Psychedelic Western shirts

This pile of old sheets became this set of shirts

 A friend of mine has been collecting old bed sheets for some time. She asked me to help her make them into some western shirts. So off I went on a sewing vacation for a week to sew. Have I mentioned that the only part I don't like to do is cut out the patterns. My friend cut out all 3 of the shirts and the interfacing. I then set out to iron on the interfacing on all these shirts and then started the process of sewing them together. She kept me well lubricated and we completed these shirts in about 6 hours, the pattern is Simplicity 8473 from the 80's. I have also used McCall 6380, it's a decent pattern from the 70's. 

I liked the way this one matched. The pockets, cuffs and yoke are a different sheet than the main body and arms. But looking at the photos it's hard to tell that they are not the same. We attempted to dye the piping on this shirt but it came out as a very pale blue thus you can not really see the piping. 

This is a very bright shirt, we made a different western shirt from the green stripe material (you can see that shirt below). The piping on this shirt is reflective, so my friends partner can wear it when he rides his bike, hoping that the reflective part will give him a little more visibility. I was happy that the front lines matched up, too bad we didn't line up the pockets better. Next time we will pay more attention to the lines, but I don't think it really detracts from the shirt as there is so much happening already. 

 The Blue and Purple combination is quite flowery. We used blue snaps on the front.

These were the shirts that started the whole vintage sheet western shirts. I had helped my friend cut out the polka dot shirt on the left several years ago and she sewed it together. She then cut out the striped shirt and sewed most of it together before she shoved it in a drawer. When I arrived, she pulled out the shirt and I sewed on the front placket, sleeves and cuffs...to complete the shirt. I hate to cut out patterns and iron on the interfacing, so the fact that she had most of the things I hate to do complete made it easy for me to finish the project. 

Band from 1968 or today? The 3 shirts on the recipients. I believe they were quite happy and two of the men were surprised that they were allowed to keep the shirts. They all fit the men nicely we only had to make an adjustment to the length of the arms. I'm now on the lookout for vintage sheets, I will have to hit the garage sales this summer in search of cool looking sheets to make more of these lovely shirts. 

Vintage Apron

A couple of weeks ago I received an email from Sew Mama Sew. I had signed up to get a message on different challenges or submissions they may want from the sewing community. I was not chosen for their most recent request for submissions to make something for the kitchen. So since I had this vintage apron pattern out on my sewing table and have been waiting for a reason to make it, I challenged myself to get it done.  The pattern is a Simplicity 4868, a bib apron with a pocket. I have an apron from this pattern that my great grandmother made years ago and I wore that apron till it fell apart. I have the pattern in large, medium and small, I guess my great grandmother loved this pattern too. 

I had pulled out the pink fabric to cut out the apron several months ago but never got around to cutting out the pattern. Once I started to lay out the pattern pieces I realized I did not have enough of the pink fabric...I dug into my fabric bins and came up with this blue fabric that is printed with a cute Country Fair type of scene. 

I completed the apron in less about 2 hours, I did sew the back strap on upside down at first and had to take it off. I also had some problems with the way the back tie was connected. I think of this as a trial run. Now that I know where I had problems, I can make it again.  I will also play around with using different fabrics for the front and sides. 

I love wearing these type of aprons with a summer dress that doesn't have pockets. Or maybe wear it when I'm up in the community garden. The skirt is nice and full so it would hold a lot of vegetable. I always forget to bring a container with me to the garden and often end up filling my skirt of top with my bounty. I have always liked aprons that have a full front and of course POCKETS. Next time I make this apron I will put two pockets on the front. 

Giveaway on Spoonflower

I love giveaways. This week Spoonflower is giving away the latest Gertie sewing book called "Gertie Sews Vintage Casual" along with 3 yards of a fabric of your choice. If you have not seen Spoonflower yet…check it out. You can design your own fabric and they will print it for you. There are some really fun and very strange designs, you can buy other customers designs if they want to share. 

Anyway…check it out and register to win a Gertie's new book along with 3 yards of fabric. 

The winner will be drawn on September 17th 2014.

One hot afternoon 

Last week it was quite hot so we headed down to Kelly Point Park past St Johns. It was nice to sit in cold water watching boats go past. I'm busy sewing to see what I can make quickly and is interesting enough to sell at a farmers market or on Etsy. I was talking to a friend and she told me she sells tons of reusable bags where she works. I decided to try my hand at making bags. I have made other recycled bags but I think vintage fabric and ribbon is a hit. These bags are about 20" tall by 18 " wide. They are easy to make, it's all about the gusset on the bottom to give the bag some structure. I used some scrap upholstery fabric and some really beautiful vintage ribbon for the handle. The thins is I have tons of scrap fabric that I can use to make a few of these bags, making all of them unique and one of a kind. Most of the time for me is spent decided on color combinations.