Heres 2 shirts that ive made recently. let me know what you think!
this one is made of squares of fabric that i got from my friends grandma--grandmas are aweosome for stuff like this! [the strips are uneven at the bottom on purpose] the straps are black with ribbon sewn on top.
back view of the same shirt. please ignore the bra straps and bad swimmers tan
made from random scraps i had laying around. planning on putting lace across front so it doesnt show as much (boy do i just love dress codes!)
back view
TUTORIAL
You need: patterned fabric
solid colored fabric
Zipper
Ribbon to match colors in patterned fabric
Extra solid fabric for straps
1. Cut squares out of patterned fabric. All of the patterned strips will end up being the same length. (I used 5” X 5” squares)
2. Cut strips of the solid colored fabric. Make sure all of the strips are different lengths and make sure they’re not the same length as your patterned strips either.
3. Measure around yourself (at the widest spot), and make enough strips so that it fits w/ about 1” or so extra for attaching the zipper.
**HELPFUL HINTS**
- DRAW PICTURES AND WRITE THINGS DOWN.
- Don’t forget to subtract ½ inch from the height of each square for seams. So if you have 5 squares that are 5” tall, expect your strip to be about 22 ½ inches tall.
- If your patterned strips are 20”, then make your solid ones vary from 18” to 22”, increasing by ½”, skipping 20”.
4. Layer squares on top of each other and sew together (1 overlaps 2, 2 overlaps 3, etc.) Zigzag stitch where they overlap so that you can see the stitching. You could always make the seams nice and proper on the inside, but I thought it looked more ‘fun’ this way. Also, sew a line along the bottom to keep it from unraveling. Don worry about hemming the top yet.
5. Lay out all the strips in the order you want them to go. **make sure strips that are going to be next to each other are at least 1” different in length. ** Overlap them just like the squares, only this time left over right. Sew them together, leaving an opening in the back center for the zipper. Don’t forget to sew a line along the bottom of those too!
6. Hem along the top of the strip you just made.
7. Size the zipper so its as long as the shortest of the 2 sides in the back.
8. Fold under the sides and sew in the zipper.
9. Figure out how long the straps need to be and cut solid material that long plus 1”.
10. Cut ribbon strips that are that long. Sew the ribbon (zigzag stitch) onto the material strips.
11. Attach straps
12. Try on the shirt and shape it by taking it in on the sides just like simple resizing or reconstruction.
**IF ANYONE HAS QUESTIONS FEEL FREE TO IM ME OR EMAIL ILL ANSWER THEM ASAP**
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