The T-Shirt Hack

 My dear friend sent me this tshirt from Japan in a size large. Its a men's large. It fit me through the shoulders but the tummy area was bunched up and tight.

I needed a tshirt hack because I liked this color on me and it came from Japan!
So I started a Pinterest board. Pinterest helps me focus by being able to easily organize photo inspirations. The photos link back to where you found them, so if there is a tutorial, it's easy to find again by clicking on your saved photo.

I started a Pinterest board called Tshirt hacks and I latched onto the long vertical triangle of added lace under the arm to give  me room for my tummy.

Brown cotton lace - how hard could that be to find? If we were still in the late 70's - no problem. Here we are in the current year with only a few colors of cotton lace to be had.
Dyeing white to brown is more difficult than you know. Polyester lace would work for the look but is way too itchy.

I met up with Pencil Girl at Mill End Store in Beaverton, where we spent over an hour the year before to find some lace for her to try her tshirt overlay. It took just under an hour to find this camo knit instead.

I didn't mind a lace insert at the bra strap area because normally you aren't holding your arms above your head to flash people, although some people are more comfortable with flashing.
Also, the insert, right there at the bra strap area, would be pretty narrow. The point of the insert is a wider triangle at tummy and hips to allow for more room there.

Side seam insert.

Sleeve insert

It went in so easily. I decided to add a godet to the sleeves too. Godet - word of the day, pronounced Go-day. And it means a triangular piece of material inserted in a dress, shirt, or glove to make it flared or for ornamentation.


The side seam godet was for fitting better and the sleeve godet was purely for ornamentation.

Feeling pretty smug, I attacked the neckline too.

 Don't you love this color brown? Except it's not brown as we discovered in the fabric store, it's a dark olive. Anyhoo, like all dark colors, it's a beast to photograph clearly.

1. I cut along the side seam from the hem up to about 1 inch from the sleeve seam.

2. Knits don't fray, so I decided to just sew closely on the edge of my tshirt fabric onto the godet.

3. I placed my tshirt onto my ironing board and laid a 5 inch wide piece of the godet fabric underneath. Maybe 1/2" above my top cut but below the sleeve seam, extending down past the hem. We bought 1/2 yard of this material because of the way the camo pattern ran. 18" x 5".

4. I started pinning. Very close to the edge and just eyeballing that my triangular line was straight.

5. On the side with the serged commercial seam, I trimmed it off at this point, cutting close to the stitching.

6. My hint? Run your pins down one side in one direction and up the other side in the opposite direction. I sewed from the hem up to the sleeve seam on the right side, pulling pins out as I did.
However, when I came around the top, my pins were now backwards to being able to pull them out head first. So place your pins in opposite directions.

Bye, Bye, Care label

7.  I used a long stitch length - a basting length. There would not be any stretch going down but usually when you stitch on knits, making the length longer helps with the feed dogs and how the material feeds through. Almost forgot - I used a stretch needle too.

8.  I had some concerns my new seam would curl on the edges inside and make me crazy wearing it, so I stitched another line of stitching about 1/8" away and then later  trimmed the excess of my godet fabric close to that seam.

9. My godet width at the bottom of the hem ended up being 3 1/2" wide. I simply turned up my godet fabric a matching amount to my tshirt hem and sewed  it down using that same 4.0 stitch. Again, not a lot of stretch here. If you're concerned, you can get out your cover stitch and make a more commercial stretchy hem finish.

10. Finally, trim off your excess godet fabric.

You can see the double stitching here on the sleeve

On a roll, I decided to attack the neckline too. Guys t-shirts hit me at the neck making me crazy. I don't like things around my neck. 

I had pinned a hack showing how to turn a round neckline into a v-neckline. The technique said, and it's true, you can re-use the neckline binding up to 2 inches more stretch to make that deeper vee.

My machine design on the front of the shirt came close up on the neckline. I decided to keep the round shape but 1/2 - 3/4" lower.
And it worked. Remember, tshirt knit doesn't fray!

I snipped close to the binding from shoulder seam to shoulder seam (leave the back neck attached - just fooling around with the front side).

Then I folded my shirt in half, matching the shoulder points. I started cutting from the bottom about 1/2" - 3/4" down and just tapered my eyeball curve back to the original shoulder points. I might have been able to cut a little deeper except for  my design. (Don't cut that off...).

Then I wonder clipped my neckline back onto the binding right on top of the serged edge.
I matched the centerpoint of the shirt to the binding centerpoint and also about 3" up on both sides of that. The binding is smaller than the shirt so you have to stretch the binding as you sew.

I basted it on with a 5.0 stitch on my pfaff. Looked at it. Awesome. Then I took it to my serger which had to be re-threaded in a dark color. I used black as I don't own dark brown serger cones. And I re-serged that seam.

All of these hacks took less than an hour to do. Yes. An hour.

Time Flies on the logo

The hem is a little long and I might change that, but since I'm working overtime, I haven't had a chance to wear it yet. Trying it on - it fits! So much better.

The most difficult part of t shirt hacking is finding the right fabric to coordinate.

Thanks for the shirt, Janine!
The camo knit  matches so well, no one will be able to tell that I custom tailored it to my body.


***December 2016 update. This shirt is so soft. It was worth fussing around for an hour to make this fit me. None of the cut/sewn edges are curling, nor are they bugging me.

Japanese Laundry Hangers

 I received Happy Mail last week on a very difficult day.
It is amazing what a little package can do.

 Kyle, from Vacuuming The Lawn, sent me some labels to sew into a bag.

PLUS, a turquoise leather tassel that she made and some chalkoners - chalk markers that she bought because she likes them- she thought I might too. These chalk markers are to transfer different lines on your sewing pattern to your fabric. As you 'wheel' along, it dispenses chalk in a nice even line. The different colors are for dark and light fabrics. White won't show up on light colored fabric, so you could use the red or blue instead.

I have a white one from forty years ago that is very similar, but now they come in colors!

 Now, I need to sew  up a tote bag to do this tassel proud!

 This is my other happy mail. While I was in Japan, I noted how everyone does laundry there and really liked the portability and the storability of these hangers.

Back in Oregon, can I find them? Only the tiny lingerie sized ones. Maybe 16-20 pegs.

These are around 50 pegs. They both fold up to about 16 inches square by 3" deep. Easy to store by the washer.

I had wanted a clothes umbrella tree for years to dry my laundry outside. This is not usual in the states as we all have electric dryers.

Looking for a place to put a line up, or an umbrella, or anything, it was always gonna be in the way. Of people's heads, of airplane clearance, in the way of the other person in this household.

What I like about these is the small footprint. I can hang them out on my patio and then take them in when the clothes are dry.  They are in absolutely no ones way. Nor are they permanent.

The footprint is much smaller than a fold out laundry tree. My wind tunnel would blow over anything not secured - which just makes you cranky as you pick up laundry off the ground. Since these Japanese laundry hangers hook over something, they won't blow over.

I bought one in an aluminum frame. My friend in Kyoto and I both think this one will last the longest. The second one is plastic and the UV just kills these, making them brittle with age. The aluminum one also has clips that look like I can fix with household parts if they break.

 I finally took the plunge and asked my Japanese friend to purchase two for me and I am so happy I did. Each rack will hold a small to medium load of laundry which is normal in my house nowadays. I can even hang them inside if a case of Oregon rain comes by.

And you get a peek at  my laundry. 


 



***last day......SALE continues in my friend's Etsy Shop;
CraftyTokyoMama on etsy. Use Coupon code AUGUST20 throughout the month of August to get 20% off your purchase.

Don't forget about Etsy Love - even if you don't buy anything - just hover over the heart on each listing and tap on it. (thanks!)

My Friend In Kyoto Is Having A Sale

I met my friend in Kyoto via the SewMamaSew Blog.
We have so much in common with her growing up near where I live now. Her family lives in Oregon but she met and married a Japanese dude man over 25 years ago.

She has lived in Tokyo as well as other cities in Japan. She now makes her home in Kyoto which I visited a year ago in March of 2015.

She is in the process of building a house in Kyoto which is seriously different than building a house in Oregon. She blogs about it occasionally - the frustration of wanting a bathroom counter at "high" american standards instead of the lower japanese standard.

We both like to sew. And any other handcraft, for that matter. We love nature. When she travels back to the states to see her family, they make a beeline to camp out at Detroit Lake and make a family reunion of it.

She's having a sale in her etsy store this August of 20% off. Which is a really good deal.

Featuring many items made of Japanese fabrics, she can make you anything. She's that amazing. She usually adds something special to the package and will add Japanese stamps (better variety than in the states) to reflect your interests. I often see airplane stamps on my envelopes.  Packaging is definitely an awesome superpower of hers.

The sale code is AUGUST20. Her store is called CraftyTokyoMama on etsy.

One item she makes is well-made shopping totes - Tight 'n Tidy Totes. I have two and they have lasted quite well. I keep one rolled up in my purse for amazing garage sale luck. Some of the people running sales are so amazed at my tote bag filled with goodies that they start offering me discounts right and left. lol


I notice her store is at 883 sales today. I had a goal of 1000 sales by Christmas last year and reached it in January 2016. I am passing this goal along to her.




Janine makes and sews Japanese Notebooks, book covers, shopping totes, handbags, etc.
She also knits and crochets.



I bought this adorable hedgehog fabric from her.
She also sells some of the amazing japanese fabrics she finds.

 Here is my garage sale bag I keep rolled up in my purse.
It easily unfolds to a large size tote.
I get the best deals when I use this bag.

Even if you can't make up your mind what to buy, could you show Janine some etsy "Heart" love? Just hover over the heart on each photo in her etsy shop and tap on it. This "hearting" really helps move things up the queue in the etsy algorythms. (thanks!)

CraftyTokyoMama on etsy. Use Coupon code AUGUST20 throughout the month of August to get 20% off your purchase.

I would like to see her get to  1000 sales too.

Crafty Tokyo Mama Thank You

Way back in March, I received some early birthday gifts from my dear friend in Kyoto. She knows my fondness for airplanes and fabric and regularly indulges me.

How perfect is this biplane postcard? We never see such cuteness here in the states.

Except - after I put it together and was getting ready to toss the punchout, I noticed it was made by HALLMARK! In China. We have Hallmarks here. I think Hallmark originated here in the states. Do we have awesome biplane postcards? No.

 And she sent me a second biplane - from the DAISO store!
Daiso helps make some  sweet packaging. Everything Janine sends me is perfectly wrapped in kawaii cuteness.. Stitckers, patterned bags, you name it. I need a Daiso store of my own!
{I save all her packaging to re-use}

Even her postal stamps she chooses are perfect. 

Airplanes, japanese geishas, Mail boxes (Red cylinder at bottom left)

She covered a journal book in awesome airplane fabric and then gifted me with the same airplane timetables fabric to play with.  :-)

Look at that Kawaii airplane ribbon.

She always picks out items with birds in them too.
Her parakeet, Trixie, just passed away. Trixie was one extraordinary pet.


When I am putting together a gift to send to her, I keep a lookout for bird fabrics and western/patriotic items. TV series and movies.

 She sent me some socks, a tiny coin purse she sewed for me and two doilies she crocheted for me - such beautiful colors.

My gifts all comes with origami notes, cute notepaper that can fold into shapes. I think she sent me eight different happy mail items. I feel well loved by her thoughtfulness.

This is where we are not similar - I usually am cramming as much as I can into a flat rate package to send to Japan. I'm still learning to put washi tape on my etsy orders...

 She also sent me some Japanese patterns which are read right to left from the top to the bottom and then over to the left. You follow the pictures in numerical order.
This one was for the four pocket card case.

 This one is for a tissue holder.
 
In Japan, you must carry your own tissues and a cloth for wiping your hands for when You are out and about and need to use the restroom. Toilet paper and towels are a rarity in public bathrooms. Of course, you need cute tissue holder accessories.

Again, she sent me the extra fabric - you obviously notice the airplanes?

 

See the Hallmark logo in the bottom right?

 Janine and I met online via the SewMamaSew Giveaway Day. Several years ago now.

I read her blog, She read mine. We both sew. We both like old things. She grew up just south of where I live. Her family is all in Oregon. We had many similar ideas and dreams.

We managed to meet up here in Oregon a couple of times.

I visited her in Japan a year ago and got to see her for an extended time. You can view many of my blog posts about Japan during the last two weeks of March 2015 by looking in my blog archives (sidebar). Her time in Oregon is packed with family events so it was real delight to spend more time with her when I visited Kyoto. I feel like I've know her all my life.

My niece has recently moved to Singapore. To get there, most flights go through Tokyo. I am making plans for returning to Tokyo. {My niece has a Daiso store in Singapore}.

Four Valentines

Back side Hula

She's my favorite!

I have a trip planned to Tokyo and Kyoto in March and I can't wait to see what other fabrics I've been missing. We don't have these cute laminates in the USA - we have some, but not these.

My friend buys scrap bags at her local fabric store in Kyoto and oftentimes, they slip a piece of laminate inside. She sent me four laminate scraps at Christmas and they got dumped on my ironing board.
The scraps aren't big enough by themselves to make much but they are just the right size to make these little earbud pouches.

They are now used as well as the rest of my nylon zipper stash.
I got a double score on my New Year's Resolution of sewing the fashion fabric until it's gonegonegone.

Around The World Blog Hop: CraftyTokyoMama & VacuumingTheLawn

I was tagged a couple of weeks ago for the Around The World Blog Hop.
I did my post last Monday. I said something about myself and then passed the baton on to two sewists that I admire.

Janine from Crafty Tokyo Mama and Kyle from Vacuuming The Lawn.
They both have different styles of sewing and I enjoy seeing what they come up with when their blog posts pop up in my feed.

We all answered the same four questions. But what went on in the background was interesting to me as well.

When I first was tagged by Marilyn of Shades Of Bold, I had to think about it for an entire day. I was in the middle of yet another 50 hours of vacation coverage at work where I do a 12-hr split shift. Meaning I go into work in the morning for a couple of hours and then back again later, finishing up 12 hrs (ha!) from when I started my day. To say I am tired and not managing my auto-immune is a misnomer of giant proportions.
No time, dragging my heels, where can I find the three hours to write that post?
But then, I felt honored that Marilyn knew I had something to say to those four questions.

1. What are you working on now?
2. How does your work differ from others of its genre?

 3. Why do I create what I do?

4. How does your creating process work?

I thought about these questions all week to when I needed to post - the following Monday.
And by looking at what other people answered to the same questions, I realize we're all in it to sew and we are all different. We are all self-doubting.  And we're all nervous about sharing too much.

So - if you get tagged, pony up and share a little about yourself.
It's interesting.

Janine shared a pic of her fabric stash in her sewing room. I adore these pictures even if the photo-taker is obsessing about how messy it looks. I like seeing what furniture you use to organize your fabrics and how you decorate your space. Rest assured we are all in the same messy sewing room boat. And if you are obsessively tidy, then I am probably not reading your blog.

Kyle shared a little about her day job and she even came up with an outline of her Creative Process which is in my head too as I work and create. Except for that part of making a muslin.

How does my creative process work?
Ha ha ha, it goes something like this:

• See garment on someone's blog/Pattern Review gallery.  Covet pattern/garment intensely.
• Buy pattern immediately online or with next pattern sale.
• Pattern sits in my pattern stash for months/years
• Finally I make a muslin
• I sew the real deal, maybe learning a new technique or two along the way.
• Then I get frustrated with fitting--why is it not turning out like the muslin?  Or get frustrated with machinery--Why is my serger misbehaving?  Why why why?  
• Spend way longer than I probably should futzing over various large and minor details.
• Contemplate why I'm such a slow seamster.
• I get over myself.
• Photo shoot + blog it.
• On to the next.

The Around The World Blog Hop goes on --- hop on.

AirMail Earrings

My friend, Janine, has lived in Japan for over 25 years now. She blogs over at CraftyTokyoMama.

Each summer, she comes home to visit family. She and her daughter go camping, fishing, horseback riding and anything else Oregon-wise they can fit into the time they have. 

Unfortunately, that meant we couldn't meet up this time. We had to make do with the US Mail. Did you know it's much cheaper to send a package to her parents in Oregon than all the way to Japan?!?   I might have gone overboard throwing things into my package.
Janine, who is the mistress of beautiful packaging, sent me a package that was a delight to see & open.

 These Letter Earrings are already a huge hit at work. My co-worker tells everyone they are addressed to me!
They certainly appear real with "via AirMail" underneath the stamp.
The reverse side has "Postcard" written across the top with "I Love You" in script on the message side.

 Janine, who crochets better than anyone else I know, crocheted these while camping!
I think she blocked them too!
I have a coaster set of four different designs plus a square doily and a smaller round doily.
She had a book with different designs and went hog-wild!

We must live in the dirt when we go camping. If I were to bring something "white" it would be brown in no time.

Little Miss Geisha Girl is actually a "going visiting hanky" that all Japanese women carry.
I'm supposed to bring it when I visit Kyoto next Spring.

Even her card is special! Eastern Airlines! She knows about my airplane problem.

Did you spot the other airplane hanging on the card? It's an Airmail Stamp brooch.

She wraps everything in cute papers and washi tape. 

Each item came packaged. She even gave me some masking tape  (spot the airplane...). Is that a hint?
 

When I send things to her, I am intent on using up all available flat rate space. As in, crammed full!

I sent her some really random items. Blue nail polish for her daughter, Moonstruck (Portland) chocolate bars, MarionBerry Syrup (Neighbor make - Glenmore Farms), random sewing notions, some Clover Wonder Clips, etc.
All jumbled with no washi tape inside a priority box. And a huge pile of postcards for her Postcrossing addiction.