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Happy Earth Day from Generation T!

Circle ’round for for a brief, heart-warming, and perhaps eerily prophetic story from my childhood. (And read till the end–there’s a treat.)

In 1988, my town’s annual Earth Day poster contest held a special prize: The winning design was to be printed on T-shirts that would be distributed to students at the Sandwich Central Elementary School and available for sale to parents and other adults in the community. There I was, a young girl armed with passion for the earth, appreciation for the animals and plants that live on it, a full box of markers, and a blank sheet of paper.  My message was simple: Keep Earth Alive: RECYCLE. The words wrapped around a drawing of the earth, each continent and ocean playing host to an animal native to its land or water. I remember drawing the antlers of a moose in North America, the oversize beak of a toucan in South America, a humpback whale in the Atlantic… At top right is the newspaper clipping my mom saved to commemorate the event of my winning the contest–my two sisters are with me showing off the T-shirts. Though the poster, which I had so carefully colored in, was to be printed in black and white, the T-shirts, at least, ranged in color. My sisters each chose green and blue T-shirts, respectively, while my dad ordered the vibrant pink T-shirt shown here. He wore it for many years, and it bears a few ink stains–the requisite mark of an art teacher.

In the spirit of Earth Day contests, here’s one for you: Before midnight tonight, let us know in the comments what you’re doing to celebrate Earth Day, and be automatically entered to win a signed copy of Generation T: Beyond Fashion. Here’s where it gets interesting: Five finalists will be drawn at random and announced on the site tomorrow, April 23, 2011 at noon EST. A final challenge will be issued and the first of the finalists to correctly answer the trivia question posed is the winner! (Hint: Having a copy of Generation T: 108 Ways to Transform a T-shirt on hand for reference will be infinitely helpful.)

[ 10 Comments | Posted on April 22nd, 2011 ]

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From Our Readers: Willow and Ella!

For their school Earth Day project this year, Willow and her pal Ella (who attended my bookstore event at Bayswater Book Co. in March, and who happen to attend the same elementary school that I graduated from!) decided to grab their scissors and encourage textile reuse by example. They rescued a whole slew of T-shirts from the backs of their closets and refashioned them, Generation T-style, into one-of-a-kind tops, skirts, and dresses. Spring wardrobe, here we come!

Thanks Willow and Ella for sharing a really great way to celebrate Earth Day–what about you? Think on it…you’ll have the opportunity to share it in the comments on tomorrow’s post!

[ Comments Off on From Our Readers: Willow and Ella! | Posted on April 21st, 2011 ]

Adventures

The Spray (Paint)s of Our Lives…

Like sand fabric paint through the hourglass a small nozzle, so go the sprays of our lives… Isn’t that how it goes? Last month I was up in NH for Artward Bound, where I was teaching T-shirt refashioning, and we set up a whole “wet station” dedicated to fabric pens, markers, stencils, and paints (thanks to sponsor iLovetoCreate)! And spray paints were decidedly the most popular kids in class. Students (of all ages, as you’ll see below) experimented with spraying freehand in tie-dye-like formations; they sprayed over reusable stick-on stencils; on foam stencils they brought from their dorms; they also experimented with making their own shapes and patterns using rolls of masking tape. Here’s a sampling of 10 ways to use your fabric spray paint!

Christian used masking tape over the backside of his boxer briefs (pattern based on Ansty Pants, project #57 in Generation T: Beyond Fashion)

Molly wrote the initials DJB with masking tape to personalize the grocery tote (Plastic Surgery, project #42 in Generation T: Beyond Fashion) she stitched up for her mom.

Kangdi diligently cut out all of the letter shapes from a larger sheet of paper we tiled together in order to fit the back of the T-shirt. “Everybody, hands up!” (On the front of the shirt, he used his hands as stencils — one guy who’s not afraid to get messy!)

Dan wanted to spray the number 35 for his DIY basketball jersey, carefully screening the rest of the shirt from excess paint with fabric scraps.

Ben expressed his anarchist tendencies in masking tape.

Even young Lindon, son of one of the faculty leaders, stopped by in a T-shirt smock to spray a football onto an old shirt.

Anna sought out the butterfly stencils to add color to the gray base T-shirt.

More footballs and baseball stencils for this young posse.

Michael brought his Bob Marley stencil from his dorm room — to make it a veritably Marley-fest. Pillows, T-shirts…

…and tank tops were just the beginning!

Thanks again to iLoveToCreate for the generous donation of spray paints, markers, and stencils for the workshops! As you can see, all the materials were put to wonderful and creative use!

What design would you spray paint? What technique would you use?

[ Comments Off on The Spray (Paint)s of Our Lives… | Posted on April 18th, 2011 ]

T-shirt Projects

How To: T-shirt Boa Scarf!

Hey there, Generation T! Are you ready to get really knotty? Today’s T-shirt tutorial comes courtesy of one of our esteemed readers: Ms. Liz Russo of Craft-Stop. It’s the “Tic Tac Boa,” project #115 in Generation T: Beyond Fashion — the boa scarf is perfect for spring, infinitely personaliz-able (pick a color, any color!), great for using up scraps (cut strips from old T-shirt sleeves) — oh, and did I mention it’s no-sew? Well, it is. Settle down in front of a good movie while you complete all the knots (you won’t notice when your fingers start to cramp) or, if it’s warm enough where you are, kick back in a park, your backyard, or poolside!

Watch the tutorial here:

Thanks again to Craft-Stop for featuring one of our projects!

[ 7 Comments | Posted on April 12th, 2011 ]

Adventures

Signature Styles: Sneak Preview!

Last spring I was super excited when Jenny Doh of Crescendoh invited me to take part in her forthcoming book project, Signature Styles: 20 Stitchers Craft Their Look (due out from Lark Books this May — and hey, that’s my friend Sonya on the cover!). It was a welcome opportunity for me to reflect on my art and craft and how integrated it is in my day-to-day life. It was also a fun opportunity to invite my mom, a professional photographer, to visit for a weekend to do the photo shoot!

Photography is a challenge in poorly lit Brooklyn apartment studios (as you’ve likely surmised from previous blog posts!), because you have a few crucial hours of sunlight breaking through the buildings. For this particular shoot, we also had no tripod (oops, left that at the office!) — but it was a welcome challenge and a true get-crafty, make-it-work moment. (And luckily, Mr. T and I have quite the library of thick books to create a makeshift solution!)

Book description: Twenty top stitchers take readers on an exclusive tour of their homes and studios–graciously offering their signature techniques and a step-by-step project along the way. This unique book presents informational, inspirational profiles of creative and crafty women, complete with stunning images of them surrounded by the style components that define their work and art. The profilees include best-selling authors such as Betz White, Kayte Terry, Megan Nicolay, and Kathy Cano Murillo as well as popular bloggers such as Heather Bailey.

Here’s a sneak peek inside the pages of the book…


[ Comments Off on Signature Styles: Sneak Preview! | Posted on April 4th, 2011 ]

Other Projects

How to: Host a Crafty Baby Shower

In November, I attended a baby shower for some expectant friends in our nation’s capital and it reminded me of a post I’ve been meaning to write from back (last year!) when April rain showers gave way to May baby showers in this neck of the woods. At Generation T headquarters in Brooklyn we hosted a celebration for our friends, Mary Heath and Darren who were expecting a lovely June flower! Now, when I’m in party planner mode, I can’t help but get all DIY — from activities to food to drinks to party favors.

FOOD: While Mr. T and I hung the streamers, Heather and Amy mixed some homemade sangria. Yum.

And delicious cookies were sent courtesy of Aunt Jean in Seattle! Double yum.

PARTY FAVORS: Earlier in the day, I re-potted some basil plants in some cups I had left over from another party and attached the tags I had typed on my typewriter the night before (my favorite comment was when someone asked: “Wow, what computer font did you use for these?”).

ACTIVITY 1: Earlier in the week, I had a friend help print and mount a blank calendar page to predict baby’s arrival (complete with EDD, or Estimated Date of Delivery)! $2 per entry — winner splits the pot with baby (and if nobody guesses right, baby takes all)!

ACTIVITY 2: Baby onesie decorating!

Materials:

-plain white onesies in a variety of sizes (for baby to grow)

-fabric markers

-fabric paint

-foam and stencil brushes

-a variety of stencils

-paper plates (for use as painters’ palettes)

-old file folders, opened up and cut into quarters (to insert inside the unsnapped onesie to prevent color from bleeding through from front to back)

-a clothesline and clothespins to hang the onesies!

Below, the blank onesies.

The materials are ready and waiting…

And, action!

Guests are busy stenciling and painting away.

The finished onesies are clipped back on the wall to dry (and provide festive decoration in the meantime!). A little lady can’t help but learn her ABCs when they’re painted on her belly!

“Made in Brooklyn.”

Mama-to-be surveys baby’s new wardrobe.

NOTE 1: Substitute T-shirts and a birthday girl and you’ve got a birthday party activity!

NOTE 2: Substitute plain cotton undies and a bachelorette, and you’ve got a fabulous girls’ night (and a whole lot of crazy underthings for the honeymoon)!

NOTE 3: Take photos!

All photos shown here courtesy Amy Pierce Photography.

[ 1 Comment | Posted on March 31st, 2011 ]

More Fun

From Our Readers: Dena!

If any of you missed the pictures Dena posted on the Generation T Facebook page a few weeks ago, well, you simply must check them out. To celebrate her 20th wedding anniversary, Dena made the T-shirt wedding gown (project #108 Tying the Knot from Generation T), which she fancied up with a few of her own modifications:

She gathered the top only a few inches in the front and added a corsage of rosettes. Because the skirt tends to get a little heavy (it is made of a whopping 6 T-shirts after all!), she also added a belt. She changed up the back a bit, and stitched her seams on the inside of the skirt. PS: Dena and her daughter Jaden designed the adorable “flower girl” dress together.

Dena didn’t go the whole white dress route when she got married, so this dress gave her that experience. She says, “I felt beautiful in it”–and no doubt comfortable, too!

We think you look stunning, Dena–and it sounds like you had a blast–happiest of anniversaries to you!

[ Comments Off on From Our Readers: Dena! | Posted on March 29th, 2011 ]

Media

Sizzle Reel for Sew It All TV!

Check it out. The Sew It All TV sizzle reel is for reals hot and sizzlin’ with cameos by some of your favorite designers, crafters, and sewists!

Host Ellen March’s guests for the first season include Suede (of Project Runway and, more recently, Simplicity patterns), Carmen Webber (also of Project Runway, and author of another T-shirt refashioning book you might know!), Kathy Cano-Murillo of the Crafty Chica blog and product line, and…well, you just might recognize a certain someone from these here parts, too (I submit exhibit A, below, into evidence).

The show is airing on PBS this spring–check with your local station to see if if they carry it (and if not, request it here!). And mark my words, there will be T-shirt Transformation, oh yes, there will be T-shirt Transformation (submitting exhibit B, below).


[ 2 Comments | Posted on March 25th, 2011 ]

More Fun

Letter to a Young T-shirt

In which I introduce you to a piece of T-shirt literature quite different from the T-shirt literature you generally consume around these here parts. It’s a smart and whimsical ode to the life cycle of a that essential staple of a young woman’s wardrobe: the black T-shirt, in all its gritty, sweaty, scissor-snipped truth, by my friend–and one of my favorite writers–Ms. Emily Meg Weinstein. Here is an excerpt (for which I took the freedom of combining three of my favorite lines from the essay):

“You might be a little groggy from the surgery I performed on you last night, as soon as I brought you home from the merch table…. I don’t want you to feel any pressure, but you are the cornerstone of my entire wardrobe. When I can only bring one t-shirt, you will be the t-shirt…. But you, new black t-shirt, are at the center of everything, and we, new black t-shirt, have only just begun.” –Emily Meg Weinstein, from To My New T-shirt

"Chloe Libre" black T-shirt (aka The Predecessor to the New Black T-shirt, third from left), flanked by Chloe Libre gray, blue, and red.

What’s the story behind your newest wardrobe essential? Thrift store wonder, merch table masterpiece, vacation souvenir, or refashioned rescue from the dresser drawer?

Please share in the comments. In the meantime, here’s to T-shirt love stories and rock & roll!

[ Comments Off on Letter to a Young T-shirt | Posted on March 24th, 2011 ]

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From Our Readers: Avery!

In honor of National Craft Month (yay!), Workman Publishing Co. (who published my two books), is featuring projects from some of their top DIY books throughout March. Up first was editorial department member Avery, who shared her process for making the “Banned for Life” headband (project #92 in Generation T). Click through for her full photo tutorial over at the Workman blog.

PS: Note that the T-shirts she used were two abandoned marketing tie-in tees she picked up from around the Workman office. (Keeping everything moving full circle!)

[ Comments Off on From Our Readers: Avery! | Posted on March 23rd, 2011 ]

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