Mrs Frugal is part of my attempt to become financially savvy. A strict savings regime has left me with little spare money to spend on my wardrobe. A big hole in my wardrobe was just simple groovy t-shirts.
Rummaging through my suitcases of old clothes that I don’t wear in an attempt to find something I might wear again I found a few things that might serve well as motifs on a t-shirt. The t-shirts I attached them to were all around $10.
The aeroplane came from a hawaiian shirt. I cut it out and overlocked the edges before hemming them so that I had a reasonably straight rectangle to work with. I used a couple of rows of zig zag criss crossing each other to attach it while gently stretching the t shirt fabric as I sewed. It was a bit tricky putting non stretchy onto stretchy, but a few rows of zig zag seem to have sorted it out. I think it is important to stretch but not over stretch the stretchy fabric as you sew.
The black and white spiral thing was from another t-shirt that I really liked, but was just too short for me. As it was stretchy fabric no over-locking or hemming needed of the edges. It just went straight on, again with a few rows of zig zag. It was much easier.
The design on the brown singlet came from a old Miller shirt that I loved. I called them picture shirts, but I don't know their real name. After much time choosing the right bit to cut out I ironed on some interfacing in an attempt to stop it fraying. It has still frayed a bit, but seems to have stopped at just the right point of looking trendy. The interfacing made it a bit stiff, but I think it is better than fraying away to nothing.
Sewing non stretchy onto stretchy was a bit easier in this vertical shape as not much of the motif was going across to stretch. The 2 little buttons were Miss J's idea. They came from the Miller shirt and seem to set it off quite nicely.
For all t-shirts it was very important to have someone pin the motif in place while you have the t-shirt on as body parts can skew and shape things differently.
