British Style Bloggers

Circus Punk Hooded Tshirt

craftyjoanne — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 20:01:15 +0000

When it's cold out, we bundle up in layers and coats. When it's warmer, feeling the sun on your shoulders is nice. But what to do inbetween seasons? I have used a large men's Tshirt ("Circus Punks") and created the perfect light cover up. Looks great with a tank or a long sleeved shirt under. And because the shirt is about Circus Punks (http://www.circuspunks.com/INTRO.html) I HAD to add the lovely line of fur on the hood.

What you'll need:

zipper
faux fur
pattern for a hood from a jacket or sweatshirt
underwear elastic w/ ruffle
sewing machine, thread, pins, needle
2 Tshirts

Shorten the sleeves and add underwear elastic to the edges to make them more curvy. Genltly pull the elastic while sewing to create a rounded sleeve.

Cut right down the center of the shirt and attach a zipper with pins. Sewing in a straight line from top to bottom and then bottom to top. It helps to have the zipper closed while sewing. Since it had a logo on the front, I left the edges raw (no hem).

Use the hood pattern to cut out a hood from another Tshirt. This pattern was in 2 pieces, which were sewn down the middle. Hem if needed and attach to the Tshirt, sewing along the back of the neckline.

Hand stitch some fur around the hood using a needle and thread.

I had some leftover scrap fabric to play with, so I cut out some pockets (freehand- it wasn't difficult) and sewed them on, with raw edges, along with some extra elastic trim.

Tips:

try using different fabric for the hood, or line it with cute leopard or polka dots
add other embellishments like safety pins, a brooch, patches, badges, etc.
if you have a pillow case, sheets, or other fabric that you love but just don't need, turn it into something you can wear!

Another idea is to add the fur like a mohawk or ribbon in the front like this gore-geous sweatshirt:

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=30402975

Hooded Scarf

craftyjoanne — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 22:03:38 +0000

As the weather turns cold, we start thinking more and more about warm accessories. This hooded scarf is a fantastic way to keep warm and added detail to your winter look. The best part is that you can re-use a jumper that may not fit but you love the colours. Plus, it's very easy to make!

Start with a jumper and cut it across the chest horizontally. The distance from one sleeve to the other will be the scarf. The body of the jumper will become the hood by cutting out the shape you see below.

Simply sew the scarf in a straight line so that it's closed off. Pin the base of the hood to where the neck dips down on the jumper. Stitch the hood to the scarf and add any embellishments you can think of.

Use fun patterns, find different fabric for the inside of the hood, add pins, jewels, badges, cut fringe on the tips - you name it!

Arm Cuffs Made From T-shirts

craftyjoanne — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 02:29:16 +0000

Sewing is easy when it's a super simple design. I had some old, boxy T-shirts sitting around and realized I could easily make arm cuffs. The possibilities are endless when you add ribbons, buttons, zippers, and other embellishments.

First, cut off the arms from a T-shirt and sew them together like this. I started with the hemmed sleeves to save time. Put the two pieces together, right sides facing each other, and sew in a straight line. Once the first seam is in place, add embellishments like lace, trims, buttons, etc. After the cuff is embellished, sew up the final seam and get ready to rock!