Embellishing with shrinking fabric and artist foil are the key techniques on this fun ‘T Top’. Since it is time to get out the Spring/Summer wardrobe – I was happy to see this great up-cycle top I made in 2015. With so many new Blog followers, I want to re-Share this fun top in a current blog post……
Armed with some favorite summer colors, ready-made T’shirts in Lime and Aqua, I set out to ‘play’….. But first, I cut the Lime T-shirt apart (I started with an XL), and RE-Cut it using my Londa’s Terrific ‘T Knit Top Pattern. This great top-seller is available both PDF for those of you who can’t wait, AND printed, which includes the tissue pattern pieces. Approaching the garment in this manner accomplished 2 things:
1. I’d have scraps of the lime to use on the garment in other creative ways.
2. It would FIT!!! Isn’t that one of the main reasons we sew, after all?
First – some ‘Pixie Dust’ as I call it.
What I’ve always called ‘Artist Foil; – Now, finally, I handle it at my website in Gold, Silver, Silver Stars, and Rose Gold!!!
Bonash Mending Powder is actually just granules of ‘glue’. Therefore, if you just sprinkle it down and then top with Deco Foil (pretty side up), and press firmly – the glue melts and attaches to the foil. However, remember that once you use a piece of Artist Foil for this purpose, there will remain so of the hunks of glue on it, so ONLY use for this purpose… Pixie Dust! As with most paint/glue functions, starting with less is best as you can always add some more as i’ve done in the lower piece in the photo below.
Bonash Mending Powder (007) is granules of glue – so sprinkled, then topped with Artist Foil (pretty side up) – then press with iron. Let cool…WALA and is machine washable!
Next, I played with 2 products – actually the same thing, a shrinking fabric. ‘Texture Magic’ is from Superior and sells for $11.99 for a 1/2 yard x 47″ wide piece. Fabric Magic is $7.95 for aa 30″ wide 1/2 yard piece which might seem less expensive, but I worked it out per square inch, and it really isn’t. This stuff is SO simple to play with and creates wonderful texture! I just took a hunk of it, laid it on the back of the fabric scrap (lime T shirt scraps), and stitched with a zigzag stitch. Look down in the closer-up photos to see that I put both lime and aqua threads through a size 90 Stretch Needle for the stitching to add some more interest and dimension. THEN…just hover your steam iron over the backing (shrinking) fabric, steam, and watch it come alive and S-H-R-I-N-K…which it will do – approximately 30%!!!
Time to Construct the Top... Staying and stitching the shoulder seams – but NOT the side seams, as all the embellishment attachment is SEW much easier to accomplish with the piece out and flat.
Sew – can you see I just played – creating interesting pieces? Some with the Pixie Dust on Aqua, and then the texturized pieces. In the photo below, I had placed a hunk of Oliver Twist hand-dyed yarns that I thought I would use, but NO – instead, I just opted for a heavy metallic serger thread – Glamour from Madeira. I made this decision because I’d taken a plunge into my buttons and decided on 3 antique rhinestone buttons! Some of the embellishment then lapped over the shoulder seams, and around the Back.
Having settled on size and placement of these pieces, I started hand-stitching with the silver Glamour Thread. The scissors in the photo above points out that I left ends of this thread at the neckline so that they would be securely caught in the neckline stitching of the rolled edges on top.
Cross-cut pieces of leftover knit fabric from the T’s creates the rolled neckline trim. As I stitched down the center, I pulled slightly, encouraging the ‘curl’. This is a pretty ‘down and dirty’ neckline ‘trim’, but is being seen all over the very best ready-t0-wear….so why not?
Cross-cut approx 1″ strips of the T-shirts, layered and pulled slightly as stitch down the middle…
Below, see a good close-up photo which shows one of my favorite new stitches: an elongated ‘Serpentine’ Stitch! See it right below the rolled neckline trim?
Closeup of foiled, hand-stitched, and texturized embellishment including cross-grain double rolled neckline trim.
Note 2 different colors of thread in zigzag stitching that attaches the texturized lime pieces and the rhinestone button ‘focal point’. I also kept my bust points in mind as I designed….
After inserting the sleeves and stitching the side seams, the remaining pieces of the aqua T became ‘Extensions’ at the hemlines of the sleeves and the lowermost hem of the garment
Though I created this top well AFTER my newest pattern became available: Up-Cycle Memento Tops it is certainly in the same ‘vintage’, and many of the technique taught in that pattern would be helpful in your re-creation of YOUR top, inspired by this one.
SEND ME YOUR PHOTOS!!! I love to see your work!!!!!