As quickly as the wreaths, tinsel garlands, and snowflakes swirled into place in stores the morning after Halloween, the red hearts and doilies are already up and about for Valentine’s Day. I’m still recovering from the sugar high of the holidays, but what I do love about the holidays is giving gifts — especially of the handmade variety!
Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to make these available to you in time for all of your DIY Christmas gift giving, but fortunately, we give gifts year round (they’re called birthdays, graduations, mothers/fathers/grandparents days, and so on… and yes, that reddish holiday I mentioned above called Valentine’s).
So, to ring in this new year–nay, new decade–of celebrating, I’d like to introduce a brand-spanking new feature that I made for you — free downloads of printable tags that you can add to your handmade Generation T gift, so the recipient knows they’re getting a Generation T original — made by you!
They’re super easy to use. Just click on the appropriate book title in the “Free Downloads” icon in the right column of the website. The files are PDFs, so make sure you have a program that will open them. Then hit “print” and follow the directions to cut out, hole punch, sign, and attach, and you’re good to go!
If the delighted blur of a little girl in the photo looks familiar, it’s because you may have seen her around in the recent Thanksgiving post! She’s my niece, and she’s wearing The Little Empress dress (project #58 in Generation T: Beyond Fashion) made from a single adult T-shirt by my dear sister-in-law, who loyally reads the blog, and battled bravely through both her claims of lost sewing skills (not so!) and the flu (note the well-placed box of tissues on the workspace floor below) to make this cute jumper. This particular little empress was so enthusiastic about this newest addition to her wardrobe that she wanted to wear it to bed!
The dress design was featured this summer in Chicago Parent magazine–it’s a great project to make on the cheap for your daughters, nieces, and granddaughters. And, come to think of it, you could adapt the dress to make a full, empire-bodice halter top for an adult!
EVENT DATE January 26, 2010 12:30 pm – 1:30 pm 4:30 pm – 5:30 pm
Each winter, sunny California is host to the largest craft convention in the business, organized by the Craft & Hobby Association. I’ll be wandering the aisles on Sunday and Monday (January 24 and 25), but come Tuesday, I’ll pull my scissors from their holster and do a couple half-hour T-shirt demos at the Provo Craft booth and stage–scissors plus Yudu machine equals big-time fun. And each demo will be followed by a booksigning, also with Provo Craft–which equals more big-time fun. Come visit!
Happy New Year! I happily spent the end of the decade and the beginning of the next in a delightfully tropical locale where a T-shirt is commonly worn as just that: a T-shirt. But the cold winds blowing back in Brooklyn demand another use for that spare jersey fabric: the scarf. So, as promised, here are just a few of the ways to transform a T-shirt into a scarf, in cooperation with our dear friends at Threadbanger! (And come to think of it, because they’re so lightweight, and can be layered, these scarves actually could be worn in any climate…warm or cold.)
Margaret, from Texas, writes that Generation T is one of the most visited books on her shelf! (Aww…we love to hear that!) She has always collected different fabrics like T-shirts, denim (jeans), and corduroy, and even though Generation T is all about the T-shirt, she’s been able to take her old fabrics and use patterns from the book to create new things. Attached is a picture of her and a friend visiting New York City. Margaret, right, is wearing a skirt made of three navy blue T-shirts plus a Chinese batik T-shirt that someone brought from China for her as a gift. The skirt she made became a favorite in her closet! She says, “I love giving new life to tired things.” We do, too!
…were made from a T-shirt with care, with hopes that old tee could get some more wear. It’s not exactly how the traditional poem goes, and I realize I’m a little late with the tutorial should you have wanted to take a stab at it yourself, but stow this one away for next season! Here’s a holiday stocking variation on the Stocked Up wine cozy (project #32 in Generation T: Beyond Fashion):
Ingredients:
1 L or XL T-shirt
scissors
paper
pen or pencil
straight pins
chalk marker
needle
thread
1. Make a pattern by sketching or tracing the outline of the stocking on a sheet of scrap paper. Cut it out, make any adjustments, and pin it to the front of a large T-shirt. Trace the outline on the tee using a chalk marker.
2. Flip the pattern and trace to make a double-sided, double-thick stocking.
3. Pin and sew a running stitch around the curved edges.
4. Snip a scrap piece 3″ by 1″, fold it in half to make a loop.
5. Cut three strips from a sleeve, and stretch them to make cords. Braid them together to make trim.
6. Pin and sew the trim in place around the top edge with a running stitch. Secure the hanging loop as you go.
7. Remove the pins. Now it’s time to make them in multiples (and in varying sizes–the one on the right, made from a Tiger Cubs uniform, is for the four-legged meowing member of the household, naturally!), and hang them by the chimney…or the key hooks with care.
Monday night crafting at Etsy Labs with the lovely ladies of The Uniform Project (Sheena, Eliza, and Jessica) was just delightful. (Sheena of The Uniform Project is wearing the same little black dress for a full year, creatively accessorizing with found or donated items each day, and raising money to support underprivileged students in India.) It was a smart pairing on Etsy’s part: The Uniform Project and Generation T both approach the versatility of clothing and fashion in different ways. Sheena takes one garment (her LBD) and re-envisions it daily by accessorizing; similarly, Generation T is about re-envisioning a single garment–in this case, the T-shirt (arguably a staple of most daily uniforms). And we’re both about using what we have to make something more. What about you? Could you wear the same basic garment for a week, reworking it each day into something new and special?
We had a great turnout last night: crafters from many boroughs of New York attended, as did virtual visitors from around the globe. Here are some pics I snapped before my camera battery died, but you can also check out some Etsy shots here (in which you will see me enthusiastically interact with a laptop).
1. Eliza, Jessica, and Sheena of The Uniform Project chat online with the virtual Etsy audience from around the globe. (Sheena’s wearing LBD accessorized outfit #235.) 2. Wendy makes the Mane-iac scarf (video tutorial to come from Threadbanger in January–stay tuned!) 3. Jessica modifies the Mohawk Mo’ Rock hat (project #72 from Generation T: Beyond Fashion).
4. Sheena refashions a T-shirt to accessorize LBD outfit #236–which she wore today as part of The Uniform Project! 5. Another crafty lady made Outer Lace (project #16 from Generation T)–I like the contrasting white on red detailing.
6) Here’s a variation on Outer Lace–also with the contrasting lacing. 7) It’s a beard, 8 ) it’s a mane,…it’s actually a boa! (project #115 in Generation T: Beyond Fashion).
9) Another Mane-iac scarf (project #91) in process. 10) And another… 11) Last but not least, my Charlie’s angels, decked out in doctored tees and accessories.
Thanks again to Vanessa and Julie at Etsy Labs for having me, to The Uniform Project for co-hosting, and to Threadless for donating the T-shirts we chopped up. Don’t forget to check out Etsy’s Flickr page for more photos!
*I believe* that the next Etsy Craft Night is on Monday January 25, featuring Ed Roth of Stencil 1. How about it? Learn some stenciling (another great skill to have under your belt if you’ve got some T-shirts in need of a makeover).
Happy Solstice! Today we announce the final winner in the Generation T “Ten Days of Solstice” giveaway (as well as celebrate the shortest day of the year–or rather, celebrate that the days of sunlight only increase from here!).
So what was inside pocket #1 of the Final Countdown Pocket Calendar? The winner is Kayleigh–whose favorite Generation T project is #108, Tying the Knot, the T-shirt wedding gown which she adapted from the first book for a dance class. Kayleigh’s surprise is the vintage patch and pin embellishing set. And the bonus surprise is a signed, brand new copy of Generation T: Beyond Fashion. Congratulations to all the winners in our countdown (Amy, Elaura, Juliet, Elizabeth, Deborah, Claire, Julia, Lauren, Barbara, and Kayleigh) and thanks to all who entered! Let’s do this again, soon, okay?
In the meantime, make the most of these daylight hours!
Well, now, I’m getting positively giddy now with anticipation. Only one surprise left in the Generation T countdown calendar. But before we get to that, let’s see what was inside pocket #2… Barbara’s Generation T surprise is the transform it kit with tools, sketchbook, and project bag. Congratulations!
And thanks for all your “My Tunes” entries. Y’all are a diverse crafty bunch, who have recently crafted to the likes of “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” (The Beatles), “Time Flies” (Lykke Li), “Fireflies” (Owl City), “Poker Face” (Lady Gaga), “Present/Infant” (Ani DiFranco), “Achrayut” (sp?) (Yoni Bloch), “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” (various artists), and more! Me, I was most recently crafting to “The Heart of Saturday Night” (Tom Waits).
To be in the running to win tomorrow’s big surprise* in pocket #1, email me (megan @ generation-t.com) by midnight tonight (EST) with the subject line “T-shirt Love” and the name of your favorite Generation T project. Please, please, please don’t forget to include your mailing address so I can send you the prize if you win!
As it’s been for the last 9 days, when the clock strikes midnight (EST), entries are closed for the day. I will randomly select a winner and announce that winner tomorrow morning.
*Note: If you’ve been following all week, you know which of the 10 original items is left to win, but to keep things exciting, I will be adding a second prize item (yay!) to this final special countdown-to-solstice holiday surprise.
This “10 Days of Solstice” countdown means it’s sure been getting pretty dark around here! Luckily, to brighten everyone’s mood, we’ve been giving away Generation T surprises daily! So, what was inside pocket #3? Today’s winner, Lauren, will be getting a set of canvas camouflage iron-on letters. Time to personalize!
To be in the running to win tomorrow’s surprise in pocket #2, email me (at megan @ generation-t.com) by midnight tonight (EST) with the subject line “My Tunes” and the name of the song you most recently crafted to. Please don’t forget to include your mailing address so I can send you the prize if you win!
When the clock strikes midnight, entries are closed for the day. I will randomly select a winner and announce that winner tomorrow morning.
Don’t forget, YOU CAN ENTER EVERY DAY! So if you have your eye on a prize that hasn’t been claimed, you can enter again tomorrow!
As quickly as the wreaths, tinsel garlands, and snowflakes swirled into place in stores the morning after Halloween, the red hearts and doilies are already up and about for Valentine’s Day. I’m still recovering from the sugar high of the holidays, but what I do love about the holidays is giving gifts — especially of the handmade variety!
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