepe de chine.

You don’t, however, have to create your own designs — there are many other designers whose designs you can pick from to have printed on whichever type of fabric you choose.

Toward the end of last year, the site had a special on tea towels. Users had uploaded designs that fit onto a fat quarter of fabric and just needed to have the edges hemmed to finish it.

I picked a colorful pattern that says “J’adore Paris,” intending to give it to my mom for Christmas because she visited the city last year. Of course, I never have as much time to make gifts in December as I expect I will, so I’m just getting around to it in March.

But you don’t have to buy new fabric to whip up a few tea towels — you can use fabric from your stash that has a great pattern. For a more useful towel, you might want a slightly heavier fabric than quilting cotton — the one I made is linen-cotton canvas. If it’s not already a towel-sized rectangle, cut it to fat-quarter size, which is about 18 inches by 22 inches.

Supplies

  • fat quarter of fabric
  • strip of ribbon, twill tape or fabric
  • iron
  • thread
  • scissors
  • ruler
  • pins


Instructions

  1. Press the fabric. Turn one edge over 1/4 inch and press, then fold it over itself another 1/4 inch and press. Repeat for each edge. Clip a small triangle from the corners to help keep the folded corners neat.
  2. To make a loop for hanging, cut a 4-inch piece of grosgrain ribbon or twill tape, or a strip of fabric that’s 1 inch by 4 inches. If using fabric, press it in half lengthwise, then press the long edges in to meet the center crease. Fold the strip in half and stitch down the center of the strip.
  3. Pin the hanging loop on the back of the tea towel near one corner, with the edges tucked beneath the edges to be hemmed.
  4. Starting at one corner, sew a seam down the middle of each folded-over edge, and make sure to catch the ends of the loop in the stitching.

Remnant-teatoweldetail

Then go wash and dry dishes with your new dish towel! Or not.

Tagged sewing spoonflower tea towel

Jewelry display shadow box

Remnant-jewleryshadowbox
To keep some of my prettiest necklaces from getting dusty, I keep them in a tray in a drawer.

It seemed like such a waste of their beauty to keep them hidden away, so I created a shadow box jewelry holder that can show them off while still keeping them dust-free.

I found a pack of three shadow boxes at Michael’s. With a layer of batting, fabric and a couple of pins, I was able to make a set to display some of my favorite pieces.

Supplies

  • cotton fabric, pressed
  • low loft roll batting (not the kind for stuffing pillows)
  • scissors
  • shadow box
  • spray adhesive or glue
  • hot glue
  • pins


Instructions

  1. Open the shadow box. Cut a piece of fabric the size of the back piece plus 1/2-inch overhang on each side. Then cut one layer of batting to fit on the inside of the back piece, about 1/2 inch smaller on each side.
  2. Glue the batting to the inside of the back piece using spray adhesive or regular glue. If using spray adhesive, you’ll probably want to put down some kind of drop cloth. I used a cut-open plastic bag. Make sure to center the batting.
  3. Glue the fabric to the batting — spray adhesive works especially well for this because it doesn’t seep through the fabric. Center the fabric so there is overhang on each side and pull it taut.
  4. Clip the corners to reduce bulk, then hot glue the fabric overhang to the back of the back piece. Don’t cover up the hanger — trim the fabric if needed.
  5. Stick two pins into fabric and batting near the top and hang a necklace from them. You could also display bracelets, rings, earrings or brooches. Once your display is finished, put the back on the frame, hang and admire.

Remnant-jewelrycloseup

 

Tagged jewelry

Lace infinity scarf

Remnant-lacescarf
It seems like everywhere I have gone this winter, I’ve seen infinity scarves. I have a lot of scarves, but this continuous loop of fabric was one kind that I lacked.

Most infinity scarves I’ve seen have been either knitted or made of jersey material. One day, I got the idea to make one with lace. This one still has some fullness to it, but the lace also adds an airiness.

Supplies

  • 1 yard lace fabric
  • scissors
  • thread
  • sewing machine
  • straight pins or clips
  • hand-sewing needle


Instructions

  1. First, my lace had scalloped edges, so I cut them off. Then I cut the fabric in half lengthwise to make two rectangles about 22 inches by 36 inches.
  2. Sew the two rectangles together with a straight stitch along one short edge. If you can tell a right side from a wrong side on your lace, do this right sides together. I sewed a 1/2-inch seam allowance, then trimmed it down.
  3. Fold the long rectangle in half lengthwise, right sides together — the seam just sewn should be on the side facing out. Pin or clip together — if your lace has large holes, binder clips are a good alternative.
  4. Sew a seam along the long, nonfolded edge, using a straight stitch and a 1/2-inch seam.
  5. Turn the tube right-side out.
  6. This is the part where you sew the ends together to make the scarf a loop, and it a little tricky to describe, but here goes: Align the open edges with seams together. Starting at the seam, you’ll sew a straight stitch with about a 1/2-inch seam allowance along the wrong side of the tube. Continue sewing, matching edges together, until you can’t sew any more without catching the rest of the scarf in the seam. Stop and take the scarf off the machine.
  7. The seam you just sewed is inside out. Flip it to right-side out through the hole left unsewn.
  8. Hand sew the hole closed, and you’re done. Show off your handiwork around town.

 

Tagged accessories lace scarf sewing

Babies ain't free cross stitch

Babieaintfree

In college, my cousin Leanne came to visit me in Lawrence. During her time here, we happened to see a commercial for Lawrence.com that stuck with both of us.

In the commercial, a guy is on stage ranting and ends with, “Some of ya gonna have to work two jobs — ’cause babies ain’t free.”

Since then, we’ve regularly reminded each other of that. Leanne was the first to find it out firsthand. When she had her second daughter in October, I decided to make her a “Babies ain’t free” cross-stitch.

My starting point was a book called “Subversive Cross Stitch” by Julie Jackson. Her book is full of patterns with snarky sayings on them — I’ve made “Kiss my grits” for another friend.

She also has one that says, “Babies suck.” I used that to figure out the lettering for my own saying, and I also used her pattern for the border and pacifier.

The colors I used were black for lettering; light pink and dark pink for the pacifier; and light purple and dark purple for the border. I don’t know exactly what floss colors they are because I just went with what I had. You can change the colors for what suits you or the recipient best; for example, change some colors to blue for a baby boy.

Here's the commercial:


Supplies

  • 14-count Aida cloth
  • 5 embroidery floss colors: black, light pink, dark pink, light purple, dark purple (or substitutions you choose)
  • Embroidery needle (has a blunter tip and bigger eye than sewing needles)
  • Pattern
  • Scissors
  • Embroidery hoop, optional
  • Iron
  • Frame


Instructions
These are general cross-stitching principles that you would apply to making this pattern.

  1. There are different sizes of Aida cloth, which refers to the number of holes per inch. Using a different size will change the finished size of the design.
  2. Cut a piece of Aida cloth to about 6 inches wide by 8 inches long. That way you can be sure it will fit within a 5-inch by 7-inch picture frame.
  3. Fold the cut piece into quarters and mark the center of the piece. Work from there to stitch your design. I didn’t mark the center of the pattern, but roughly, it’s a little below the “n” in “ain’t.” (The pattern is 49 squares wide by 61 squares tall.) You’ll probably want to start stitching either “ain’t” or “free” first and continue working off of that.
  4. Choose the first color of embroidery floss. I always measure a piece to work with by holding the end with my fingers and running it up to my elbow, then snipping it off there. That gives you enough to work with comfortably without so much that it will get tangled.
  5. Embroidery floss has six strands wrapped together. In this pattern, you always use two strands at a time. Pull off two strands together and thread the needle. Save the other strands for later.
  6. Decide where to start stitching. Start by pulling the needle up through the cloth from bottom to top. Leave a tail on the bottom — you don’t need to knot it; just catch the tail in your first few stitches.
  7. It doesn’t matter which way you choose, but make sure to cross all your stitches in the same direction. If you start in this direction, /////, always have the opposite stitches, \\\\\, on top. Choose whichever direction is easiest for you.
  8. I’m not an expert, so I don’t know the best way to stitch lettering, but I do one letter at a time. I did the lettering first, then the pacifier, then the border.
  9. When you come to the end of a thread, run it under a few stitches on the back of the cloth and then snip off the excess.
  10. Aida cloth is fairly stiff, but you can use a hoop if it helps. If you use one, it doesn’t have to be bigger than the whole design — when you’ve covered the area inside, just take off the hoop and move it to the next area you’ll work in.
  11. When you’ve finished the piece, you’ll need to iron it, especially if you used a hoop. The iron should be hot, but don’t scorch the finished product! I do the back first to make sure it’s not too hot, then flip it to the front and press.
  12. Cut the cloth to fit in a frame and hang it up — as if you needed one more reminder that babies ain’t free!

Click here to download:
babiesaintfree-pattern.pdf (69 KB)
(download)

 

Tagged babies cross stitch

House divided onesies (for babies divided)

(download)

Santa’s gone, and now Baby New Year is coming to town. In his honor, I created baby onesies for a house divided.

Actually, these onesies are for the new nephew of Lawrence.com editor Trevan McGee. He came up with the idea for a reversible onesie, and I figured out how to implement it.

These have Kansas University and Kansas State University logos on the front and back, so the baby can represent the loyalties of both parents at the same time. You’ll see one logo when holding the baby and the other when burping him.

Parents don’t have to quarrel over which school he’ll support that day — he can do both at once. A veritable Baby Switzerland.

I created appliques by fussy cutting fat quarters of KU and K-State fabric. Fussy cutting just means cutting out a specific part of the fabric’s pattern. You could also cut the fabric into any shape.

I explained how to applique in October for the trick-or-treat tote (http://ljw.bz/tbtuLB), but I’ll go over the basics again.

The hardest part of this project was getting ahold of K-State cotton fabric in Lawrence. I was able to lay my hands on some at Stitch On Needlework Shop, 926 Mass.

Supplies

  • Cotton fabric
  • Interfacing
  • Scissors
  • Iron
  • 2 onesies
  • Sewing machine
  • Thread
  • Satin stitch foot, if you have one

Instructions

  1. Place cotton fabric right-side down and lay interfacing adhesive-side down on the back of the cotton fabric in the area you want to cut out. The interfacing’s adhesive side usually has raised dots. Attach the two by pressing with a warm or hot iron. Don’t move the iron around on the interfacing — put it in one spot, hold for about 10 seconds, then lift and move to another area.

  2. When all your fabric is prepared, cut out the parts you want as an applique. Pin one applique to the front of the first onesie.

  3. Take the onesie to the sewing machine and decide whether you want to sew from the head hole or the bottom. Either way, be sure you don’t sew the front and back together — keep the other layer clear of the presser foot.

  4. Sew a satin stitch around the edge of the applique. A satin stitch is a close, wide zigzag stitch. Backstitch a little at the beginning and the end. I found it worked better to have the needle in the applique rather than the jersey of the onesie when turning corners. When finished with the applique, clip the thread close to the fabric.

  5. Turn the onesie over and pin the applique from the opposite team to the back. Repeat step 4.

  6. Repeat steps 4 and 5 for a second onesie, with the placement of the team appliques reversed. You’ll have a set of two to give to expecting parents.

Tagged applique babies sewing

Cheap seats, not in the nosebleed section: Floor pillows

Floor_pillow
In the midst of moving weekend in this college town, I saw plenty of chairs and couches near the trash. I wondered, where will these people sit now?! So I came up with a floor pillow — great if you're living in a residence hall or if you just got rid of your furniture because you couldn't move it across town.

Supplies

  • 1 yard of 60-inch wide fabric or 1 2/3 yard of narrower fabric for the outer cover
  • 1 yard to 1 2/3 yard fabric for lining (I used old sheets)
  • ruler
  • marking tool
  • scissors
  • pins
  • thread
  • sewing machine
  • pillow stuffing
  • hand-sewing needle
  • 1 1/2 inch cover button kit
  • plain 2-hole button
  • upholstery thread
  • doll needle (a very long needle)

Instructions
  1. Cut two squares from the lining fabric and two squares of outer fabric the same dimensions. Mine were each 29 inches square.
  2. Pin the lining squares right sides together. Leave a hole for turning right side out and stuffing about 8 inches to 10 inches on one side. Sew around the edges with a 1/2-inch seam.
  3. Press the seams open. This is tricky, but I used a seam roll I bought from an estate sale, which made the job a lot easier. You can probably get away with skipping this on the lining, but definitely do it on the outer fabric so the seams look flat and not wonky when the pillow is finished.
  4. Start at one corner and pull the front and back layers apart so the seams lay flat against each other and match up. It should look like a triangle. To make a pillow that's 6 inches deep, measure 3 inches down from the corner point and mark a line across the triangle. Pin layers together. Repeat for the other three corners.
    Floor_pillow_step4
  5. Sew on the lines you marked across the corners, making a triangle at each corner.
  6. Turn the lining right side out and stuff with pillow stuffing. I gutted two old pillows for mine.
  7. Sew the opening closed with a slip stich using thread and a hand-sewing needle.
  8. Repeat steps 2 through 5 with the outer fabric, but leave a bigger opening on one side for stuffing the inner pillow inside.
  9. Turn the outer fabric right side out. Measure to find the center of the pillow and make a small mark there on the top and bottom. This is where the buttons will go for tufting.
  10. Stuff the inner pillow into the outer cover. This gave me quite the forearm workout. Once the pillow is fully inside, situate it so the corners align. Sew the opening closed with a slip stich using thread and the hand-sewing needle.
  11. Following the instructions on the cover button kit, make one covered button using leftovers of the outer fabric.
  12. Cut a long piece of upholstery thread and thread it through the doll needle. Pull it so the ends match up and tie the ends to the shank of the covered button.
  13. Put the needle into the middle of the pillow at the marked spot on the top side and aim it to come out at the marked spot on the bottom side. Slide the plain button onto the needle and up to the pillow. Tuck the needle in through the other hole of the bottom button and come through the pillow underneath the covered button. Slide the needle and thread though the shank. Repeat sewing through the pillow about three times, pulling the thread taught so tufting is achieved. End with the needle on the bottom side. Wrap the thread under the bottom button and tie it off.
Throw down your pillow on the floor and take a load off!

Tagged home pillows

A wedding veil for less than $10

(download)
Everything about a wedding can be expensive. When my friend Sarah asked me if I could make her a veil, she had an idea of what she wanted — a short, simple, one-layer veil. The example she showed me cost $65. I haven't figured out how that price is justified because I made this one for less than $10. It wasn't even all that hard, and it only took a few hours.

Supplies
  • pencil and paper for pattern
  • ruler
  • rounded objects to help draw a curve
  • scissors
  • tulle
  • pins
  • rotary cutter, if you have one
  • clear thread
  • hand-sewing needle
  • beads
  • comb
  • sparkly topper

Instructions
  1. Measure to determine the length of the veil. Sarah's sat on the back of her head and brushed the top of the back of her dress. To determine a width, I measured from shoulder to shoulder. That was just to give me a number to work with — the way it hung didn't actually touch or cover her shoulders.
  2. Sketch a pattern on paper. (I used newsprint, of course.) I started by drawing a rectangle 18 inches long by 12.5 inches wide. I wanted to round the bottom corners and have it curve gently to the top. I used a plate and a hip curve to do that. You only need to do one corner because you'll lay the pattern piece on the fold.
  3. Fold the tulle in half and pin so it won't shift. Lay the pattern piece with the straight edge along the fold and pin.
  4. Cut out the tulle. I used a rotary cutter to avoid jagged edges. The tulle won't fray, so I didn't finish the edges.
  5. I added several small crystal beads for sparkle. I actually did it last, but it would be much easier to do it before the fabric is gathered and sewn onto the comb. Decide where you want the beads. 
  6. This is the easiest way I found to attach them: Cut a piece of clear thread 6 inches to 8 inches long. Slip the bead onto the thread and slide it to about the middle. Take the same end of the thread and slip it through the bead the same direction as the first time, so now there is a loop holding the bead in place. Do this for all the beads you plan to use. To attach the beads to the tulle, put both ends of the thread through from the front and tie them in the back. I triple-knotted mine just to be safe. Clip the ends of the thread close to the knot.
  7. Thread the needle with clear thread. Tie the end around one end of the comb. Sew a running stitch along the top of the tulle and gather the top until it's the same width as the comb. Starting from the opposite end of the comb from where the thread is knotted, attach the tulle to the comb.
  8. To top off the veil, Sarah had a piece from a tiara she owned and cut off the wire sides. I sewed it to the top of the comb over the tulle using the clear thread.

Sarah was a beautiful bride, and I was happy to be able to contribute to her big day. Congrats, Sarah and Tyler!
Img_0302

Tagged wedding

Off-the-chain necklace

(download)
On the eve of one of my rare Saturday nights off, I decided to make myself a new necklace to wear out on the town. I’ve seen lots of the multi-chain necklaces for $15 or $20, but it didn’t cost me nearly that much to make one.

 

Supplies

  • Jewelry chains
  • Large jump rings
  • Wire cutter
  • Pliers
  • 2 yards ribbon
  • Scissors
  • Hand-sewing needle
  • Matching thread

 

Instructions

  1. Decide what length of chains you want and how many you want to use. I used two 60-inch lengths and cut them into eight chains total, using the wire cutters to take out links. The lengths were staggered so it would drape nicely.
    Step1
  2. Once the chains are cut, open a jump ring with pliers and add the end link of each chain. Close the ring. Repeat for the other side.
  3. Decide how long you want the ribbon and add 6 inches to 12 inches for tying a bow. My ribbons are 20 inches each. If you want to add a bow, save some ribbon for that, too.
  4. Slip one end of the ribbon through the jump ring. Fold the end of the ribbon under about half an inch. Fold that end back to the rest of the ribbon so a loop encloses the jump ring. Hand-sew a straight stitch across the ribbon to close the loop. Repeat with the second piece of ribbon on the other jump ring.
  5. At the loose end of one ribbon, turn the end under half an inch, then turn that under half an inch. Hand sew a straight stitch across the ribbon to finish the end. Repeat on the other ribbon.
  6. To add a bow, tie the extra length of ribbon onto the necklace tie near one jump ring. Tie the ribbon into a bow. Clip the ends if they’re too long. When you’re happy with the bow, turn the ends of the ribbon under to finish them like in step 5. Then on the back of the bow, sew a few stitches to secure it to the tying ribbon.

 

Tagged jewelry
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