This week’s challenge for Project Run and Play is to design your own fabric. For me this is not such a stretch, as I have a Spoonflower shop of fabric I have designed from my scribbles. I think the current blog background I made would make a pretty fabric design, too.
Here are a few things I have designed in the past:
Pink Fairy Dress:
Trees shirt:
A not-quite-right design I made for a shirt:
This one was a painted stencil to create my own design on the fabric:
So…what to do, what to do??
I decided to try using some Decolourant (a.k.a. fabric bleach) that I had bought a good year ago. Do you do that? Stockpile craft supplies with no project in mind?
I do. I almost have a craft store in my craft room with all the supplies I have just waiting for projects.
This stuff works pretty fast. I have seen similar results for sun bleaching, but that would mean the sun would have to shine for some extended period of time. Not happening right now.
This is fairly straightforward, though time consuming.
I decided to do a simple top…Alabama Chanin style.
Simple?? Mmmmm…not really. This top took me FOREVER. Not really the best choice when you decide to start on Friday night for it to be done on Sunday. I took some quality time at gymnastics and sittin’ in my chair at home to sew the front.
Then you have to cut those little pieces out.
I guess you could say it is simple…just a lot of hand work. Definitely not in the easy-to-make-in-one-night category. I’m sure she appreciates all the hand-stitching I did on it.
Bwaahahahahahahaha!
This needs to be your mantra if you sew for a tween.
Just sayin’. It will keep you sane.
Here are the steps to make the front:
A few extra notes:
- I drew out my own design, but just search for stencil images on Google and you should find something suitable.
- When ironing, you just keep at it until it is the color you want. A few spots got a yellow tinge to them, and I think it got too hot and burned the fabric a bit. I was cutting those spots out anyways, so not a big deal. It was a bit stinky, though.
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Use stable knits without a ton of stretch. Unlike me. It got a bit wonky because the top was a pretty stable knit and the one underneath was very stretchy and shifty. Stay away from the shifty ones…good advice in life, too. 😉
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Be very, very careful in cutting out the pieces. I accidentally cut my fabric underneath in a few of the tight spots. I used a thread the same color as the knit to patch those little holes, which you can’t really see.
- I did a reverse appliqué here, so the pieces are cutaway to show the fabric underneath. You can do it in the reverse, though.
I only did the front of the top. It was more than enough for something that will be lucky to get two year’s of use out of it. It took about 4-5 hours to hand-stitch the front, and then another hour or so to cut it out.
This would be a good project to make on the sidelines of your youths summer sports. All those hours of handstitching would help pass the time. I think I will maybe do a corset style tank that she sells for $1,375. It will keep my fingers busy, as I have a hard time just sitting through so many, many games and practices for baseball and softball.
So here is The Princess wearing her new shirt.
I chose the colors to match some new jeans I got for her at Justice. The tween mecca. They had a clearance on jeans this weekend, so I scored several pairs for her at pretty good prices. I got them big enough so she can wear them next Fall, but I also have to fix the waistbands on most of them. She’s on the thin side, so rarely does a RTW pair of jeans fit her in the waist. I insert elastic in the back waistband and tack it down. These were the only ones that fit her without alterations, though.
I’ll be making a few more shirts to match her jeans. I like to have matchy-matchy outfits!
That t-shirt is absolutely stunning!!! I want one for myself. Really like the color combo.
You are so talented, thanks for the tutorial.
This is amazing! Absolutely gorgeous! I’m so impressed. I’ve been wanting to try Alabama Chanin style for a while but the amount of handwork scares me.
Stacy, you are amazing! Truly amazing considering what ELSE you have going on this month with Challenge Create: Adult Edition!! But we had the same experience with wanting to sun print fabric for our sew along this week and not having any sun! So now we have a sun print kit in our (very large!) craft stash!
That top is beautiful! That is a lovely technique and I admire anyone with the patience to do all that hand sewing 🙂
absolutely beautiful – how did you find the time to do this!?!??!
Thanks, Ladies!
Raphaelle – just take your time, and it isn’t so daunting. It is something good to do when you want to relax in front of the tv or wherever yet keep your hands busy.
Suzanne – well, the kids don’t have any sports activities right now (we are in a lull), so I have a bit more time. In a month I won’t!
This tee is awesome! I love the colors and the design. But it’s also what I’ve been afraid of because I did the same thing for my daughter and am still waiting to photograph it. 🙁 I understand all about time consuming but I also enjoyed it very much. I did most of mine in front of the tv but also at a volleyball tournament and a swimming meet. How similar our minds must work. Really great job!
Thanks, Angela, and I would love to see the one you did, as well. Hopefully you have photographs soon!
That is AWESOME! We all appreciate the hand stitching, even if she doesn’t 🙂 I am also a craft supply hoarder — it’s a little embarrassing. Good thing no one comes into my sewing room!
Thanks, Stephanie! Nothing wrong with being a craft hoarder LOL!
wow, wow, wow!!! Amazing! I’ve not use that de-colorant, but this is the second project this week I’ve seen use it! your shirt would have been great just with the bleached part… the cut outs are glorious though! Well done… going to have to buy some of that stuff ;o) I’ve used regular bleach, but it spreads…
Thanks, Emily, and do go buy some. It is pretty quick to use! I have tried doing bleach before and it takes awhile compared to this.
This is AMAZING! I just love it! I attempted to make a stencil like that for painting and it was an epic fail! So hats off to you! Beautiful!
Thanks so much, Terri! I have been doing these drawings for a pretty long time, so I can do them fairly fast. Practice, practice! 🙂
oh my, that is amazing. I was mesmerized by the slide show. I am going to have to try this with my tween!! She is very artsy and would love to do this.
This is SO amazing Stacy! I admire you by sewing along PR&P while competing in Challenge Create! Of course I am doing the same, but my projects didn’t take that long to hand sew.
Oh and I totally do that too, buy things and store them with no project in mind, but the good thing is everything is on hand whenever the time to use them comes.
What a neat technique and I really love the finished look! I need to print out your little mantra….
Very cute shirt! Great technique and excellent execution.
Thanks so much everyone! 🙂
Simply awesome. My tween loves it.