t-shirt surgery

Fri, 08 Feb 2013 20:28:40 GMT

New items added this week on Etsy!
http://www.etsy.com/shop/PlatiNUMBblonde

Black Studded Bra 34B
https://www.etsy.com/listing/123059686/platinumb-blonde-black-satin-studded-bra

Guns N Roses Tube Top
https://www.etsy.com/listing/123057111/guns-n-roses-tube-top-80s-metal

Leopard Bondage Pants
https://www.etsy.com/listing/123058773/platinumb-blonde-fuzzy-leopard-punk-goth?ref=v1_other_1

Black Sabbath Destroyed Tank
https://www.etsy.com/listing/123060710/platinumb-blonde-black-sabbath-tattered

Fri, 25 Jan 2013 20:35:14 GMT

New! New! New! Skull Purse, Judas Priest Unisex T, Whitesnake Halftop, SLAYER Dress, Aerosmith halter top

http://www.etsy.com/shop/PlatiNUMBblonde

https://www.etsy.com/listing/121626333/skull-anatomy-bag-purse-buckle-chains

https://www.etsy.com/listing/121630311/unisex-judas-priest-slashed-rhinestone

https://www.etsy.com/listing/121631664/whitesnake-off-shoulder-half-top-tank

https://www.etsy.com/listing/121632885/slayer-dress-metal-rock-n-roll-brutal

https://www.etsy.com/listing/121628441/sexy-aerosmith-halter-tank-rocknroll

Turned some oversized t-shirts into...

Sun, 20 Jan 2013 10:21:34 GMT

I'm new, both to this community and to sewing. I'm in the process of teaching myself how to use my sewing machine, and fumbling through okay I think considering I haven't really used anything to teach myself but sitting in front of it and trying it out.

Took a purple shirt, splattered it with bleach, then black and white paint...The sleeves became the chest. I want to replace the elastic straps with some black ribbon or something eventually....maybe.

Cut the sleeves open at the tops, hemmed all four parts, then added red strips (to match the heart and add some color) with pyramid studs. I also re-hemmed the edges of the sleeves, the neckline, and the bottom so it would look uniform.

Took a really old little boys Pokemon shirt and some scraps from a yellow tank top to make a halter dress.

Picked up an oversized shirt at Goodwill (it says "San Francisco California" on it), and used the remains of a black shirt I'd cut up a while ago to make a dress.

For both of the dresses I didn't really have a solid plan when I started, I kind of decided to just...wing it and see what happened. So I'm pretty pleased that they came out half-decent (in my opinion).

But what do you think? Be gentle, I'm a newbie, but I'd love some critique. Or tips. Or any kind of comment ;)

Side-note: Sorry for the awful mirror pics, ridiculous hair, and stupid faces. I belong behind a camera, not in front of one.

Sat, 05 Jan 2013 20:23:30 GMT

Last month for items on eBay!
http://www.ebay.com/sch/palexblue/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_from=&_ipg=&_trksid=p3686

Opened an Etsy shop instead! http://www.etsy.com/people/PlatiNUMBblonde

All previously posted items- AC/DC jeans, AC/DC Bikini top, Cradle of Filth shirt, Lady Gaga Judas vest are all dual- listed for you shopping ease!

NEW ITEMS!

Jack Daniel's Vest
https://www.etsy.com/listing/119357316/womens-denim-vest-jack-daniels-whiskey

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Womens-Denim-Vest-Jack-Daniels-Whiskey-Bar-Bartender-Rock-n-Roll-Biker-M-L-/251208452564?pt=US_CSA_WC_Vests&hash=item3a7d30c9d4

Motley Crue Hoodie
https://www.etsy.com/listing/119357014/motley-crue-hoodie-80s-metal-punk-studs

Hog's Breath Saloon Halter
https://www.etsy.com/listing/119353614/hogs-breath-saloon-bar-biker-bartender

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Hogs-Breath-Saloon-Bar-Biker-Bartender-Sturgiss-Harley-DIY-Shreaded-Halter-S-M-/251208443654?pt=US_Womens_Tshirts&hash=item3a7d30a706

Upcycled Crop Top

Tue, 14 Aug 2012 18:14:58 GMT

Inspired by a photo she saw, a close friend of mine asked me to customize a shirt for her. The picture consisted of a shirt with an open panel centered down the back, held together with strips of fabric (pinched in the center to create the look of a bow). She left the colors and details to me, but she explained that she preferred it to be a crop top and have the "bows" closer to the top.

It was a simple DIY project, as I already had a beige crop top I never wore from H & M and old ivory lace curtains, and there was minimal sewing. See the end product:

Side view:

Back:

Front:

stabilizing necklines

Tue, 03 Jul 2012 03:49:23 GMT

I have a question about stable necklines in tshirts. I am about to alter a few shirts at the neck only. I think I am going to do this alteration, because I like the look of it. My question is this: since both fabrics are jersey, do I need to use something (like clear elastic) to stabilize the neckline? I don't want it to stretch out of shape

Covering logos

Sun, 24 Jun 2012 19:11:08 GMT

I recently got a t shirt issued to me by my company, with a corporate logo on it, only to be informed that t shirts are not in our dress code so I can't wear it to work, so...what's the point?

So I decided to put the shirt to better use. I took the shirt (originally a men's L), cut it smaller so it fit me better, turned the crew neck into a V neck, and then added a blue "swoosh" spiraling down the shirt to conveniently cover the logo, and jazz it up.

I took pictures of the "adding a swoosh" part. First, I made a paper pattern to make sure I got it in the right shape so it looked nice on the shirt, which was a good idea, because once I got it to look nice on the shirt and then I laid the paper pattern flat, it looked really weird and I'd have never just decided to cut it out that way.

So here's the pattern on the back:

And then on the front: (as you might guess, the logo was on the left shoulder area)

Then here it is with the swoosh attached to the front, and then back:

And then here's me wearing it!

*Edit* I just realized it might be useful to have a picture of the paper pattern laid flat, so you can see how very un-spiraly it looks lol, so here goes:

Thank you everyone for your lovely comments!

x posted to sew_hip

Baby Shark Cocoon

Sat, 16 Jun 2012 23:22:59 GMT

I forgot to take a "before" picture, but this started off as a men's XL sweatshirt.

Its my own take on the popular baby cocoons. They are usually knit or crocheted but since its just a tube with a rounded bottom its not at all hard to sew and even easier to modify. In this case I modified it with fins and a tail. I still need to figure out something to make teeth out of but I'm thrilled with how it turned out.

My daughter is 15 months old, so a little too big for it, but I stuck her in there anyway. She wasn't too happy that i wanted her to lay on her back though...

So i flipped it over and let her crawl around, shark in tow.

Posted via LjBeetle

Running into some bumps

Mon, 09 Apr 2012 00:12:37 GMT

I'm looking for help/suggestions with two issues I'm running into.

One - I have a couple large t-shirts that I'm planing on making more fitted. Yet I can't seem to find any tutorials or advice on how I can change the shoulder seam. The large ones are the kind where the body is just a rectangle and the sleeve is sewn onto that, whereas the one I'm tracing off of has the sleeves set into the body (girly cut shirt, basically). If I just sew up the sides and bottom of the sleeve, it's still not going to look odd with those shoulder seems down my arms. Help? NEVERMIND. Somehow I missed the tutorial: resize tag and found one that should (fingers crossed) help me get it right.

Two - Some other large shirts have really cool designs on the back that I would love to have on the front instead, but I haven't really seen any designs that seem like they would work. Part of the problem is cutting the high back neck - if I cut it as low as the front, I lose part of the design. Any suggestions for designs that work with the shirt backwards?

Thanks!

T-Shirt to Halter Project

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 23:32:00 GMT

Here's a video showing my project and a tutorial for it :) Hope you like it!

T-Shirt Wall Art

Wed, 04 Jan 2012 20:53:56 GMT

A little while back I was trying to come up with ideas for cute wall decor on the super cheap (I was laid off a few months ago so EVERYTHING has to be done on the cheap now!). I remember the pile of t-shirts I have that are just waiting to be used for projects...and the pile of recycled wood in the garage (old shipping palets from HVAC equipment)...put the two together and came up with a really cool idea! Here's a video showing my project and how I made it :)

Baby Sleeper Bags

Wed, 04 Jan 2012 20:49:47 GMT

I'm going to be an aunt in less then 2 weeks for the first time! So I've been trying to think of things I can make for the new baby (without spending much money!) So I've made a couple of sleeper bags using thrifted tees and old pj pants. My sister (soon-to-be-mother) looooved the first one so much!

T-Shirt Resize

Wed, 04 Jan 2012 20:47:26 GMT

It has been forever since I've done any t-shirt recons...but I just finished up several projects :) Here's a quick video showing how I like to do my t-shirt resizes for the best results. Hope you like :)

Staff T Shirts

Sat, 26 Nov 2011 03:04:57 GMT

Suggestions on what to do to modify a t-shirt that has a design on the front and staff across the shoulders on the back? I'm just looking for simple ways to make it my own because i'll be wearing it a lot this month and next. thank you!

Shirt for my brother?

Wed, 23 Nov 2011 03:09:28 GMT

Tomorrow I plan on taking a trip up to Goodwill to pick up some shirts I plan to recon, my little brother is visiting for the week and I was wondering if anyone had any recon ideas for men?

Most recons are things like halters, tanks, crop tops or laddering. Things my 15 year old brother isn't going to wear.

broke halloween

Fri, 04 Nov 2011 00:08:12 GMT

Hello fellow surgeons!

I found myself quite poor on halloween, so I made my costume out of three XL men's t-shirts: red, blue & yellow. My total at the goodwill was less than four bucks. yes! I'm pretty good at being poor.

I was Anne-Marie from All Dogs Go To Heaven:

The belt & the hair bow were made from other t-shirt scraps I had left over from other projects.

Fri, 30 Sep 2011 19:52:16 GMT

I have a baggy tshirt that I want to make fitted, but don't have my sewing machine with me, so it needs to be minimal or no sew.
Any tutorials/ideas out there for no sew tshirt surgery?

Thu, 29 Sep 2011 21:38:45 GMT

Made mah self a fancy new shirt this afternoon.

Experimenting with T shirt Reconstruction

Wed, 21 Sep 2011 15:13:37 GMT

Hi y'all!
Ever since I discovered 25 cent day at a local thrift store, I have been experimenting with T shirt reconstruction. I would like to get other's opinion, sooooo, let me know what you think!

I have many more as well!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/MerebethsCloset?ref=pr_shop_more

Some more shirts. woo hoo.

Sun, 18 Sep 2011 07:39:02 GMT

I wanted to post some more stuff but I didn't wanna overload. I gave up....

This one started with an Old band shirt, TOCC actually local heavy metal garage band. It's a super awesome shirt, hella sexy if I do say so mahself,

Sorry about the bathroom pictures, its the best mirror in the house.

There's a tutorial for this one on a seperate site if anyone is interested.

This next one, I had "inherited a slayer shirt from my ex husband. When he left I stol a bunch of his old clothes. Oh yeah...One of the only things he was good for. It started as a large long sleeved mens shirt with a whole bunch of holes in the sleeves. and it was supposed to be a simple tank it turned out a little long, but I like it this way cause I can make it a dress when I'm feelin' a little fancy.
It's real short though....
and the back.

Normal shirt...

And then bam...corsety goodness.

Oh dear thats a terrible picture of me....

Theres a tutorial for this one as well.

This one is my very favourite shirt of ever. The story of this shirt is pretty awesome I got it from my boyfriend and it had a couple holes in the back/side of it and I wanted to make something awesome out of it cause I love superheroes and they don't make girly superhero shirt (damn you marvel) but I had so many dilemas with it because I didn't want to mess it up and the screen printing covered almost all of a mens large shirt. After about two to three months of just looking at this shirt I finally decided to just wing it. and it came out as not what I intended at all, but I love it even more.

my sister room is soo awesomely green. I managed to not cut off any of the characters, which is what I was most worried about. I just love this shirt so very much.

This one comes straight from a tutorial I found through this site acutally, I think if you look up "light bulb" you should be able to find it.

Happy dinosaur hat coming at chu
Aww that last one is sideways and I don't know why...Oh well I'm not taking the time to change it. I made this nifty little thing for my sister (In the zeppelin hoodie) out of a hoodie and white t-shirt, which is the only reason I feel it's postable. Its got ribbon ties on it too even though you can't see them in the picture. My son is super jealous of it hence why he's wearing it in the first two pics.

Last one

I made this for a friend's birthday, we don't talk anymore, which I'm not sad about loosing the friend so much as I am about not being able to see this shirt being out and about. This was my second attemt at bleaching with a stencil, This time I used contact paper instead of wax paper. I really liked how it turned out, but it was a total mistake. The bleach bled through alot more thand I had planned. I turned out even better though. I drew all those letters mah self by the way.

Anyway, Thats all I have picture of atlease, I've got more, just no pictures. Happy times of enjoyment for all.
You should click on that link, It'll make me feel special.

Changing tank top straps?

Tue, 13 Sep 2011 20:18:51 GMT

Hi there! Long time occasional reader, first time poster. Hopefully someone can help me!

I have a gray spaghetti strap tank top that I got on the cheap for a costume. It fits and everything, but I had the idea to change the straps and the seam around the neck to a contrasting color of ribbon. Any idea how I could pull this off, without winging it and just wrapping the straps with the ribbon? Help!

Dango, that's a foxy shirt.

Sun, 11 Sep 2011 09:33:01 GMT

So someone asked me for a tutorial, and I was all bored so here you go. Sorry, I wish there were more process pictures as well.

I had seen bleach stenciling/painting before and this was my first attempt at it. And now, this is my how-to.

INGREDIENTS:
T-shirt/tank top
picture/design
paper
wax paper
paper towels
exacto knife
tape
cardboard
bleach
spray bottle
detergent
scrap fabric or a thin towel

Find your design, make sure it'll be something easy to turn into a stencil. I used...

resize the picture to the size you want, mine was about the size of a piece of notebook paper.

I myself am very lazy, and lack a printer so when I need picture of the computer for stenciling I do whatever I need to to get it to a the point I want it and then I put a piece of paper over my laptop screen and trace it right off the screeen. Easy peasy....

Now you've got your picture, grab a piece of wax paper. Most people tell you to use freezer paper, and when I did this I didn't have any (still don't) I figured this would work just as well, it didn't but I like the outcome better anyway.

Find some kind of surface that you don't mind fucking up with an exacto knife. I used one of those healing cutting boards they sell at craft stores for the rotary cutters, mostly used by quilters. Tape down your picture and then tape down your wax paper right on top of it, you'll be able to see through it so no worries.

Get to cutting out your design out of the wax paper with an exacto knife. Which takes for freakin' ever. I cut out all the black parts. It all really depends on your stencil on which parts you cut out. Just be careful its a stencil so if you have parts that are just gonnna fall out you're gonna want to make some alterations to your picture so that it works out, think of stenciled letters. This design worked out the best for me being that I didn't run into to many problem with holes and stuff. You're probably better looking up a stencil making tutorial than listening to me...I just kinda wing it most of the time.

Once you've got your stencil all cut out. Grab your shirt and a piece of cardboard, Put the carboard inside your shirt, It's a little sad coz the cardboard gets to wear your fancy shirt before you do. Lay it out and make sure there aren't any folds or creases or little bumps in place you're putting your stencil. Lay your stencil out (with the waxy side down) get all the placement and stuff figured out.

Grab your iron (I don't really know how important this part is cause it isn't really effective, only kinda) You're gonna want to use something in between the iron and your shirt/stencil. Helps with that great burning smell. Iron your stencil down. It takes a while and seems kinda pointless cause your edges won't exactly stick that well. And once its ironed you can't really mess with it too much or the whole thing will come off. You can re-iron it, but it doesn't really stick that well the second time.

Grab some paper towels, bleach (or clorox), spray bottle.

Woot bleach spraying time ( noooo you gotta drink the bleach) I didn't really have bleach, BUT I did have clorox clean-up with bleach, I tested it on something and it bleached it and I figured it smelled enough like bleach...it'll be fine. It just works slower than bleach. And you
have to use more of it. On the bright side, atleast you know that spot will be clean.

Spray the bleach on and watch it go...I sprayed the whole thing and as I was watching it, if it didn't look like it was working in some spots I just sprayed some more. Use the paper towels to wipe off any extra bleach from the wax paper, I just dabbed at the whole thing since the clorox leaves bubbles. The whole process took probably about 10 minutes. I'm pretty sure that because I used the clorox instead of straight bleach it ended up bleeding through a little bit. It has more time to soak through before it has any effect. Everything else I read using bleach said it takes like 2 minutes or something like that. Or you can dilude your bleach with water and put it at around 5 minutes.

When you hit your desired color run over to the sink and start rinsing it out. Its super important to wash it out really good. Bleach (and clorox) will break apart your fibers and eat through your fabric. Rinse in cold water, and then rinse it again, and add some detergent in there and handwash it and rinse it again. And WA BAAAAM hang it up to dry. wooohooo...done-like good-ness.

Enjoy.

I'm pretty sure I've missed something, allz ya gots to do is ask. And I'll be less confusing. promise.

Thu, 08 Sep 2011 22:27:21 GMT

My Very First T-Recon!!!

Mon, 05 Sep 2011 02:03:39 GMT

http://namoweno.blogspot.com/2011/09/my-first-tee-shirt-recon.html

Looking For Suggestions...

Sat, 27 Aug 2011 01:58:28 GMT

Hello thar!

This is my first post. I got this sweet Bruce Lee shirt 11 years ago. I don't care for the long sleeves and I'm looking for mod suggestions.

The shirt.

Sorry for the bathroom mirror shot and goofy face.

Anyway, if you have any suggestions (either simple sewing or strictly cutting) of how to modify this shirt, please let me know. I'm looking for some basic ideas because I'm still learning to sew. Also, I still want it to be a wearable shirt, not a tote bag or something. ;)

Thanks!