I helped her sandwich it in between the rings of the hoop, let her choose a color, and threaded the spare needle. And she started stitching…and stitching…and stitching! Long stitches and short stitches, cross stitches and straight stitches — only pausing for me to tie off an end and change the thread color under her creative direction. I asked her what she was making. “Oh! This is a mini-blanket for the baby. For him to snuggle with….” she replied. We talked about me helping her make a back to the mini-blanket and finishing the edges when she was ready.

Below, the young seamstress at work — she never once made the freshman mistake of stitching around the hoop, rather than just up and down through the fabric. (I was impressed. I don’t think I can say the same for my first embroidery experience!) The next morning, she declared herself finished with that piece of fabric, handed it off for me to take home to Brooklyn to finish, and started work on a black and white gingham pattern which allowed her to practice making short, even stitches by following the pattern on the fabric.

Fast forward to the day after Christmas — the little guy had arrived, and my niece was in New York to meet her new baby cousin. She asked if we could sew again. I reminded her that we needed to choose a back panel for the mini-blanket! So we sat down with my fabric stash in the Generation T workroom and flipped through scraps until she spotted the black and white flame fabric  — I had purchased it several years ago in Portland, Oregon (to make a quilted throw pillow for Mr. T — back before he was Mr. T) while I was on book tour for Generation T. I also used it as the backing fabric for the electric bass, so there’s definitely a theme! We cut a swatch, threaded a needle, and she began tracing the flames with embroidery floss.

When she left, I embroidered her initials on her work, pinned the pieces together and used some scrap muslin to edge the mini-blanket. I also added the loop, which yes I recognize makes it look a little like a potholder, but also allows me to tether it to the stroller!

And no complaints from this little guy about his new handmade mini-blankie! He loves to snuggle with it and grip the edges tightly.

I can’t wait until the next project my niece and I make together! And here’s to the next generation of DIYers — I can’t wait till this little guy is gripping some scissors in his little hands, too!

At the very least, it makes you think where your T-shirts (or other discarded clothes) really end up.

What are your thoughts? Is it an unintended consequence of true charity or an example of opportunism masked by goodwill?

(via ThreadBared)

Oh, and also, if you happen to be attending the Craft and Hobby Association (CHA) winter conference this year, don’t forget to stop in at the iLoveToCreate Bloggers Lounge next weekend to say hello to some of your favorite craft bloggers.

In the meantime, feast your eyes on two-year-old Super Caleb!

Materials:
-Stencils and other household objects to trace
-Ballpoint pen
-Tulip Fashion Glitter Shimmer Transfer Sheets
-All-purpose scissors
-Toddler T-shirt(s)
-Pressing cloth
-Iron

Make it:

1. Select a stencil and trace the parts of it onto the desired color glitter transfer sheets. (Silver for the body of the rocket ship, purple for the star decal, blue for the stripe and the flame. Extra stars in blue!) Alternately, trace household items (like different size bowls, jars, tupperware lids, bottle caps, etc.) to create basic shapes like circles and rectangles.

2. Cut out all of the shapes and peel off the top layer of plastic before arranging the shapes on the front of the shirt.

3. Use the warm iron and pressing cloth to press on one piece of the design at a time (so that none of the pieces shift accidentally as you’re applying them). Iron on any sleeve decorations separately so you can lay that portion of the fabric flat when you’re working on it.

4. Then fold them, wrap them, and tie a ribbon in a bow…

5. …and gift them to a cute little toddler you know!

(Caleb’s mom reports that he loves wearing them, and points often to the sleeves, identifying the “stahs.”)

Materials:
-Solid color cotton quilting fabric to embroider
-Patterned cotton quilting fabric for backing
-Electric Bass Iron-on Pattern (in Colonial Patterns “SR4 Rock’n & Roll’n”)
-All-purpose scissors
-Iron and ironing board
-Wooden embroidery hoop
-Embroidery floss in white, black, silver, and slate blue
-Embroidery needle
-Embroidery scissors
-Straight pins
-Sewing machine and thread
-Fiberfill

Make it:

1. Cut out the iron-on pattern and place it face down on the plain fabric. Follow the instructions on the pattern packaging to press and transfer the image with a warm iron.

2. Thread the needle with an arm’s length of black embroidery floss. Use four strands for each stitched segment of the design. I outlined the bass in black with a split stitch, used split stitch fill in white for the pick guard, split stitch and split stitch fill in silver for the frets, pickups, bridge, and tuning keys, used backstitch in slate gray for the strings, and finished off the control knobs with French knots in black.

3. When the stitching is complete, carefully cut about 1/2″ around the black outline stitching. Place the embroidered piece against the backing fabric, right sides together, and cut around the shape to create a matching back piece. Pin the edges and, leaving a 1/4″ seam allowance, sew a running stitch around the pinned area. Leave a 2″ opening at one end. Remove the pins and turn the fabric right side out. Stuff with fiberfill, making sure all the “corners” get filled first, and hand stitch the opening closed.

4. Put it in the hands of an eager young musician.

She did amazing work on that skirt, and she’s pretty darn cute, to  boot!

In the meantime, bear with me while I navigate the timing of naps, food, diaper changes, and Generation T posts. Happy holidays and peace to you all in the New Year.

cheers,
Megan

I love it because it reminds me of a dissection or x-ray vision, with a strong, colorful spine running down the back! Either way you slash it, it’s amazingly quick and easy to make — check out Lindsey’s tutorial on Hello Hydrangea here if you’d like to try your hand at it, too.

We made stylish no-sew scarves (and for those cracking open your books, it’s the Mane-iac scarf, page 235 in Generation T: Beyond Fashion).

Sassy no-sew tops, too! This couple made the Back in Action tee (page 260 in Generation T: Beyond Fashion).

Then there was the Pinup Girl halter top, page 28 in Generation T: Beyond Fashion – and a mash-up of the Makes Me Wanna Collar and the Back in Action T-shirt (shown above), pages 38 and 260 in Generation T: Beyond Fashion.

A variation of the Outer Lace sleeveless top, page 56 in Generation T: 108 Ways to Transform a T-shirt (check out all the scraps re-purposed as bracelets, too). And, my good friend, host and bartender for the evening, Matthew!

So keep stockpiling your old T-shirts! Because you never know when the next Tee Party invite will arrive in your inbox…

Giant cover displays peppered the tables, samples from the pages of the book were hung all through the rafters…

Event sponsor Singer had make-and-take tables set up for DIY drawstring bags using fabric from Spoonflower, and there was the iLoveToCreate glitter tattoo setup, with your glitter tattoo artiste, me! And I didn’t even catch a glimpse of the photo booth fun that was happening at the other end of the room.

Here I am in action, glitter brush and dish poised and ready for the next willing victim! (As you can see, I wore my sparkle headband for the occasion.)

Pink anchors, basketballs swooshing through hoops…

A recycling heart and a classic sparrow.

Black hearts and flowers for the truly badass…

And while most opted for the wrist or inner forearm, there were a few face, neck, and even underarm tattoos administered!

Like I said, there were many, many glitter tattoos applied throughout the night, while folks frolicked and celebrated the release of the next new sewing book!

And since I know many of you wanted to be there in person, but couldn’t make it on such short notice, I’m extending the party online (okay, sorry, no glitter tattoos via html) by sending one of you lucky readers off with a copy of The BurdaStyle Sewing Handbook, courtesy of BurdaStyle! All you need to do to enter is leave a comment on this post or on the Generation T Facebook page sharing why you love to sew before noon on Wednesday December 14. One entry per person; to have a bonus entry count, send us a tweet sharing why you love to sew, tagging both @GenerationTee and @BurdaStyle.

I’ll select a winner randomly and make the announcement later this week via the Generation T blog, Facebook, and Twitter. Here’s to sewing up a storm this holiday season!

…All of the projects are pretty accessible, so it’s appropriate for novices as well as sewing gurus. And most of the projects can be done without a machine.”

So if you have a crafty one on your holiday shopping list this year, consider a giving copy of Generation T: Beyond Fashion: 120 New Ways to Transform a T-shirt or the original Generation T: 108 Ways to Transform a T-shirt. And, hey, I’ll even show you how to wrap it up!

Also featured in the Jezebel round-up: an adorable sheep-shaped knitting needle gauge for your favorite stitcher, custom-designed fabrics from Spoonflower, a doodle-n-wash tablecloth, classes at Make Workshop in NYC, and more.