0 T-Shirt Up-cycle

I needed a new gym shirt but I didn't want to go to the store. Honestly, I hate shopping. Don't get me wrong I like getting new clothes as much as the next girl, I just seriously detest the process of shopping, the trying things on and what-not. Nothing ever looks like you expect it to off the rack, or at least not like I expect it to. So, when I decided I needed a new gym shirt I also took note of the abundance of oversize T-shirts I keep as pajamas. This is what I ended up with:

And here is how it started (this is a large men's t-shirt):

All you need are a pair of scissors and a bobby pin, no sewing skills required. 

Start by cutting off the bottom seam

Stretch it out so the edges roll up a little

Cut off the sleeves

And the neck..

Flip it over and on the back cut it like you're making a V-neck

Cut the back like you see here... ^^^

Remember cutting the bottom seam? Cut the stitching off of it. 

Like this..

Take the piece withOUT stitching and stretch it out

Gather the back of the shirt in your hand

Separate the two straps in your fingers like this

Tuck one end of the non stitched, stretched portion of the seam under your thumb, and start wrapping from the bottom up towards your hand. 

When you get to the place where the straps separate, start wrapping in a herringbone pattern

Like this..

 

Once you have gone up as far as you'd like (a couple inches are plenty), get a bobby pin

Slip the bobby pin onto the tail end of the stringy piece (you can cut some of the excess, there will be plenty, just make sure you leave yourself 5in or so)

Stick the bobby pin under the wrapped part

Pull it through and cut off the extra, you can put it through all the way to the bottom if it makes you feel better but this is far enough, I promise. 

And there you have it, a brand new gym shirt without going to the store. I regularly wear a size small in t-shirts, this shirt was a large, I also did this to a medium shirt, that worked out a little better. If you have the option, choose a shirt one size larger than your actual shirt size. 

Again here's the back.. 

Happy Crafting =]

Enjoy =]

2 Planeteer Shirt

Do you remember the 90s cartoon Captain Planet and the Planeteers? I do. I grew up on that show. I love it, okay its growing closer and closer to obsession status. I have every episode scheduled to air in the foreseeable future ready to go on my DVR. Yeah. 

So I did what any obsessed fan would do.. I made a shirt =]
 Will need a shirt.. any color is fine, any type will do as well, I used a tank but T's or long sleeves, it doesn't really matter. Some fabric paint, a round object approx 6in in diameter, and some cardboard

My cardboard was a little on the small side but put it inside the shirt like this..

Place your circular object in the middle of the shirt, if you're using a T-shirt you'll want to place the circle approx 1in from the neckline. 

Trace it with your fabric paint in black.. if your paint doesn't have a point on it you can use a paint brush, it works just as well. 

Keep tracing all the way around, be careful to watch for the fabric bunching up, you want it to stay smooth. 

It's a little messy but the green will cover it. 

I used the same bowl to mix my green in, I wasn't happy with the factory-made green. You want it pretty neon-ish. 

Oh, yes =]

I didn't feel like looking for a paintbrush.. this worked out just as well though I think.

=]

You need to create an axis, the green circle is a globe.. so make a straight vertical line in the center. I used my cardboard as a straight-edge.

Not bad.

Now you need a horizontal line.. It was at this point that I noticed where my fabric had bunched during the drawing of the initial black circle.

YAY!

In order to make it spherical you'll need to make the next set of lines curved

One down..

I found it easiest to flip the entire project so that each new curved line would be on the side opposite my drawing hand. This helps make the curve. 

At this point it pretty much looks like a basketball.

The next set of lines will be curved along the width of the sphere

Three down..

Last one. 

YAAAY!

Here it is! Fuzzy and out of focus (my apologies) 

And here it is on. Again, I apologize for the horrible last couple of pictures, in my defense this very last one is from my crappy cell phone. I also apologize for my scraggly hair, it's in desperate need of attention as of late and I just haven't gotten around to it. I hope that if you're not as obsessed you still found this a good read and maybe inspires you to check out some Captain Planet re-runs on youTube. If you are in my boat, I encourage you to also make your own Planeteer shirt. I think the plan currently is to be a planeteer for Halloween. I usually go all-out, last year was an exception(it was awful.. store-bought costume and all). 


Happy Crafting!
Enjoy! =]