ALTERNATIONTransform.Embellish.Customize.

ShannonOkey+AlexandraUnderhill

NORTHLIGHTBOOKSCincinnati,Ohio

AlterNation copyright©2007 byShannonOkey andAlexandraUnderhill.Manufactured inChina.Allrightsreserved.Thepatterns,drawingsandschematicsinthisbookareforthepersonaluseofthereader.Under no circumstances may they be resold or republished in any format, whether print or electronic,without theexpresswrittenconsentof thepublisher.Forpattern licensinginformation,pleasecontact theauthorsatP.O.Box112312,Cleveland,OH44111orviae-mailatauthors@alternationbook.com.Nootherpart of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means includinginformation storage and retrieval systemswithout permission inwriting from the publisher, except by areviewer,whomayquoteabriefpassageinreview.PublishedbyNorthLightBooks,animprintofF+WPublications,Inc.,4700EastGalbraithRoad,Cincinnati,Ohio45236.(800)289-0963.Firstedition.

111009080754321

LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData

Okey,Shannon,1975—

AlterNation/ShannonOkeyandAlexandraUnderhill.

p.cm.

Includesbibliographicalreferences.

ISBN978-1-58180978-7(alk.paper)eISBN:978-1-4402-2500-0

1.Machinesewing.2.Tailoring.3.Clothinganddress.I.Underhill,Alexandra.II.Title.

TT713.O3852007646.2’044--dc22

2006102320DistributedinCanadabyFraserDirect100ArmstrongAvenueGeorgetown,ON,CanadaL7G5S4Tel:(905)877-4411

DistributedintheU.K.andEuropebyDavid&CharlesBrunelHouse,NewtonAbbot,Devon,TQ124PU,EnglandTel:(+44)1626323200,Fax:(+44)1626323319E-mail:postmaster@davidandcharles.co.uk

DistributedinAustraliabyCapricornLink

P.O.Box704,SouthWindsor,NSW2756AustraliaTel:(02)4577-3555

ModelPhotography:SladePhotography,sladephotography.com

Stylist:DinaAmsdenAllOtherPhotography:ChristineOkey

www.fwbookstore.com

METRICCONVERSIONCHART

TOCONVERT TO MULTIPLYBYInches Centimeters 2.54

Centimeters Inches 0.4Feet Centimeters 30.5

Centimeters Feet 0.03Yards Meters 0.9Meters Yards 1.1

Sq.Inches Sq.Centimeters 6.45Sq.Centimeters Sq.Inches 0.16

Sq.Feet Sq.Meters 0.09Sq.Meters Sq.Feet 10.8Sq.Yards Sq.Meters 0.8Sq.Meters Sq.Yards 1.2Pounds Kilograms 0.45

Kilograms Pounds 2.2Ounces Grams 28.3Grams Ounces 0.035

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Alexandra and Shannon would both like to thank Slade Photography in LosAngelesandChristineOkeyinClevelandforbrilliantmodelandhow-toshots,respectively,andallthethriftstoresofgreaterClevelandthatyieldrichesforusonaregularbasis.Themodelphotographyknockedbothofusoutofourchairs…andthosewerejustthetestshots!Additional,extra-specialthankstomodelSamanthaGraceforhelpingusworkouttheinitialshots.ThankstoSarahPattersonforassistingat thephotoshootsandpinch-hitting

asamodelwhentimewastight.(Thankstoallourfriends,friends’friendsandneighbors who got drafted into modeling, for that matter.) Sarah actuallydesignedtheonlypieceinthebooknotsewnbyeitherofus(PiecedPants);wehandedherastackofstuffduringashootandsaid:“Hereyougo,seewhatyoucanmakewiththese.”She’sanexemplarystitcher,adesignerinherownright,andyou’llnodoubtbeseeinghernameinmoreplacessoon.MeganEngelmanntookoversomeofShannon’ssewingdutiesduringtheeditingphaseofthebook,whichmade a big difference in getting things done.ArabellaProfferVendettadrew the amazing illustrations, painted the cowboy boots and modeled, too.She’s multi-multitalented, just like Christine Okey (Shannon’s mom), whopaintedthesuit jacketandhelpedstitchafewthingstogetherwhenshewasn’tdoingthephotography.TamasJakab?Well,hegetslovefrombothofusforhelpingeditandformat

the how-to shots, but superspecial thanks from Shannon for being the bestboyfriend in theworld, and taking overmany household duties duringHeavyWritingandHeavyEditingmodes.Therestofourextendednetworksoffriendsandfamilyalsoofferedtheirlove

andsupport,whichisappreciatedmorethantheywilleverknow.

ABOUTTHEAUTHORS

Justwhoarewe,anyway?We’reAlexandra(Xan)UnderhillandShannonOkey.Xan(topright)isanultratalentedsculptorinall

mediums, including fabric. She’s done costumingformanyproductionsyou’veheardof(likeCirqueduSoleil)andsomethatyouhaven’t…yet.She’sbest known for her tie skirts (the pattern’s if youwant to make your own), which she demo’ed oncraftyTVshowUncommonThreads,andher stiltdancing.Xanteachesartworkshopsinresidenciesallovertheplace,hasafabricstashtodiefor,andisaregularatBurningMan.Thisisherfirstbook.Shannon (bottom right) is a fiber fanatic who

knits, spins, crochets, dyes, felts andmuchmore.She’s got multiple spinning wheels, knittingmachinesandlooms,aswellasfiberbythepoundin her studio. Shannon’s best known for herKnitgrrlbooks and several other crafty titles (seeThe Guide). She has appeared on UncommonThreads,KnittyGrittyandCraftersCoasttoCoast,coordinatestheClevelandeditionofindiecraftfairBazaarBizarre,isacolumnistforknit.1magazineand is a frequent contributor to magazines such as CRAFT, Adorn and YarnMarketKnittingNews.Together,we’veworked on a number of projects, such as a touch-sensitive

fabric iPod wedding dress called “iDo” for the computational couture showSeamless,andofcourse,thisbook.OurgoalforAlterNationistoinspireyou,toteachtechniquesyoucanapplytoyourownprojectsandencourageyoutosharethelove.With that, we invite you to continue the crafty dialogue at

www.alternationbook.com.It’slikeatwenty-four-hourpartywithgluegunsandsergersinsteadofcocktailsandcanapés.

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

THESEWINGKIT:TOOLSANDTECHNIQUES

SHIRTSJackieO’sYachtShirt

Variation:UrbanLeopardShirt

MammaMia!ShrugandSkirtSet

BedheadTop

Variation:SimpleTankTop

CustomPhotoButtondown

Felt+T-shirt=Fabulous

OfficeCorset

JACKETSKathmanduJacket

TentacleJacket

DayoftheDeadJacket

Variation:SpiderwebJacket

PaintedSuitJacket

Reverse-AppliquéSuitJacket

DRESSES

T-ShirtDress

Crazy-SimpleShiftDress

Men’sShirtDress

SynthesizeT-shirtDress

SKIRTSCopperCathedralSkirt

TieSkirt

Dual-FabricSkirt

DenimBallgownSkirt

DenimCorsetSkirt

AsymmetricalSheetSkirt

PANTSLacedPants

PiecedPants

TrimmedPants

ACCESSORIESSolubleScarf

Square-BottomBag

Variation:QuiltedBag

DangerousCherryHandbag

PaintedCowboyBoots

TieStoreExplosionCollar

Variation:Flat-TieCollar

Variation:QueenLizCollar

THEGUIDE

INTRODUCTION

Do-it-yourselffashionistheonlyreliablewaytoavoidlookinglikeamallstoreexploded in your closet.Whether you can’t pick up a needlewithout spillingbloodor canoperate a sewingmachine in your sleep, this bookwill giveyoutips, tricks and project ideas to create your own unique styleswithmaximumimpactandminimalcost.Doesthreadingasewingmachinegiveyouthechills?Fearnot!Someprojects

inthisbookcanbemadewithnothingbutaniron!Whereverpossible,we’llgiveyoumultipleoptionsthatwillappealtobothnewandadvancedstitchers.The concept behind AlterNation is literally in the title—we’d like to see

everyone,coasttocoast,daringtobedifferentbyrevampingclothesintheirownstyle.Nomorecookie-cuttercatalogdictatorstellingyouwhattowear.Nomorebuyingeverythingofftherack.Nomorespendingtwohundreddollarsonapairofthelatest“it”jeanswhenyoucanmakesomethingtwohundredtimescoolerforfivedollarsandalittlesewingtime.Reduce, reuse, recycle—it’s not just a slogan, it’s a way of life. Our

grandmothersknewthiswell,althoughforthemitwasbasedmoreonnecessitythan enviro-chic.Not only did they drop and raise hemlines regularly to keeptheir skirts at This Year’s Fashionable Length, but they also reused preciousfabricinunusualways.Believeus,theDenimBallgownSkirtisnotthefirsttimeapairofmen’spantshasbeenmade intoa skirt—and ifyou’veever seen theQuiltsofGee’sBendexhibit orbook,youknow that lowlydenimworkpantscanbecomeaspectacularworkofartinthehandsofacraftywoman.For thoseofyouwhoaremore trend-focused thancrunchygranola recycle-

mama, though, keep this inmind:When youmake your own clothes, they’retrulyoneofakind.Noworriesaboutshowinguptoapartyoreventwearingthesameoutfitasfourotherpeople.Andifsomeoneasksyouwhereyougotit,justsayitwascustommadeforyou!Setthetrends,don’tfollowthem:That’souroperatingprinciple.So, if you want unique fashion that’s easy to make and doesn’t cost a lot,

you’llloveAlterNation.Don’tworryifyoucan’tfindtheexactsamematerialsweusedinapattern.Diggingthroughthebackofyourcloset,atticorthelocalthrift store will yield different stuff. Consider it a challenge to apply thetechniques you learn here. And don’t forget about our Web site:

www.alternationbook.com.We’dlovetoseewhatyoucomeupwith!

THESEWINGKIT:TOOLSANDTECHNIQUES

Thetopthreeskillsyouwillneedformostprojectsinthisbookare:

•usinganeedle(orsewingmachine)tosewarelativelystraightline•cuttingfabricwithsharpscissorsorarotarycutter•ironingclothwithahotiron

That’sit!Detailedinformationonspecializedtechniquesorequipmentsuchasgrommettoolsandink-jetprinterswillbepresentedalongsidetheprojects thatuse them.We’re going to run down the basics of sewing, cutting and ironinghere; even if you’re an experienced seamstress, you might want to give it aglance. We’re fond of some unconventional materials and techniques. Forexample,maskingtapeistosewingwhatducttapeistotherestoftheuniverse:Justwhenyouthinkitcan’tpossiblydowhatyouneed,itsurprisesyou.

HANDSEWING:THEBASICSNeversewnbyhandbefore?Togetstarted,allyouneedisaneedle,thread,andsomepinstoholdthingstogetherwhileyouwork.

NeedlesandPinsDifferentneedleshavedifferentpurposes.Needlesmeantforembroiderythreadhavelargereyes; ifyou’resewingadelicatefabric,you’llusea thinnerneedlethanyouwould for aheavywinter coat.When indoubt, askyour local fabricstoreorafriendwhosewswhichneedlewouldworkbestonthefabricyouwanttouse,orbuymultipurposeneedlepacksandexperiment.Anytypeofstraightpinswillworkfortheprojectsinthisbook.Safetypins

canbehelpful,too.

ThreadAlthoughtherearesomespecializedtypesofthreaddesignedforparticulartypesof projects, most sewing thread is 100 percent cotton, polyester or a cotton/polyesterblend(thepolyesteraddsstrength).Itcomesinawiderangeofcolorstomatchalmostanycolorfabricyoumightwanttosew.Chancesareyou’llbesetformostprojectsifyouhavebothblackandwhitethreadplusafewneutralcolorslikegray,brownanddenimblue.Ifyou’resewingsomethingthatcontainsmultiplecolors,choosea thread thatwillmatch the largest sectionof the rightsideofthefabricbest.Togetstarted,cutalengthofthread.Anythingoverayard(1meter)tangles

tooeasilytobepractical;12–18inches(30–46cm)worksbest.Holdthecuttipto theeyeofyourneedle,push it into theeye, andpull a thirdof the thread’slengththroughtotheotherside.Iftheendofyourthreadisalittlefrayed,yourscissors may need sharpening. This is why some sewers put the end of theirthreadintheirmouth—themoisturetemporarily“glues”thefiberstogetherandgetsitthroughtheneedlesmoothly.Cuttingthetipofthethreadatananglealsohelps.Don’t forget tomakea smallknotat theendof the longside toanchoryourstitches.

THESTRAIGHTSTITCH

Initssimplestform,alineofstraightsewinglookslikeaseriesofdashes.Thestitches on top of the fabric have spaces between themwhere the needle hasgoneunderneath.Youcankeepbothupperand lowerstitches thesamesizeormakethemslightlydifferent.Whenhemmingaskirt,forexample,thestitchesonthe public side of the fabric are usually quite a bit smaller than the stitchesrunningbehind.Whenindoubt,aimforconsistencyandevenstitchsize.Hand sewers have an advantage over machine sewers that can sometimes

compensate for lackofspeed: theycanmake theirstitchesanysize theywant.Whenyousewbyhand,theskyisthelimit,fromteensytinyinvisiblestitchestogreat big rough basting stitches. (Basting is temporary stitching to hold twopiecestogetherwhileyoudosomethingelse.)

STEP1|PUSHNEEDLETHROUGHFABRIC“ZIGZAG”Insteadofsewingeachstitch individuallybyputting theneedleup through thefabric,pullingoutall thethread, thenputting itbackdownthrough the fabric,you can push the fabric onto your needle 1" (3cm) or so at a time. Push theneedlethroughthefabriconalternatesidesseveraltimesinarow(beingcarefultokeepyourstitcheseven),andmovethefabricbackontotheneedleasyougo.Nowpushtheneedlethroughthefabric“zigzag”withyourdominanthand.

STEP2|PULLTHREADTHROUGHComplete pulling the needle and its accompanying thread through with yournondominanthand.

KeepingStraightStitchesEvenThemost difficult part of sewing can be keeping your stitches even.Here’s atricktomakehandsewinginastraightlineeasy:Usetailor’schalkormaskingtape to mark the place you want to sew. From there, it’s just a question ofconnectingthelineswithdashes.Andno,we’renotkiddingaboutthemaskingtape.Ifyouhaveatoughtimekeepingyourlinesstraight,andthefabricyou’resewing isn’t furry or otherwise in danger of coming off on the tape (test in asmallareafirstifyou’reconcerned),youcanapplythetapeononesideofthepiecesyou’resewingtogetherandstitchalongitsedge.Shouldyousewthroughthetape,youcanripitoutwithoutharmingyourstitches.

THEWHIPSTITCH

Towhipstitch(alsocalledtheovercaststitch),pushtheneedlefromthebackofthe fabric to the front. Take it back over the edge of the fabric, bringing theneedle from the back through the front again. This is frequently used as atemporary(basting)stitchalonganedge,ortocloseanopeningthatistoosmallortootrickytofitthroughasewingmachine(forexample,installingazipperinanunusualplace).

STEP1|INSERTNEEDLEFROMBACKTOFRONTPlacetheneedlethroughthefabricbacktofrontalongtheedge.

STEP2|PULLTHREADTHROUGHPulltheneedleanditsaccompanyingthreadthrough.Thenextstitchwillalsogofrombacktofront,withthethreadformingaseriesofdiagonallinesacrosstheedgeofthefabric.

MACHINESEWING

Ifyou’veneverusedasewingmachinebefore,pleaseallowustointroduceyou.AlthoughShannonwillbe the first toadmitshe’snotexactly fondofmachinesewing,shewillalsoadmit thatamachinecanmake thingsgoaheckofa lotfaster.Sewingmachinestitchesdifferfromhandstitchesinthatinsteadofonethread

going over and under the fabric,machine stitches aremade of a top (needle)thread interlocking with a bottom (bobbin) thread. This makes the sewn linemuch more stable. Machine sewers control the length of their stitches byadjustingthestitchlengthontheirmachine.Thestitch-lengthcontrolknobsonmostmachines are numbered 0 to 5. The smaller the number, the smaller thestitch.Theaveragestitch-lengthsettingis2.5.Whenindoubt,leaveitsetthere.Onegreatthingaboutthriftstoresisthatyoucanoftenfindasewingmachine

two aisles down from the clothes youwant to alter! Garage sales are a greatplacetofindone,too.Alwaysplugitinbeforeyoubuy,though.We’rebigfansofold-schoolmetalmachines,whichareoftencheaperandbettermadethanthenewer plastic ones. (In fact, Shannon’smomwasmade an offer she couldn’trefuseforheroldmetalSingerwhenshetookitinforrepairs.Shetradedinthemore-than-thirty-year-old machine for a good bit of change toward her new

one!)Whenyouflipthepowerswitchandpressthefootpedal,theneedle,orwhere

theneedleshouldbeifit’smissing,shouldmoveupanddownwithease.Lookoutforfrayedpowerorfoot-pedalcords.Iftheneedleismissing,that’snotabigdeal.They’recheapandeasilyreplaced.

MAKEFRIENDSWITHYOURSEWINGMACHINE

A.bobbincaseB.feeddogs(seeoppositepage)

C.presserfoot(seeoppositepage)D.needle(seeoppositepage)E.threadguideF.threaduptakeleverG.tensioncontrolH.stitchpatternsI.threadspoolpinJ.handwheelK.stitchwidthselectorL.powerswitchM.stitchlengthselector

SewingMachineNeedlesThere are several types of sewing machine needles made for sewing oneverythingfromheavyLycratoT-shirtjersey,denimanddelicatesilk.Themaindifferencesaretheshapeofthepoint,fromroundedtoverysharp,andthesizeand shapeof the eye.When indoubt, refer toyourowner’smanual or ask anemployeeatyourlocalfabricstorewhichneedlewillworkbestforyourproject.

TheBobbinsBobbinsaretheRobintoyoursewingmachine’sBatman.Smallandforgettable,yet utterly necessary, the bobbin functions as a tiny reusable thread spool thatfeeds thread to interlockwith theneedle threadasyoustitchalong.Whenyouswitch to a new thread color in the needle, you’ll also need to switch to amatchingthreadinthebobbin(unlessyoulikethetwo-colorlook:tryitoutonascrappieceoffabricwith twoverydifferentcolorsof threadin theneedleandbobbin).Whenyougo tobuy sparebobbins, take it fromus:Bringalongoneyou know fits yourmachine. Sewingmachines are finicky and each typewilltakeone—andonlyone—kindofbobbin.It’snofuntogethomeanddiscoverthetwentybobbinsyoujustboughtwon’tfit.Whenyou’rewindinganewbobbin,besuretousethebobbinwinderthread

guideor its equivalentonyourmachine. (Check themanual. Ifyou’veboughtthemachine at a garage sale or inherited it from a great-aunt, you can searchonline;manysewingmachinemanualsareavailableasfreePDFs.Startwiththe

manufacturer’sWebsiteandgofromthere.Or,ifyoulikehavingaprintcopy,searcheBay.)Youwantthebobbintowinditsthreadonasevenlyaspossiblesoitwillfeedevenlyforeachstitchwhilesewing;otherwise,you’rejustaskingfortrouble.

TheTensionControlYour sewing machine works best when the tension is set correctly. Sloppytensionmakesstitches look too loose, tight,oranythingbut“Goldilocks” (justright). The tension control on the top or front of yourmachinewill help youadjustthetoptensionifthingslookotherthanperfect.Totestthetension,grabasparepieceoffabricor(ifyou’resewingsomething

thrifted and don’t have extra fabric) test in an out-of-the-way location. First,stitchwiththetensionsetasis.Lookatthestitchesonbothsidesofthefabric.Ifyouseeloopsofbobbinthreadonthetopsideofthefabric,turnthetoptensioncontroldownanotch.Ifyouseeloopsofneedlethreadonthebobbinside,turnthetoptensioncontrolupanotch.Everyfabricisdifferent,soitdoesn’thurtto

testthetensionforeachnewproject.Ifadjustingthetoptensiondoesn’tdothetrick,checkyourmachine’smanual

orlookonlineforadditionalinstruction.

TheThreadGuideMaybeyour tension isoffbecauseyoumisseda threadguidesomewhere.Thethreadguidekeeps tensionon the threadas it feedsdown into theneedle, andkeeps your stitches even and happy. Check your manual or the Internet forthreadinginstructions.

TheStitchPatternandWidthSelectorsThe stitch pattern selector on some machines gives you a number of prettystitches to play with: everything from embroidery stitches to automaticbuttonholes.Evenifyoudon’thavealotoffancystitchpatternstochoosefrom,almosteverymachineouttherehasbothastraightstitchandazigzagstitch.ThezigzagisusedonknitfabricssuchasT-shirtjerseybecauseithasalotofgivethatmovesandstretcheswiththefabric.Thestitchwidthselector letsyouset thewidthofyourzigzagstitches.Asa

rule,you’llwanttouseanarrowzigzagforsewingseamsonknitfabricsandawide zigzag to finish a rawedge. If youdon’t have a serger, this is the stitchyou’llusewheresergededgesarecalledfor.Experimentwithasparepieceoffabric and the stitch width selector to see what your machine can do with azigzagstitch.Some machines have the zigzag and straight stitches as the same stitch

pattern,butsettingthewidthtozeromakesastraightstitch,andnumbersabovezerogiveyouazigzag.

PREVENTINGARAT’SNESTOFTHREADWhen you start a line of stitching, sometimes the thread willsuddenly tangle up into amessy nest of threadwhere the stitchesshouldbe.Tokeepthisfromhappening,pullthebobbinandneedlethreadsout1"(3cm)orsobehindtheneedleandholdontothemforthefirstfewstitches.

TheStitchLengthSelectorThe stitch length selector allowsyou to adjust the lengthof your stitches.Forsewing on most fabrics, use a stitch length between 2 and 3 (about 10–15stitchesperinch).OnT-shirtjersey,useaslightlyhigherstitchlength.Tooshorta stitchonknit fabricscansometimescausepuckeryseams. Ifyouset the toptensionalittlelooseandsetthestitchlengthaslongasyourmachinewillallow,youcangetanicebastingstitchthat’seasytopullout.

ThePresserFootandFeedDogsThe presser foot and feed dogs are the bread in your fabric sandwich. Thepresser footkeeps the fabricdown flat against the feeddogs, andyouhave tohaveitinthedownpositionanytimeyouarepressingthefootpedaltostitch,oryou’ll endupwith a realmess. (Try it on a sparepieceof fabric if youdon’tbelieve us.) The feed dogs help the fabricmove as you sew.The tiny gripperteethrotatetopullthefabricalongunderthepresserfootasstitchesaremade.

TheReverseButtonMake note of where the reverse button is on your machine. When sewing aseam,it’sagoodideatoreverseattheendandsewbackovertheseamforfourorfivestitches.Thinkofthis(calledbacktacking)asalittledropofgluetokeepthestitchesfromunraveling.

TheFootPedalAndfinally,thefootpedal.Easydoesit.Don’tbetemptedtoputthepedaltothemetaluntilyouknow justhow responsiveyour footpedal is.Someare super-sensitive to the touch, others less so. Better to be tentative when you’re justgettingtoknowyourmachine.

FLYINGNEEDLESANDTHEZIGZAGSTITCHBeforesettingthestitchwidthabovezeroforzigzagstitch,besureto take the straight-stitch foot off your machine and put on thezigzag foot. Also, if there’s a straight-stitch throat plate on yourmachine,besuretoswapitoutforthezigzagthroatplate.

You will know instantly if you forget to do this, because yourneedlewill hit the foot or the throat platewith a nasty thud, andbreak.Notonly is thisannoying, itcanbedangerousif thebrokenneedlefliesupandhitsyouintheeye.

SERGERSAserger isaspecialized typeof sewingmachine that trimsoff theedge of your fabric while simultaneously sewing a seam andwrapping multiple threads over the edge of the fabric. Are youwearingaT-shirtrightnow?Flipupthebottomoryoursleeveandlookattheedges.Almostallclothingmadefromknitorjersey-stylefabrics is sewnwith a serger because it prevents the fabric edgesfrom raveling. You can use a serger on almost any kind of fabric,andit’sabigtime-saver.Weusedasergeronmanyprojectsinthis

book,includingtheT-shirtDressandMammaMia!ShrugandSkirtSet.Inmostcases,azigzagstitchcanbeusedinplaceofasergerstitch. If youenjoy sewing, investing in a serger iswellworth themoney.

HOWTOAVOIDTRASHINGPINS,NEEDLESANDSERGERBLADES

Sewingoverpinsonyoursewingmachineislikerunningredlights.Youmay get awaywith it for a while, but sooner or later you’regoingtohitsomething.Ifyouhitapin,itwillbebentbeyonduse.Nobigloss.Whentheneedlehitsapin,eithertheneedlewillbreakoritspointwillbetrashed.Eitherwayyou’llhavetoreplaceit.Besuretopullthepinsoutoneatatime,beforeyousewoverthem.

Sewingoverapinwithasergerisaguaranteeddisaster.Thepinwill be sliced in two by the serger blade. You’ll have one trashed

pin, one trashed serger blade and possibly one injured eye. Forserging, always place the pins at least½" (13mm) away from therawedgeofthefabricandparalleltoit.

CUTTING

Cuttingfabriciseasyaslongasyourequipmentissharp.Agoodpairofsewingscissors goes a long way. Leave the scissors meant for paper on your desk;they’lldullquickly,andcutbadly!Expect topay twenty (U.S.)dollarsandupfordecentscissors.Ifyou’releft-handed,definitelyshelloutforaleftypair.Rotarycutters look like they’remeant tocutpizza,but they’reexcellent for

working with everything from thick fabrics like felt and wool to the mostdelicate cottons.Touse them,place the fabricon a self-healingmat andpressdownwith the rotary cutterwherever youwant to cut.You’ll see self-healingmatshangingnexttotherotarycuttersatthefabricorcraftstore:buythelargestoneyoucanafford,becauseit’sannoyingtoconstantlyreadjustthefabricorthemat when cutting large pieces. They also come in handy for quickmeasurements, asmostmats feature a printed grid on top. If youwant to cutperfectly straight lines,useanacrylic ruler (soldnext to the rotarycuttersandself-healingmats).

IRONING

Agoodironistrulyyourbestfriend!Makesureithasmultipleheatsettingsandtheabilitytoturnsteamonandoff.Wedon’trecommendcordlessmodels—theyloseheattooquicklyandmaytaketwiceaslongtodowhatyouneedtodo.Ifyoudon’thaveanironingboard,youcanalwaysputalayeroftowelsonatable,butitwillbemoredifficulttoironsomefabricsperfectlyflat;besides,youriskscorchingyourtable.Whenyoureadinstructionsforasewingproject,keepinmindthat there’sa

differencebetween“ironing”and“pressing.”Ironingisjustwhatyouthinkitis:slidingahotironbackandforthoverfabric,usuallypressingdownontheironatthesametime.Pressinginvolvespressingtheirondownononespot,thenliftingitbeforemovingtoanotherspot.Stretchyfabricsshouldbepressedtokeepfromdistortingtheshape.Youalwayswanttopress,notiron,fusiblewebandfusible

interfacing(seeFusibles:SewingwithYour Iron) tokeep themeltinggooandfabricpiecesfromslidingoutofposition.

ROTARYCUTTERSANDTRIPSTOTHEERThisisnojoke.Rotarycuttersareasewer’sbestfriendandthemostdangerous tool inyoursewingkit.Evenanolddullblade israzorsharp.Never,never—letmerepeatthat:never—putyourfingersinthelineof fireofyourrotarycutter.Nevercut towardyourfingersoryourhand.Whenusinganacrylicrulertoguidetherotarycutteron tough fabric like denim, be aware that using the necessarypressurecancausethecuttertoslipandtakeagoodsliceoutofthehandholdingtheruler.

One more thing: Make a habit of closing the protective coveraroundthebladeeverytimeyouputtherotarycutterdown,evenifit’s just foraminute.Nothing isworse thanaccidentally grabbingthebusinessendofanunprotectedbladeorhavingacuriouskittybatatit.

FUSIBLES:SEWINGWITHYOURIRONFusiblewebisakindofheat-activatedfabricglue.It’sawhisper-thinwebbingthat comes in rolls½" (13mm)wide and in sheets by theyard (ormeter). It’susedtofusefabricstogether.Youcandoanemergencyhemlinefixbypressingastrip of fusiblewebunder thehem. It beats staples any time.Strips of fusibleweb (soldunder thenamesStitchWitcheryandSteam-A-Seam)arehandy forholdingfabricstogetherwhileyoustitchthem.Insomecases,fusiblewebmaybeusedtoholdfabricstogetherpermanently,butifanystresswillbeplacedonthefabrics,it’sbettertoalsosewthem.Sure,youcouldmaketheT-shirtDresswith justan iron toconnect thepieces,butwewouldn’tadvise it.Fusiblewebholdsupwell,butnotthatwell.(Doyoureallywanttoriskhavingyourskirtfalloffinpublic?)Fusibleweb is not to be confusedwith fusible interfacing,which is a knit,

woven,ornonwovenfabricwithheat-activatedglueontheback.It’susedinsidecollars,cuffs,waistbandsandanyothergarmentparts thatneedaddedbodyorstructure.Fusibleinterfacingcomesinapuzzlingarrayoftypesandweights.Ifyouwanttogiveitatry,lookforsomeoneatthefabricstorewholooksliketheyknowwhatthey’redoingandaskiftheycanhelpyoupicktherightone.Bothfusiblewebandfusibleinterfacingarefinickyabouttheywaytheywant

tobehandled.Usingeithertoomuchornotenoughheat,andleavingtheheatoneither toolongornot longenoughcancausethegluetofail.Yourbestbetforgoodresultsistocarefullyfollowtheinstructionsthatcomewithyourfusibles.

EXPERIMENTINGWITHT-SHIRTST-shirts are cheap, readily available and fun to play with. Use them as basicingredientstoexperimentwithtechniquesyoumightwanttouseelsewhere.The Art of Manipulating Fabric by Colette Wolff is an amazing reference

bookthatwillgiveyouideasforeverypossiblewaytogather,shirr,ruffle,tuck,pleat,ruche,quiltorotherwisemanipulatefabricintodifferentshapes.YoucanapplyquiteafewofthesetechniquestothehumbleT-shirt,eithershort-orlong-sleeved.Herearesomeideastoplaywith.

Ruching

Basicruching(pronouncedrooshing)isdonebygatheringoneormoreverticallinesofstitching,suchasonasideseamordownthetopofasleeve.Polyesterthreadisbestforthisbecauseitdoesn’tbreakeasily.

STEP1|Markoneormoreverticallineswhereyouwanttheruching.Youcanspace them regularly or irregularly; bothways look great. Cut somethreadabout4"(10cm)longerthanthefirstline,andknottheend.

STEP2|Inserttheneedleinoneendofthefirstmarkedline,andtakeonetinybackstitchtoanchorthethread.Sewalongthelinewithstitches –¼"(3–6mm) long.Leave the thread tail loose at the end of your line ofbasting.Repeatstep2foreachmarkedline.

STEP3 |Goingbacktothefirstmarkedline,pullonthethreadtail togatherthefabric,spreadingitevenlyasitbeginstopuckerup.Whenyou’redonegathering,don’ttieoffthethreadyet.Repeatthisoneachofthelinesyoumarked.Whenallofyourlinesaregathered,fiddlewiththegathers until you like theway they look, then tie off the threads andtrimthetails.

FabricPaintEvermadeatie-dyeshirt?Mostpeopleuserubberbandstomarkoffthevariouspuckersandgathersof fabricbeforedipping theshirt intodye,and that’s that.Youcandosomethingsimilarwithfabricpaint.Trypleatingapieceoffabricbyfoldingitbackandforthlikeafan,thenstitchthetopsofthefoldstogetherandpaintmetallicfabricpaintonthetopridges.Allowthepainttofullydry.Whenthe stitching is removed, only themetallic patternwill remain on the fabric’ssurface.Now, let’s tie these techniques together.Youcanmakeasimplebolero-style

shrugoutofalong-sleevedT-shirtjustbycuttingoffthebottomandopeningupthefront,asintheMammaMia!ShrugandSkirtset.RuchethelongsleevesoftheT-shirttothree-quartersoftheiroriginallength.

Fan-foldthebodyoftheshirtandapplyfabricpaintasdescribedabove.Seehoweasyit is tocombinetechniques?Youcantakeelementsfromseveraldifferentprojectsinthisbookandcombinethemintoall-newconcepts.Foracroppedtopthatdoesn’tshowall,cutoffaT-shirt’sbottomandadda

widepieceoflacetrimorfabric.Or,forthatbellydancerlook,addfringe!

Youcanalsocrochetalacyedgingorsewonembellishmentssuchasbeads,ribbon or other trim.And be sure to check out the excellent range of iron-onstitchguidesmadebySublimeStitching.They’redesignedforembroidery,butyoucanalsopaintorapplybeadworkalongthelines.YoucancutofftheneckbandofaT-shirtasymmetrically(somecheaplymade

T-shirts havemiserably tight neckbands,making this a great solution), or justscoopitfartherdown.Letthefabricrollbackonitselfifit’sthin,orturnabout½" (13mm) of fabric under and stitch around the openingwith small stitches.Useembroideryflossforadashofextracolor.Experiment!Whenyou’recuttingupcheapthrift-storetees,youcanaffordto

play.

AGIRLANDHERGROMMETER

Weusealotofgrommetsinthisbook;they’rethosemetalringsthatyouseeoncorsetsandotherlaced-upgarments.GotapairofConverseshoeshandy?Thosearemetalgrommetsaround the laces.Xan’sbeena fanofgrommets foryearsand now she’s gotten Shannon hooked, too. For one thing, corset lacing canmake just about any garment sexier.Don’t believe us? See theOfficeCorset.Andifyouhappentogainapoundortwo,youcanjustloosenyourgrommetedshirtorskirtasmidgeinsteadofconsigningittoyourcloset(orbacktothethriftstore!).Grommetsarehighlydecorative,comeinmanydifferentcolors(thoughgoldand silver aremost common)andareverydurableonce set. Ifyoudon’talreadyhaveagrommetsetter,awordofadvice:Buythehammer-settype,notthesqueezetype.Hammergrommetsettersareexactlyastheysound.Youplacethe male and female grommets on either side of the hole in your fabric andwhackthemtogetherwithahammerormallet.Hammergrommetsettersoftencome completewith a hole-making tool aswell,which comes in handywhenyou’remakingagarmentwithmanygrommets(no,paperpuncheswon’tworkonfabric!).Squeezegrommetsettersrelyonyourhandandgripstrength,whichcanbelessreliablethanamallet.Trustus,onceyougethookedongrommets,you’lllovethem,too.

STEP1|GATHERMATERIALSGatheryourmaterials.Inadditiontothegrommetsthemselves,(forthehammersetmethod)youwillneedahammer,thesettingtoolandeitherathickpieceofleatherorastackofnewspaperstopoundon.

STEP2|PUNCHHOLESIfyourgrommetsetterdoesnothavetheabilitytopunchholesinfabric(thisonedoes—yousimplyputthefabricontopofyourleatherornewspaperstackandhitthepunchwithyourhammer),youwillneedtocutappropriately-sizedholesforyourgrommets.Putthemalesideofeachgrommetthrougheachholeinthefabric.

STEP3|INSERTFEMALESIDEUse your hands to press the female grommet side onto the back of eachmalegrommet.

STEP4|PREPARETOSETGROMMETHoldthegrommetsidesinplacewithyourfingerstoprepareforthesetting,andlinethemupontothebaseofthegrommetsetter.

STEP5|INSERTSETTERCarefullyinserttheupperportionofthegrommetsetter.

STEP6|SETGROMMETHitthesettergentlybutfirmlywiththehammer.

GARAGESALEBLOOMINGDALE’SAh, garage sales and thrift stores. Shannon used to be embarrassedwhen hermother showed such outright glee about them, until she grew up and realizedspending $80 for a designer shirt you’re going to wear twice before spillingtomato sauce on it is just stupid—not to mention boring. You can find moreoriginal, fun stuff towear in your averageGoodwill or SalvationArmy storethaninayearatthemall.It’sallinknowinghowtoputthingstogether,andalterthemtoyourtaste.Mostofuscan’tgetawaywithwearinga1960ssilverlamécocktaildressinpublic,buttheysurearefuntocutupanduseastrim.Coupledwiththebasics(goodjeans,whiteT-shirts,blackcardigans,funshoes),youcan’tlose.Buysomethingwildandmakeityourown.Notallfindsaregoodones.Thathopelesslystainedleatherjacketisgoingto

costmoretodrycleanthantobuy,plusthere’snoguaranteethestainswillcomeout.(Youcanalwayspaintoverthem,though—seePaintedSuitJacket).But ifyouwant to cut up the back tomake a bag, or use the unstained sleeves forsomethingelse,OK.Knowthepiece’slimitations.Ditto shoes. If they don’t fit now, they won’t later.We can’t tell you how

many pairs of too-tiny John Fluevogs, Doc Martens and Steve MaddensShannon’smom’shasfoundforherinbrandnewconditionovertheyears.Thedayplasticsurgeryfootreductionsbecomepossiblewillbeaveryhappyoneinherhouse!Anythingfabricisfairgame,includingshrunkensweaters.Skirtscanbecome

largerorsmaller,shirtscanloseorgainsleeves,Necklines,buttons,lengths—allcompletely changeable. Beware of stains, however, particularly perspirationstains.Onceset,they’renotcomingout,nomatterwhatsomecrazedAustraliantellsyouonTV.Infact,theymaychangecolorfortheworseifyoutrytobleachthemout.Acommonproblemforanyoneoversize10isthatmanythriftstorefindsare

toosmall.Inthelessfancygaragesaleenvironment,allthelargersizestendtoselloutfirst,too.Someoftheprojectsinthisbookwillgiveyouideasforusinggrommetsorcleveradditionsoffabricstripstoenlargethatdreamskirtorthosefabulouspants,butasarule,shirtsareusuallymoretroublethanthey’reworth,particularlyifthey’refitted.Keep an eye out for materials you might not have thought to use: The

housewaressection,forexample,willoftenyieldgently-wornsheetswithgreatpatterns, perfect formaking everything from tops (see theBedheadTop,) to askirt(seetheAsymmetricalSheetSkirt).WhereelseareyougoingtofindDavidHasselhoff/KnightRiderpillowcasesthesedays?

ANOTEONPROJECTS

The projects in AlterNation are divided into sections based on the article ofclothingusedtocreatetheitemsshown,withtechniquesforextramethodsandtips that didn’t quite fit in anywhere else sprinkled all over.We don’t repeat

how-tos in every pattern: how to add grommets, for example, is shown once,eventhoughseveralpatternsfeaturegrommets.Andifyoucanhemtheedgeofacutshirtsleeve,youcanhemthebottomofaskirt;it’sthesameconceptonalargerscale.Remember: this book ismeant to give you ideas, not a set of rules. If you

can’tfindtheexactitemsweused,adaptaccordingly.Thriftstoresvarywidelyin quality and contents. You can find tons of wool sweaters for cheap in theMidwest and Northeast, but not in Los Angeles; experienced thrifters knowwhichGoodwillstoresareworthcombingandwhicharen’t.Ifyou’retryingtoduplicate the thingswe’vemadeexactly,you’remissing thepoint.Make theseideasyourown,thenshareandshowthemoff!Visitwww.alternationbook.comformoreinspiration.

SHIRTS

The six shirt patterns in this section transform T-shirts and buttondowns,introduce a number of decorative techniques, tools and sewing methods, andgive you ideas that can be applied to many other projects. T-shirts are aparticularly great starting point for experimentation: They’re cheap, widelyavailable in a massive range of sizes, colors and prices, and everyone lovesthem.Admit it: somewheredeep insideyour closetyou’vegot a tour shirt foryour former favorite (now embarrassing) band, or a camp T-shirt from thesummer before eighth grade.Why allow them to simply take up closet spacewhen you can make those well-worn cotton friends into something new andcool?ThelowlyT-shirthasgottenalotofloveinthepastyearortwo;we’velost

track of how many T-shirt transformation books have been published, not tomentiononlinetutorialsbythedozen.Whyis that?Consider theanatomyofashirt.Atthemostbasiclevel,youcanalterthesleeves,sides,necklineorbottomof a shirt by chopping them off or lengthening them. You can also combinemultipleshirtsintoonenewworkoffashionart,addimages,beading,fringeorothertrim.MelissaDettloffofwww.lekkner.commakesamazingclothesoutofnothing but reconstructed T-shirts; check out her Web site if you needinspiration, or read the “Experimenting with T-shirts” section for even moreideas.Pairedwith simplepantsor jeans, a stylish shirtwill always lookgood.Shirts are the perennial backbone of your fashionwardrobe, so kickstart yourbrainandlet’sgo!

JACKIEO’SYACHTSHIRTThis isa super-simple technique thatcanbeusedwithanyT-shirtand any scarf or scrap of fabric. By using contrasting fabric(whethercontrastingincolor,material,textureoralloftheabove),youaddvisualinteresttowhatwasformerlyabasic,blahshirt.

MATERIALS

T-SHIRT

SQUARE10"×10"or

12"×12"SCARFOR

BANDANA

MATCHINGTHREAD

MEASURINGTAPE

SCISSORS

SEWINGNEEDLE

STRAIGHTPINS

SERGER(OPTIONAL)

1REMOVESLEEVES

Turntheshirtinsideoutandcutthesleevesoff,leavingabout¼"(6mm)ofthesleevefabricpasttheseam.Preservingtheseamswhenremovingthesleevewillhelpkeepthematerialfromravelingwhentheshirtiswashed.TurntheT-shirtrightsideout.

2ALTERSCARFMeasure the armholeopening, and thediagonalmeasurement across the scarf.Cut across the scarf diagonally, and trim it so the long side of the triangle isequal or slightly longer than themeasurement of the sleeve opening.Serge orzigzagstitchtherawedgetokeepthethreadsfromravelinglater.

3FOLDEDGEUNDERFoldunderabout½"(13mm)alongthesergededgeofthescarfandpinthefold.With the T-shirt right side out, line up the center of the scarf piece on the T-shirt’sshoulderseam.

4PINSCARFTOARMOPENINGKeepthefoldededgeofthescarfjustcoveringthesleeveseamontherightsideandpinthescarftothefrontandbackofthesleeveopening.Forextra“flutter,”don’tattachthescarfaroundtheentirearmholeopening.Repeatforthesecondsleeve.

5SEWSCARFTOSHIRTSew the scarf pieces onto the sleeve opening. Serge or zigzag stitch theremainingrawedgesofthescarfandthesleeveopening.Orfoldtherawedgesofthescarfundertwotimesandsewthemwithasimplestraightstitch.Finishtheremainingrawedgeofthesleeveopeninginthesameway.

VARIATION:URBANLEOPARDSHIRTForthisvariation,thestep-by-steptechniquesarethesame,butthesleevesareshapedandattachedinaslightlydifferentway.Insteadoftriangularsleeveshapes,you’vegotrectangularones.Checkoutthedifference:

The scarf piece used for the Urban Leopard shirt was cut into asquare rather than a triangle. This view of the flutter sleeve frombelowshowshowit’sattachedtothearmholeopening.Ratherthancreateafullsleeve,youattachittotheuppertwo-thirdsorso.

Another view of the sleeve from the side, showing how long thisparticular sleeve is. (Of course, you can also make them muchshorter—usingjustawispoffabric—ifyou’dlike.)

MAMMMAMIA!SHRUGANDSKIRTSET

You don’t have to be pregnant to love maternity gear. This rosyshrug and skirt set was made from a lightweight pullover V-neckmaternitysweater.Maternitysweatersaresizednormallyontop,buthave plenty of extra fabric around the bottom that can betransformed into skirts, wraps or any other tube-shaped creation,suchastheT-shirtDress.

MATERIALS

MATERNITYSWEATER

APPROXIMATELY1YARD(1M)OF1"(3CM)WIDEELASTICFORWAISTBAND

FUSIBLEWEB,½"(13MM)WIDE(OPTIONAL)

MASKINGTAPE(OPTIONAL)

THREAD

MEASURINGTAPE

SAFETYPIN

SCISSORS

STRAIGHTPINSIRON(OPTIONAL)

SERGER(OPTIONAL)

SEWINGMACHINEORNEEDLEVINTAGEPIN,FABRICFLOWERWITHPINBACKORELASTICLOOPANDBUTTONFORCLOSURE(OPTIONAL)

1CUTSWEATERCut the sweater into twopiecesaccording to the illustrationabove.Be sure tomeasurefor the lengthof theskirtbeforeyoucut!Notice that theshrug in thephotohadtobecutveryshortsotherewouldbeenoughleftfortheskirt.Inthiscase,oursweaterhadaV-necktostartwith,butifyoursdoesn’t,youcanalwaysshapetheopeningaccordingly.

2FINISHRAWEDGESNowyoucaneithersergetherawedgesofeachpiecetosealtheedgesaswe’vedonehere,orfoldtheedgesunderandstitchthemclosedusingaeitherastraightstitch or a hand-sewnwhipstitch (seeTheWhipstitch). In either case, pinninghelpstokeeptheedgeseven.Ifthesweaterfabricisflimsyanddifficulttosew,tryusingthinfusiblewebto

hem the edges. Cut a piece of fusible web the length of the shrug’s bottomopening(extendingtothetopofthenecklineifyou’vecutthefabricandleftarawedge insteadofusinganexistingV-necksuchas thisone).Pin thefusiblewebtothewrongsidealongtherawedgeoftheopening.Besuretoinsertthe

pinspointinfromtheedgeoftheshrug,soyoucanpullthemoutasyoufusethehemclosed.Foldtheedgeovertothewrongside,thenpresstofusetheheminplace,pullingthepinsoutasyougo.Thenstitchalongtherawedge.Youneedtostitchtheedgedownafterfusingit;otherwise,itmaycomeloosewithwearorwashing.

3MEASUREELASTICAfterensuringthatthetopedgeopeningoftheskirthasbeencutstraightacross,measurearoundyourwaistwithapieceofelastic.Whenmeasuringelasticforawaistband, it shouldbe slightly stretcheduntil firmagainst yourwaist but notoverlytight.Ifyourwaistis30"(76cm),forexample,theelasticpiecemaybe29"(74cm)cutbut30"(76cm)stretched.It’sbettertocutitalittletoolongthantooshort—youcanalwaystrimit later.Differentwidthsofelasticareusedfordifferentpurposes.Inthiscase,withathinknitsweaterfabric,weusedapiece1" (3cm)wide. (A thicker sweater fabricwould require a slightlywider,more

“powerful” piece of elastic to stand up to its bulk.) Cut the elastic to theappropriatelength.

4FOLDTOPOVERTurn the skirt insideout and fold the topof the skirt over1½" (4cm).Pin thefolded-overedgeintoplace.Thiswillgiveyouareadymadetubetothreadtheelasticinto.

5SEWWAISTBANDTUBESewaseamaroundthetopoftheskirt¼"(6mm)infromtherawedge.Soyouhaveawaytogettheelasticinsidethetube,leaveabout1½"(4cm)openattheendofthisseam.Ifsewingthisseamisproblematicforyou,tryusingmaskingtapetokeepthefabricinplaceandgiveyouaguidelineforstitching.Dependingon the fabric,youmightprefer touseyourmachine’szigzagstitchoption; thestretchier the knit fabric (especially if there’s Lycra in it), the more useful azigzagstitchisinpreservingthefabric’selasticity.Checkthestitchselectorknobon your sewingmachine and turn it to the zigzag before you begin to sew. Ifyou’restitchingbyhand,don’tworryaboutit:Handsewnstitchesarenotusuallyasrigidasmachinestitches,sotheywon’taffectthefabric’selasticityasmuch.Sewyourseamalongthetop.Inthephotohere,thetopedgeoftheskirthasbeenfoldedover,pinnedinto

place,andsewndownusingastraightstitch.Wesergedthebottomedgewithadecorative lettucestitch,but ifyoudon’thaveaserger,youcanfold itover totheinsideoftheskirtandstitchitdownasyoudidthetop.

6INSERTELASTICPinasafetypintotheendoftheelasticanduseitlikeasewingneedletothreadtheelasticthroughthetube.Inthephotoforstep5,youseetheopeningthatwasleft after sewing the seam along the top of the skirt. This is where you willthreadtheelasticthroughthetube,andcomebackaroundthroughtheotherside.Whentheelasticisthrough,usethesafetypintoconnectbothsidesoftheelasticandtryontheskirt.Trimtheelasticifnecessarytogetagoodfit,thenoverlapitsendsandstitchthemtogether.Ifyouaremachinestitching,gobackandforthoverthejointseveraltimes.

7CLOSETUBETofinishtheskirt,allyouhavetodoisclosetheopenendsof thetubewhereyouthreadedtheelastic.Thisisgenerallytoosmallandfiddlytodobymachine.It’seasiesttosewthisbyhandwithawhipstitch.Toclosetheshrug,youcanuseavintagepin,makeafabricflowerwithapin

back, or sewon an elastic loop andbutton.Ourmodel chose towear it open,whichalsolooksgreat.

SEAMALLOWANCES

Seamallowancesaretheextrabitoffabricpastalineofstitching.(Commercialpatternsusuallytellyouhowmuchofanallowanceisbuiltintothatparticularpattern.)Thestandardseamallowanceingarmentsis"(16mm) forwovenfabricsand¼"(6mm)forknits.Asageneralrule,it’sagoodideatoleaveatleast½–1"(13–25mm)fabricanytimeyousewtwopiecesoffabrictogether.It’seasiertotrimoffexcess fabric thanripoutaseamandresewit!(Andifyousew too close to the edge of the pieces, that’s probably what willhappen.)

BEDHEADTOP

Thishalter topwasmadeoutofapillowcase, takingadvantageofits basic shape. The plainer tank variation merely carves outarmholesandaneckopening,butforextrava-va-voom,openupthebackandfinishitwithcorset-stylelacing.Althoughthebasicshapeisverysimple, ithasa lotofpotential.Formore flounce,youcanpick apart the side seams and insert godets (see below), or addsleeves similar to those on Jackie O’s Yacht Shirt. The model iswearinganAsymmetricalSheetSkirt.

MATERIALSPILLOWCASES

2YARDS(2M)COORDINATING½"(13MM)WIDERIBBONTOLACEUPTHEBACK(FORFITTEDVARIATION)10GROMMETS

TAILOR’SCHALK

THREAD

GROMMETSETTER

MEASURINGTAPE

SCISSORS

SERGER(OPTIONAL)

SEWINGMACHINEORNEEDLE

Note:Youmayneedafriendtohelpyoucutthearmholes.

WAITINGFORGODETWhat’sagodet?Godetsaretriangularpanelsinsertedintothebottomofapiece.Theyaddwidthwithoutdistortingthemeasurementatthetopofthecutwherethey’reinserted.Ifmadeinalighter-weightfabricthanthepiecethey’vebeenaddedto,godetswillsometimesbehiddenwhilethewearerisstandingstill,butmagicallyappearwithmovement.

1TRACEPATTERNTrace the armholes and neckline of an exsisting tank top onto a pillowcase.Don’tmarkthearmholestoodeep.

2CUTTOSHAPECut the armholes through both layers of fabric, but only cut the front of thenecklinethroughonelayerofthepillowcase.Cutaslitinthefrontnecklinejustlongenoughtogetyourheadthroughit.Askafriendtotrimthearmholetotheshapeyouwant.

3MARKADDITIONALCUTTINGLINESOnthebackofthepillowcase,markalineacrossthebackatthearmholes.Drawanotherlinedownthecenter.

4CUTPILLOWCASEOPENCutalongthetwomarkedlinesandopenthebackofthepillowcase.

5CUTSTRAPTo make the halter strap, mark a line about 3" (8cm) from the top of thepillowcaseandcutalongthatlinetotrimawaytherestoftheback.

6TRIMTOSHAPEFold thehalterstrapupand trim thecorners togive it theshapeyouwant.Tomakethetopalittlemorefittedatthewaist,marklineslikethedashedlinesinthedrawing.Trimthenecklinetoashapeyoulike,thensergeorzigzagstitchalloftherawedges.

7ADDGROMMETSMarkwhereyourgrommetswillbeplacedonbothsidesofthebackofthehaltertop. It is important thatyourgrommets lineup.Place the topona flat surfacewiththetwoedgesofthebacktogether.Startingatthetop,useastraightedgetomeasuredown1"(3cm)andinfromtheedge1"(3cm),andmarkthatspace.Dothe same on the opposite panel. Measure down 2" (5cm) and mark again.Continuedownevery2"(5cm)untilyouhavemarked5grommetplacementsoneach back edge. These should line up. Set the grommets according to theinstructionsonAGirlandHerGrommeter.Laceribbonfromthetopdown,andtieinabowatthebottomtowear.

VARIATION:SIMPLETANKTOPThisclosed-backtankisflatteringonslim,boyishbodytypesoronchildren. If have a large bust or prefer a looser style, opt for thegrommeted,lace-upversion.

STEP1|CUTARMHOLESANDNECKLINECutopeningsjustlargeenoughforyourheadandarms.Youcaneithercutsmallholes,tryonthepillowcaseandhaveapartnertrimawayexcessfabricaroundthearm and neck until it’s the shape youwant, or trace an existing tank top,whichiswhatwedidhere.

STEP2|FINISHRAWEDGESEitherfoldtherawedgesofthearmopeningundertostitchclosed,orsergetheopenedgesifyouhaveaserger.That’sall!Ifyouhavesmallchildren,thesemakereallygreat romper-style dresses, although youmay need tomake thewaist alittlesmallerwithelasticoraribbontie.

CUSTOMPHOTOBUTTONDOWN

Combining multiple craft techniques in one shirt, this men’sbuttondownfeaturesaphotoprintedoncottonwithanordinaryink-jetprinterandfringetrimavailablebytherollatfabricstores.

MATERIALSWHITEBUTTONDOWNSHIRTORT-SHIRT

WHITE100PERCENTCOTTONFABRIC

DIGITALPHOTOOROTHERCOMPUTER-GENERATEDIMAGE

DECORATIVETRIMAND/OREMBROIDERYTHREAD

BUBBLEJETSETANDBUBBLEJETRINSE(SEETHEGUIDE)

FREEZERPAPER

FUSIBLEWEB

THREAD

SCISSORS

FRONT-LOADINGINK-JETPRINTER

IRON

SEWINGMACHINEORNEEDLE

Note:Ifyouprefer,youcanbuyprinter-readysheetsofpretreatedfabricatmostcraftorfabricstores.

1PREPAREFABRICTo prepare your own fabric for printing, first treat it with Bubble Jet Setaccording to the manufacturer’s instructions.When the fabric is dry, iron thewrinklesout,thenusetheirontopressfreezerpaperontothefabric,placingthewaxysideonthewrongsideof thefabric.Removethefreezerpaper,andtrimthefabrictoastandardsizethatfitsintheprinter.

2PRINTIMAGEFeed the paper-backed fabric into a front-loading printer, one sheet at a time.Ink-jetinkiswatersolubleandneedstobe“set”inthefabric.Allowtheprintedimage to dry, then soak the fabric in Bubble Jet Rinse according to themanufacturer’sinstructions.Allowthefabrictodry,thenpressit.

3ATTACHIMAGEAttachtheprintedpiecetoyourshirtusingfusibleweb(sandwichedbetweentheimageand the shirt).Thiswill provide anice stiff surface for embroidery andotherstitchingifyouwanttoaddthem.

4ADDTRIMNow you’re ready to add trim and embroidery, if you like. Sometimes thesimpleststitchesarebest.Tryoutliningsomethinginyourpicturewithasimplerunningstitch,ormakingcolorfullittleasteriskstofillinabackground.

THEARTOFWASHING...ART

Sometimestheartworkcreatedwithdecorativetechniquesliketheseis not quite as stable as a commercially-printed shirt. Test thecolorfastnessofyourartbeforestitchingitdown,orattachsnapstothebackoftheartandthefrontoftheT-shirt,soyoucanremovetheartbeforewashingtheshirt.

FELT+T-SHIRT=FABULOUS

Craft felt is fabulous stuff. If you don’t believe us, check outwww.saltlicknyc.com—theirTshirtsareamazing.Butsometimeswedon’thave thepatience tocutout lotsof tinyshapes,andwewantthe felt todo thework forus.Enter fancyembossedcraft felt!Wefound this over near the upholstery materials at our local fabricstore. It was heat-embossed at the factory. If you’ve ever presseddowntoohardwithanironandleftdentmarksonfabric,you’vegottheidea.

Don’t limit yourself to just shirts! You can attach shapes tohoodies, sweatshirts (see theDay of theDead Jacket, even skirts.Butcraftfeltisnotthemostdurablesubstancearound,especiallyifthe shapes you’ve cut out are delicate, so handwashing isrecommended.Or,forextremelylargeordelicateshapes,maketheartremovablebyattachingsnapstotheback.

MATERIALS

T-SHIRT

CRAFTFELTEMBROIDERYTHREADORBEADS(OPTIONAL)

FUSIBLEWEB(OPTIONAL)

THREAD

SCISSORS

STRAIGHTPINSIRON(OPTIONAL)

SEWINGMACHINEORNEEDLE

1CUTSHAPESCut out shapes you like. (With this felt, we followed the basic shapes of theembossedpattern.)

2PINSHAPESINPLACEPin the shapes intoplaceon theT-shirt. If the craft felt is very thin, youmaywanttoattachittotheshirtusingfusiblewebandahotironfirst.Or,formulti-layered,3-Dshapesmadeofdifferentfeltcolorssuchasflowers,youmaywanttofusethemtogetherintotheirfinallayoutbeforeattachingthemtotheshirt.

3SEWFELTTOSHIRTStitch the shapes down with a straight stitch around the outer edges, usingembroiderythreadforextracolorifyou’rehandsewing.Youcanevenaddbeadsor other embellishments: Felt daisies and other flower shapes look especiallynicewithabeadedcenter.

OFFICECORSET

Transform an ordinary buttondown shirt into a saucy corset-styletopwith just a few grommets and some ribbon.Wewere thinkingaboutJenniferPerkins’sshopname(NaughtySecretaryClub)whenwewere first sketching ideas for this book, andwewondered justwhat exactly a naughty secretary might wear. (Check outwww.naughtysecretaryclub.com, by the way, for superstylishaccessoriesandmuchmore.)Youcanuseeitheramen’sorwomen’sbuttondown,butthelatterwillrequiremuchlessshaping.

MATERIALSBUTTONDOWNSHIRT

4YARDS(4M)½"(13MM)WIDERIBBON

FUSIBLEINTERFACING

GROMMETS

THREAD

WASHABLEMARKER,TAILOR’SCHALKORQUILTINGPENCIL

GROMMETSETTER

HAMMER(OPTIONAL)

LEATHERPUNCH(OPTIONAL)

MEASURINGTAPEORRULER

SCISSORS

IRON

SERGER(OPTIONAL)

SEWINGMACHINEORNEEDLE

1REMOVESLEEVESRemovethesleeves.Turntheshirtinsideoutandcutthesleevesoffjustpasttheseamthatattachesthemtothebody,leavinganextra½"–1"(13mm–25mm)offabric.

2FINISHRAWEDGESFold thecutedgewhereyoujust removedthesleevesunderonce(twice if thefabricisextra-delicateorthin),ironitflatandpinitintoplace.Stitcharoundtheedgewithastraightstitch.Ifyouhaveaserger,youcansergetheedge,thenturnitunderandstitchitdowninsidethearmholeopening.

3OPENSIDESEAMSOpenthesideseams(underneaththearmpit)bycuttingorusingaseamripper.Better-made shirts have the raw edges in the side seams enclosed in felledseams,socuttingmaybeyouronlyoption.Startat thebottomoftheshirtandworkyourwayuptothearmpit.

4SHAPETHESIDES(OPTIONAL)Ifyou’restartingwithamen’sbuttondown,youmaywanttoshapethesidesforamorefemininelook.Usinganothershirtordressthatfitsyouclosely,placeitontopoftheshirtandtracethecurvedshapefromunderthearmtothebottomoftheshirt.Ifyoudon’thaveanappropriatelyshapedshirttouseasatemplate,measure the halfway point between the underarm seam and the bottomof theshirt,andmark1½"(4cm)in.Drawacurvefromtheunderarmtothebottomoftheshirt,withthewidestpointatthat1½"(4cm)mark.Pinorbastealongthecurvedline,thentryontheshirt.Doesitfitbetter?Are

thereanygaps?Ifyou’rehigh-waisted,youmayneedtoadjustwherethewidest

partofthecurvesits.Unpin(ortearoutthestitches)andre-pinasneededuntilthe shirt is as form-fittingasyoudesire.Nowyou’re ready tocut.Leavinganextra ¾"–1" (19mm–25mm) (depending on how much excess fabric remainsoutsidethecurve),cutoutsidethelineyou’veestablishedandcontinuewiththerestofthesteps.

5ADDINTERFACINGFoldtherawedgeunder½"(13mm)oneachsideoftheopeningsunderthearmsandpressacreasealongthefold.(Youcanalsosergeitandfoldthesergededgetotheinside.)Cutathinstripoffusibleinterfacingandpositionitonthewrongsideof the fabric along thepressedcrease, as shown.Then, fold the rawedgeover the interfacing. This interfacing will build up the fabric’s thickness andstabilize the edge to provide a foundation for the grommets. It will help thefabricholdupbetterinthelongrun.

6WHIPSTITCHSIDESWhipstitchtheopensidesoftheshirttogetherlooselyandtrytheshirtonagain.Ifyou’rehappywiththefit,continue(thesidescaneitherjusttoucheachotheror you can have an inch of free space between the two if you’re comfortablewithshowingskin!).Leavethesidesstitchedtogetherfornow.Thiswillmakeiteasiertolineupyourgrommetsinpairs.

7MARKSPACINGFORGROMMETSMarkwhere the grommetswill go using tailor’s chalk or awashable quiltingpencil on the interfacing,matching pairs on either side of the opening,with agrommet’swidthofspacebetweeneachonevertically.Puttingameasuringtapeorrulerthathasidenticalmarkingsoneitheredgeisasimplewaytomakesureyourspacingiseven.Youcanusejustafewgrommets,oroptforalotofthem,aswe’vedonehere.

8INSERTGROMMETSUsingyourmarksasaguide,punchholes in thefabric.Manygrommetsetterscomewith a tool tomake the hole. If yours didn’t, use a leather punch and ahammer.Setthegrommetsaccordingtoyourgrommettool’sdirections.(See“A

GirlandHerGrommeter,”forfurtherinstruction.)Ifyoudon’twanttousegrommets,youcouldmakebuttonholesinstead(many

sewingmachineshaveasettingthatwillmakethemforyouautomatically).

9ADDLACINGStartingatthetop,threadtheribbonintothegrommetholes,shoelace-style.Tiealargebowatthebottomifyou’dlike.

JACKETS

Onestunningjacketcanmakeanoutfit,whetheryou’rewearingaslinkyblackdressoratanktopandjeans.Lightweightorleather,denim,corduroy,khaki—jacketsareafashionstapleyoushouldn’tunderestimate!These fashion pieces are both functional and decorative. While they’re

keepingyouwarm, they alsokeepyou stylish.Keep an eyeout for jackets inunusualcolorsormaterials.That1970s fauxalligator jacketmight lookstupidon the rack, but superfly when the spread collar is covered with contrastingfabric.Youneverknowuntilyoutry.Thejacketsyou’llseehereareonlythebeginning.Usethetechniques,suchas

reverseappliqué(Reverse-AppliquéSuitJacket), to livenupanyotherpiece inyourcloset,too.Cottoncrochetcutouts(seeSpiderweb)wouldlookparticularlycoolonapairof jeans,and fabricpaint (seePaintedSuitJacket) isn’t just forfluffy1980ssweatshirtsanymore.

KATHMANDUJACKET

Tiredofthesameolddenim?Cutoffyourjacketsleevesandreplacethemwithhand-knitorcrochetedsleevesmadeofsarisilk,thenadda sari-inspired fabricpanel to itsback.Weused recycled sari silkyarn fromMangoMoon (www.mangomoonyarns.com), a companythatprovidesjobsformanyNepaliwomen.Theyspinyarnmadeofjunked (shredded) used saris, so each skein is completely unique,varying based on the fabrics that went into it. If you can knit orcrochet in theround,youcanmake thisprojecteasily—and if youcan’t, the learn-to-knit suggestions inTheGuidewill point you intherightdirection.

MATERIALSDENIMJACKET

3SKEINSMANGOMOONRECYCLEDSARISILKYARNOR600YARDS(550M)OFSIMILARBULKYYARN

½YARD(46CM)SARI-STYLEINDIAN-PRINTSILKFABRIC

THREAD

CIRCULARKNITTINGNEEDLES,U.S.SIZE10AND13(6MMAND9MM)ON12"OR16"CORDS(30CMOR40CM)

MEASURINGTAPE

SCISSORS

STRAIGHTPINS

SEWINGMACHINEORNEEDLE

1PREPAREJACKETCutofftheexistingsleevesonthejacket,leavinganextra1"–2"(3cm–5cm)pasttheshoulderseamtopreservetheseam.Washthejacket,whichwillcausethiscutedgetofrayandfluffup.Leavethefrayedfluff,buttrimoffanylongstrings.

2

KNITSLEEVES•Knita4"(10cm)gaugeswatchwiththeyarnyouchoseforyoursleevesandsize13(9mm)needles.Counthowmanystitchesmakeup4"(10cm)anddivideby 4 to determine the number of stitches per inch (or by 10 for stitches percentimeter). (Note: Ifyoudousesarisilkyarn tomakeyourownsleeves,youshouldknow that it’s considerablyheavier thanwoolorother fibers.Onceoffthe needles, itwill stretch a little under its ownweight.When using the verygeneral guidelines given here for knitting your own sleeves, youmaywant tostop just aboveyourwrist rather than right at it.Unlikewool, this yarnwon’tspringbackautomaticallywhenwashed!)•Measurearoundyourjacket’sarmholeopening.•Castontheappropriatenumberofstitchestofityourarmholeopeningonsize13(9mm)circularneedles[either12"or16"(30cmor40cm)cordontheneedleswillwork]. For this sweater,we cast on50 stitches. Join to knit in the round,beingcarefulnottotwistthestitches.•Knit several rows, thenhold thecast-onendup to thearmopening. Is it toobig?Toosmall?Youmayneedtoadjustthenumberofcast-onstitchestomatchyourownpersonalknittinggauge.Ifyourknitpieceisalittlebitbiggerthantheopening,youcan“squoosh”thestitchestogetheratthetopwhenyoustitchthesleeveon.Ifit’stoosmall,though,you’llbestretchingthearmtofit,soyoumaywanttostartoverandcastonafewmorestitches.•Knituntilthetubereachesyourelbow.•Switch to size10 (6mm)needles, knit until the tube reachesyourwrist, andbindoff.•Repeatforthesecondsleeve.Setthesleevesaside.

3ARRANGEPRINTFABRICPlace the Indian-print fabric on the back of your jacket so you’re happywithhow it looks.Dependingon theprint, youmaywant to arrange it so theprintruns sideways, or the selvedge runs vertically—don’t feel restricted by thedirectioninwhichtheprintissupposedtogo!Thisparticularfabrichadaverycoolbrocadepatternthatjustlentitselftogoingstraightacrossthetop.

4CUTFABRICTOSHAPECut thefabricoutaroundthe“frame”formedby thebackseamsof the jacket,leaving1"(3cm)ofextrafabricallaroundpasttheframetobetuckedunderandsewn.If thefabric isslipperylike thisone,you’llwant tofold theextrafabricallowanceunderneathandpresswithan iron (puta towelon top tokeep fromscorchingthedelicatefabricifyou’reusingsilkorasyntheticblendfabric).

5PINANDSEWFABRICPinthefabricintoplace.Sewthefabricdowninsidethe“frame.”

6PINSLEEVESTOJACKETPinthesleevestothearmholeopeningasfollows:•Markthefrontandbackhalvesofthesleevewithtwopinsinthearmholeendofthesleeve.•Turnthesleeverightsideoutandthejacketinsideout.Slidethesleeveinsidethejacketandmatchonepintotheshoulderseamonthejacket.Puttheedgesoitoverlapsthejacket’sseamby1"(3cm)andpinthesleeveattheshoulderseam.(The overlapwill give the top of the sleeve a little support and keep the knitfabricfrompullingorgapingwhenyourarmmoves.)•Thinkofaclock,withtheshoulderseamasnoon.•Pinattheunderarmseam(6:00).•Next,markthesleeveat3:00and9:00andpintheseto3:00and9:00onthejacket.•Continuetopinclockwiseat1:30,4:30,7:30and10:30,makingsureyouhaveequalamountsofknitfabricbetweeneachpin.

7SEWSLEEVES

Attachingtheknitsleevestothejacketisactuallyeasiertodobyhandthanbymachine. Thread a needle with your matching thread (we used black, whichblendedintothemulticolorsarisilkyarn)andpushitthroughwheretheshoulderseamof the jacketmeets theextrafabricyouleftwhencuttingoff thesleeves.Pullitupthroughtheknitfabric,beingsuretogetbehindbothpiecesofyarnonthecast-onedge,andstitchbackdownintothesleeveasiftowhipstitch.Workyourwayaround,thenrepeattheprocessforthesecondsleeve.

DON’TKNIT?Don’tknit?(That’sOK,Shannonpromisesnottobeoffended—she’lleventeachyouhowifyouasknicely!)Cutthesleevesoffanexistingsweater— natural-colored cable knits are particularly nice—andstitch them on instead. If the sweater was sewn together with amachineorserger,besuretocutthesleeveoffsothesergededgeispreserved.Thiswillhelpkeepitfromravelinglateron.Ifyoulike,you can then attach part of the sweater body to the back of thejacket, or felt it and cut out flowers or other shapes to sewon asdecorations!Or combine multiple sweater colors and textures forevenmorecolor.

WHATISASELVEDGE?Goodquestion.Theselvedgeisthelongedgeofawovenfabric.Thewordderivesfromtheterm“selfedge,”theedgenaturallycreatedbyaloom’sweavingaction.Cottonfabricsmeantforquiltingoftenhavethefabricandmanufacturer’snamesprintedontheselvedge.

TENTACLEJACKET

Shannon loves felting, particularlywhen it comes to recycling oldsweaters intonew, cool garments.This jacketwas inspiredbyherworkonafeltedpillowforanotherbook,AmySwenson’sNotYourMama’sFelting. TheOctopillowfeatured raised felted tentaclelikeshapes,andsodoesthisjacket.ConsiderTentaclethe“daughterofOctopillow.” If you are looking for extra inspiration with thisshapedfelttechnique,checkoutNickyEpstein’sKnittingNeverFeltBetterorShannon’sFeltFrenzy(withHeatherBrack)foradditionalideas.Thepossibilitiesaretrulyendless.

MATERIALSDUSTER-LENGTH(MIDCALF)SWEATERJACKET,ATLEAST50PERCENTWOOL

HEAVYCOTTONCROCHETYARNORCOTTONKITCHENTWINE

THREAD

VARIOUSPLASTICLIDS(WEUSEDSODAANDORANGEJUICEBOTTLELIDS)

SCISSORS

SEWINGNEEDLE

STRAIGHTPINS

SERGERORSEWINGMACHINE

WASHINGMACHINEANDDRYER

1CUTOFFSLEEVESCutthesleevesoffyoursweaterjacket.If ithasahood,as thisonedoes,cut itoff,too.Youdon’twanteitheronetoshrinkwhenyoumakethe“tentacles”onthejacketbodyitself.Whencuttingthesleevesoff,leavetheshoulderseamonthecut-offsleeveitselftokeepitfromunraveling.Setthemaside.

2WRAPFABRICAROUNDLIDS

Planwhereyouwouldlikeyour“tentacles”tobe.Wrapthejacketbodyaroundtheplasticlidsonebyone.Stretchtheknitfabricastightlyasyoucan,andtieeachlidoffwithcottonyarnorkitchentwine(itmustbecottonorelseyouriskfeltingitintothejacketitself).

3WASHJACKETWhenyou’repleasedwithyourtentaclearrangement,washthejacketonly(nosleevesorhood!)onceortwiceusingahotwashandcoldrinseuntilthefabricissoshrunkenyoucannolongermakeoutindividualstitches.Airdryorputinthedryer.

4REMOVELIDSCutoffthecottontiesandpulloutallthelids.Youcanstophereandleavethedistorted fabric as “bubbles,” or press the center of each bubble down insideitself and stitch around the outside of the circle to form tentacle shapes.Experimentwithdifferentstyles.

5REATTACHSLEEVESPinthesleeves(andhood,ifyouhaveone)backontothejacketbodyandsewthemon.(Seestep7.)Ifthearmopeningsgotdistortedduringthewashinganddryingprocess,youmayneed to iron themoutabit (sometimes feltcanpressitself intowrinkles in thewasher).Weuseda serger,butyoucouldalsouseasewingmachineandstitchthepiecesonwitha½”(13mm)seamallowance.

DAYOFTHEDEADJACKETThis jacket isbothcomfyandstylish.Youcanreshapeanordinarycrewneck sweatshirt, as we’ve done here, or apply the decorativetechniques toahoodie thatalready fitsyounicely.Weusedmotifscut froma largerpieceofMexican-inspired fabric;youcouldalsousepatchesoriron-ondesigns.

MATERIALSCREWNECKSWEATSHIRT,SLIGHTLYBIGGERTHANYOURSIZE

PRINTFABRICMASKINGTAPE(OPTIONAL)

PAPERGROCERYBAGWASHABLEMARKERORTAILOR’SCHALK

MEASURINGTAPE

SCISSORS

STRAIGHTPINS

IRON

SEWINGMACHINEORNEEDLE

Note:Itwillbeeasiertoshapethisjacketifyouenlistafriendtohelp.

1MEASUREANDCUTSWEATSHIRTStartbymeasuringfromsidetosideofyoursweatshirtandmarkingthecenter.Ifyou’rebold,youcancutstraightupfromthebottom;ifyou’renotabletocuta straight linewithouthelp,mark the linewithawashablemarkerormaskingtape first.Cutoff the ribbedcuffsandbottom, too. Ifyou turn the shirt insideout,youcantrimalongthesergededgethatattachestheribbingtothemainshirtbody.Nowyou’llhaveaflatjacketshape.

2REMOVESLEEVESCutthesleevesoffattheshoulder,justoutsidethesergededge.You’regoingtomakethesidesslightlysmallerandfitted,whichwillalterthearmholealittlebit.Thesleeveswillreturnlater.Turntheshirtrightsideout.

3SHAPESIDESUsethetechniquedescribedintheOfficeCorsettoshapethesides.Takeashirtor dress that fits you closely, place it on top of the sweatshirt and trace thecurvedshapefromunderthearmtothebottomedge.You can also measure the halfway point between the two and mark 1"–2"

(3cm–5cm) in,dependingon justhowlarge theshirt is tobeginwithandhowfittedyouwantthejackettobe.Drawaroughhalf-moonshape,withthewidestpointatthat1–2"(3cm–5cm)mark.Pinalongthisline(orrunalineofbastingstitches)andtryonthejacket.(Inthephotohere,you’llseewebegantopinonthe right-hand side.) If you don’t like the way it fits, unpin (or tear out thestitches)andre-pinuntilyoudo.

4TRIMSIDESCutthesidesaccordingtoyourmarkings.Besureeachsidematchestheother!

5CREATEDARTSNext,make darts in the front and back (these are optional, but theymake thejacket super-sexy—words you never thought would be applied to sweatshirtfabric).Thismaytakealittleexperimentation;yourjacket,andyou,maybeverydifferentfromourssize-wise,andeveryonehaspersonalpreferencesforfit.Findasewingfriendtohelppinitwhileyou’rewearingthejacketandthingswillgomuchfaster.In thisphotoyoucansee thatwith the jacket insideout,webegan topinch

andpinup two linesof fabric (whichwilleventuallybecomeshapeddarts)onthejacketback.Oncethesideseamshavebeentakenin,it’seasytodeterminehowmuchfabricyoushouldpinonthesebackdarts.Onceyouaresatisfiedthatyourpinningiscomplete,finishbysewing.

Thisiswhatyourjacketshouldlooklikeoncetheedgeshavebeenshaped,cut

andsewn.

Thisiswhatyourjacketshouldlooklikeoncethebackdartshavebeensewn.

6ADDPRINCESSSEAMSNext,makeatemplateofaveryshallowcurve(welikeusingpapergrocerybagsas templates, because they’re strong and can be reused for future projects). Ifyou’renotcomfortablewithmakingyourowncurvetemplate,askyourfriendlylocal sewing store for a princess-seamed dress or shirt pattern and use it as aguideline.Mark a curve that extends from your armpit down the front to thehem.Usethesametemplatetomarkthebackfromthearmpittothehem.Theselineswillshapethe jacket tofityoumoreclosely thanthesweatshirtdid.Thisshaping iscalledaprincessseam.Thedeeperportionof thecurvepulls in thejacketatthewaist,whilethetaperingatthetopallowsroomforyourbust.Pinexcessfabricalongthecurvelinetotheinsideofthejacket;eachcurveshouldmirror its twinon theother side.Now try iton.Wewon’t lie.Shapingcanbefiddly,whichiswhyit’ssomucheasiertodowithafriend’shelp.

7PINANDSEWSEAMSUsing a technique similar to the one you employedon the backof the jacket,pinchthefabricalongthecurveestablishedbyyourtemplateshape(quiltingandsewing stores often sell plastic templates thatworkwell for this if you’re not

comfortablemakingyourown)andpin,thensewasyoudidtheback.

8TRIMARMHOLESTrimoffexcessarmholefabric.Almostdone!Thisishowyourjacketshouldlookfromtheinside.Whenyougettothispoint,it’sprobablytimeforacelebratorymochaorsomething.Trustus.

9FITSLEEVESTOARMHOLESWhenyou’re happywith the fit (or tiredof being stabbedby somanypins—your call), sew the princess seams into place. Put the sleeves up against yournew(smaller)armhole.Thearmholewillbesmallerthanthesleevebecauseoftheprincessseamsyousewed.Tomakethearmholematchthesleeve,trimoff¼" (6mm)all thewayaround the armhole.Thatdoesn’t sound likemuch,butyou’llbesurprised.Ifyouneedtoenlargethearmholealittlemore,trimanother(3mm)andcontinuetrimmingsmallamountsuntilthearmholeisbigenough.

Intheabove-rightphoto,youcanseehowthearmholehasbeenenlargedtofitthesleeve.

10FINISHRAWEDGESFoldunderandpintherawedgesdownthecenterfrontofthejacket.Pintherawedgesofthebottomandcuffopeningsunder,thenstitcharoundboth.(Again,asewing friend comes in handy here to make sure the bottom or cuffs aren’tuneven.)Workingfromthewrongsideofthefabric,stitchtherawedgesdownthecenterfrontofthegarmentandaroundthecuffs.Foldunder,pinandsewthehem.Now:thereallyfunpart!Decidehowyou’dliketodecorateyourjacket.For

the skulls, we cut out the shapes, pinned them down, then handstitched them(turning under the edges as we stitched. Give the jacket a light ironing and

you’redone!

VARIATION:SPIDERWEBJACKETTocreatethisvariationyouwillmakethejacketthesameway,thenembellish by adding cotton crocheted doilies or other odd bits oflaceorinterestingtransparentfabrics(thriftstoresaregreatplacestofindoldlace!).Pinthedoiliesorscrapsoffabric intoplaceontheexterior of the jacket, then try it on to be sure you like thearrangement. Sew the pieces down, being careful to stitch all theway around each one. (If you’re using crocheted or lace pieceswithoutfinishededges, turn theedgesunderandstitch themdownas for theskulls in theDayof theDeadJacket.)Finishby cuttingaway the jacket fabric underneath the lace from the inside of thejacket.

PAINTEDSUITJACKET

Shannon’s always had a thing for oversized men’s jackets, butthey’renotexactlythemostfemininethingintheworld.OnatriptoToronto, she spotted some altered suit jackets in the KensingtonMarketthriftshopsthatfeaturedsilkscreening,fabricappliquésandmuchmore.(Ifyou’reasilkscreenerorknowsomeonewhois,that’sanother technique you can use here.) So she asked her mom,ChristineOkey,topaintoneforher.Christine’sanartistandthriftstore score queen who dragged Shannon through a never-endingseries of garage sales, thrift stores and consignment shops longbefore they were cool. She also happens to be quite handy withfabricpaint.(Ifonlyherartschoolprofessorscouldseehernow!)

MATERIALSSUITJACKET(WEUSEDAMEN’S

JACKETFORTHATOVERSIZEDLOOK)

FABRICPAINT

GESSO(OPTIONAL)

FLAT-BRISTLEDSMALLPAINTBRUSH

BEADS,LACEOROTHEREMBELLISHMENTS(OPTIONAL)

1CLEANJACKETPreppingthejacketiskey:Washordry-cleanitfirst,thentestyourfabricpaintonaninconspicuouslocation(underthelapel,onaninsideseam,etc.).

2PREPAREFABRICFORPAINTINGAssess your paint. Did it soak in really fast? When dry, is the color barelyvisible?Ifso,painta layerofcleargessoover theareayouplan topaint first.Gessoisusedtoprepartists’canvases;multiplethinlayersarebuiltupovertimetogivethecanvasasmoothsurface.It’savailableatartsupplystoresandalso

some craft shops.You could also try spraying the surfacewith a light coat ofclear,mattesprayfinish,butdon’tusetoomuch—youdon’twantthejackettofeelcrunchy.

3PAINTDESIGNSPaintyourdesigns.Wedidasimplefreehandflower-and-vinemotif,butyoucanpaintwhateveryouwant.Mostfabricpaintcomeswithanozzletip.Ifyouaren’thappywiththewaythepaintcomesout,useyourpaintbrushtoblendorspreaditaround.Allowthejackettodrycompletely.

4ADDEMBELLISHMENTS

Addbeads,laceoranyotherembellishmentsyoulike.Boldvintagebuttonsareanicetouch.Youcanalsohackthesleevesofftothree-quarterslengthandhemthem,orcropthebottomofthejacketforamoretailoredlook.

3-DEFFECTSResincraftisareallysimpleandcoolwaytoadd3-Deffectstoyourwork.Resincomesintwopartsthataremixedtocreateachemicalhardeningreaction.Oneminute it’s liquid,and thenext itbecomesasolid,clearplastic.Youcanmakeanything from buttons to jewelry to belt buckles with it. Look for it in craftstores.

REVERSE-APPLIQUÉSUITJACKET

Reverse appliqué is a super-fun technique. You can do this onsweatshirts (as in the Spiderweb Jacket—just put the crocheteddoilies to the back of the cutout instead), denim jackets, bags,sweaters—evenpants!At itsmostbasic level, you’recuttingoutashape,puttinganotherpieceoffabricbehinditonthewrongsideofthe fabric, and stitching the two together. If you choose anonraveling fabric like the bouclé on this jacket, it’s even easier,becauseyoudon’thavetoworryabouttherawcutedge.Or,ifyoudoitondenim,youcanlettheedgeravelandfluffup.

MATERIALSSUITJACKET(THEMOREBLAHTHECOLOR,THEBETTER—ITMAKESTHECOLLAGEPOP)

ASSORTEDFABRICANDTRIMSCRAPS.(YOUCANSTICKTOACOLORPALETTE,ASWEDIDHERE,ORGOWILD.)EXTRAFABRICFORLINING(OPTIONAL)

THREAD

SCISSORSORROTARYCUTTER

STRAIGHTPINS

SEWINGMACHINEORNEEDLE

1CONSTRUCTFABRICCOLLAGEMakingfabriccollageisfun,easyandagreatwaytouseupfabricscraps.Withabackingpieceoffabricthatsetsthetoneforthecolorstocome(inthiscase,hot

pink),sewscrapsoffabricontopofeachother,stackingandlayeringuntilyoulikethewaytheylook.Theedgesdon’thavetobeperfect;infact,theroughertheyare,themoreinteresting.Ifyouhaveasewingmachinethatdoesembroiderystitches,youcanaddthose,too.Or ifyouhavesomereallygoodthrift finds thatare toobeatup touseasoriginallyintended(suchascrazyquilts,auniquefabricorupholsterymaterial),try putting them into a collage. Shannon’s particularly fond of RosemaryEichorn’s book The Art of Fabric Collage: An Easy Introduction to CreativeSewing(seeTheGuide)ifyouneedajump-startforideas.Yourfinishedcollageshouldbealmostasbigasthebackofyourjacket.

2LOOSENLININGOnthisjacket,weloosenedtheinnerliningacrossthebottomtomakeiteasiertocuttheheartshapeoutoftheback.Itwillbestitchedbackinplaceaftertheappliquéissewndown.

3CUTOUTCOLLAGEAREA

Cuttheshapeoutofyourjacket’sback.Wecutalargeheartfreehand.Ifyou’renot comfortablewith cuttingout shapes, trymaking a templateoutofgrocerybagpaper.Pinthetemplatetothebackofthejacketandcutaroundit.

4PINCOLLAGETOOPENINGPlacethecollagebetweenthejacketliningandthewrongsideofthejacket.Pinaroundthecollagepiece,followingtheedgeoftheopeninginthejacket.

5SEWCOLLAGETOJACKETStitcharoundtheheartorotheropeningshapeyoucut,about½"(13mm)fromtherawedges.

6RESTITCHLININGStitchtheliningyouloosenedbackdown,ifyourjacketislined.Ifyou’reusingadenimjacket,youdon’thavetoworryaboutajacketliner,butifyourcollageisdelicate,youmightwanttocarefullystitchasolidpieceoffabrictotheinsideof the denim to protect it from stress damage caused bymovement inside thejacket.

DRESSES

Dressesaresimpletomakeinallshapesandstylesandthey’reagreatsolutiontothedailywhat-do-I-wearconundrum.Justfindapairofmatchingshoesandyou’re out the door!They’re also incredibly versatile as layering pieces,withjackets, sweaters or shirts on top, or with leggings or jeans or fancy tightsunderneath.Welovedresses!In this chapter,we’ll showyou awide variety of dress-making possibilities

usingmaterialsrangingfromoldT-shirtstomen’sshirtstoevenbedsheets.Oneofthebeautifulthingsaboutabooklikethisisthatyouaren’tlimitedinhowyoucanapplythetechniquesyou’velearneduptothispoint.Forexample,anyoneofthedresspatternsherecoulduse,say,animagetransferliketheCustomPhotoButtondown,orperhapsalace-upsidepanelliketheOfficeCorset.TryknittinglongsleeveslikethoseontheKathmanduJacket foraT-shirtDress,oraddingsilkyscarf sleeves like thoseonJackieO’sYachtShirt to the sleevelessMen’sShirtDressFeelfreetoexperimentwithmixingandmatchingyourfavoritenewalteringtrickswithyourfavoritebaseprojectideas.

T-SHIRTDRESS

Takethree(ormore!)T-shirtsincolorsmildorwildandshapethemintothisfuntubedress.Itcouldn’tbesimplertomakeandit’slotsoffun towear.Don’t limit yourself to solidcolors, either—this couldbeyourchancetomakeaSuperfanTourShirtdressfeaturingallthelive concert shirts littering the back of your closet. Or maybe aCheesy 1980s Hair Metal Band Shirtdress. Mall Iron-OnShirtdress?Community Bowling League Shirtdress? Really, youcouldmakeabouttwentyoftheseandnotwowouldbealike.

MATERIALS3ORMORET-SHIRTSINRELATIVELYSIMILARSIZES(DON’TGOBYTHETAGS;MEASUREACROSSFROMARMPITTOARMPITWITHEACHSHIRTSTRETCHEDFLAT.)

THREAD

MEASURINGTAPE

ROTARYCUTTERORSCISSORSSTRAIGHTPINSAND/ORMASKINGTAPE

STRAIGHTEDGE(ACRYLICORMETAL)

SEWINGMACHINEORSERGER

1CUTTHEFIRSTSHIRTFirst,decidewhichT-shirtwillbethetopofthedress.Unlessyou’regoingforafrayedorantiquedlook,itshouldprobablybetheshirtwiththenicestneckline

(withnorips,stainsortears)orthecoloryoulikebestclosesttoyourface.Withtheshirt flatona table,cuta straight lineacross itbelow thearmpit.A rotarycutterandacrylicrulerwillhelpyoudothisquicklyandefficiently.

2MEASUREWIDTHMeasureacrossthebottomofyourtopT-shirtandwritedownthewidth;you’llneedthisfiguretoadjusttheothershirts.

3CUTOTHERT-SHIRTSCuttheremainingT-shirtsthesameway(youcansavetheirtopsforadditionaldresses, or cut themup tomake fabric flower accents, appliquéd shapes—younameit).Keepthebottomtubeportionintact.

4MEASUREFABRICTUBESMeasureacrosseach tubeportionandcompare thewidth to theopeningat thebottomof the firstpiece. Ideally, they shouldbe the sameas the firstpieceorslightlylarger.

5ADJUSTTUBEWIDTHSASNEEDEDIfatubedoesn’tmeasureaswideacrossasthepieceyoucutinstep1,thisisnotnecessarilyabadthing.Thisisagoodwaytoworkmorethanthreet-shirtsintothe design, especially if several of them are damaged or stained. Cut somesectionsfromthetubes,andthenpiece thesections together intoawiderstrip.Sew thispiecedstrip intoanew tube the samewidthas the topsectionof thedress.Ifatubeislargerby½"(13mm)ormorethanthefirstshirt,turnthetubesinsideoutandsewastraightlinedowneachone’ssidetoadjustthesize.

6CUTDRESSCOMPONENTSTOSIZEDecidehowwideyouwantthestripesonthebodyofyourdresstobe,andcutthetubesformedbythebottomhalfoftheshirtsaccordingly.

7ARRANGECONSTRUCTIONOFDRESSThis is the fun part: Rearrange the tubes until you have a stripe pattern thatpleases you. If you want to try it on before stitching and without stabbingyourselfwith amillionpins, tack the tubes togetherwithmasking tapebeforeslippingitoveryourhead.

8PINFABRICTUBESTOGETHERPinthetubestogetherintheorderyou’veselected.

9SEWDRESSSewthetubestogether.Weusedasergertosewthisdress,andsoitcanalsobeworninsideout(thecontrastingstitchingfromthesergerstandsuplikearowofembroiderybetweeneachtube).IfyouplayyourcardsrightandusethebottomofaT-shirtforthebottomofthedress,youwon’tevenhavetohemit!

10SHAPEDRESS(OPTIONAL)Ifthedressisalittlebigwhenyoutryiton,putitoninsideoutandpinthesidesuntilthefitistoyourliking(ithelpstohaveasewingbuddyforthis).Sewalongthesides,turnthedressrightsideoutandtryitonagain.Ifyouhaveasimilardressthatfitsyouwell,youcanalsoplaceitontopofthisoneandtraceitsbasicshapetogetthecurvesjustthewayyouwantthem.

CRAZY-SIMPLESHIFTDRESS

Thisdressisnothingbutatubewithstrapsontop,whenyouthinkaboutit.Ifyou’remakingitfromabedsheet,you’llfoldthefabricinhalflengthwise;ifyou’reusingcutfabric,you’llfolditinhalfwithbothcutsidesasthebottom.

MATERIALSFLATBEDSHEETOR3YARDS(3M)OF45"(114CM)WIDEFABRIC

THREADWASHABLEMARKERORTAILOR’SCHALK(OPTIONAL)

SAFETYPINS

SCISSORS

STRAIGHTPINSSEWINGMACHINE,SERGERORNEEDLE

Note:Itmaybeeasiertoshapethisdressifyouenlistafriendtohelp.

1MARKANDCUTOPENINGFORNECKWith your chosen fabric flat on the floor, place a T-shirt or tank top(recommended) at the top and pin it to the fabric with straight pins. Use theshirt’sneckopeningasaguidelinetomarktheneckholeforthedress.Youcan

alsousearoundplateasatracingtemplate,orevenanovalorsquareplatterforextrainterest.Remember,it’sbettertocutawaylessthanyouthinkyou’llwant—youcanalwayscutawaymorewhenyou try iton,but it’smuch tougher toaddmore fabric ifyou find that theopening is toobig.Carefullycut theneckhole.

2MARKANDCUTARMHOLESIfyouareusinga tanktopasa template,withitstillpinnedinplace,useit tomark your armhole openings. (The same rules apply—cut away less than youthinkyouneedto.)IfyouareusingaT-shirtwithsleevesasaguide,markaspotonyourclothalignedwithwheretheT-shirtsleevemeetstheshoulderseamatthetopofthesleeve.Dothesameatthebottomofthesleevewhereitcomesintomeetthesideseam.Markthecurveforthearmholesbetweenthe2marks.Adinnerplateworkswell;justlineupthetwomarksalongtheedgeofthedinnerplate(curvefacingintothegarment),anddrawalinealongtheedge.

3PINSHAPEUsingtheshirt(stillpinnedtothesheet)asaroughguideforappropriatewidth,pinthelowersectionofthedressfabrictogetherusingsafetypinsalongthesidesoftheshirtanddowntothebottomedge.(Whysafetypins?Itmakesthedressfarlessstabbywhenyoutryiton,whichyou’llbedoinginthenextstep!)Pintogethertheshoulderareabutnotthearmholeopenings.Don’tskimp;themorepinsyouuse,theeasieritwillbetotellwhatpartsneedadjusting!

4CHECKTHEFITSlipthedressonandcheckthefitinafull-lengthmirror.Isittoobigorsmall?Where?Re-pinasneeded.Withalittletrialanderror,you’llsoonhaveanideaofwherethefabricneedstobecutaway,dependingonyourpreferredfit.Ifyouhaveasewingbuddy,youcanhavehertraceyouroutlineonthefabric

with washable marker or tailor’s chalk. Pin 2"–3" (5cm–8cm) (or more,dependingonhowyoulikeyourfit)outsideyouroutlineandtryiton.Ortraceadressyoulikethatfitsclosely.Besuretoleavemorefabricthanyouthinkyou’llneedfromthewaistdown.Eventhoughthisdressiscurvy,you’llbeslippingitonoveryourhead,soyouneedtobeabletogetitonoveryourshouldersandhips.

5TRIMEXCESSFABRICCutawaytheexcessfabricandplacethetwopiecestogetherwiththerightsidesofthefabrictogether.Foldthemover,lengthwise,andtrimanyexcesstomakesurebothsidesareequal.(Iftheyaren’t,thedresswillbelopsided!)

6

PINANDSTITCHDRESSPin thesides togetherandstitch the topstraps together.Sewthesides togetherfromthebottomuptothearmpitwithabastingstitch.Turnthedressinsideoutand try it on again. Youmay need to trim away a littlemore fabric in someplaces.Baste thenewseams,andtryonthedressagain.Repeatuntil thedressfitsthewayyouwant.Whenyou’re100percenthappywiththefit,sewthesidesclosedwithastraightstitch.

7FINISHRAWEDGESTuckthearmholeandneckopeningsundertothewrongsideofthefabric,pinandsew.Foldthebottomunderandsewthehem.

Inthisimage,youcanseehowXanusedatanktopneckasaroughguidelinefortheneckandsleeveopeningsforthedress.

Usingexistingclothingasacuttingguidelineisfastandeffective.InsteadofaT-shirt,Xanusedadressthatfithertightlytotracetheshapingonthesides.Ifyoudon’tlikequitethatmuchshaping,youcanleavethesidesstraight.

VARIATIONONATHEME

Here’s a variation that takes all the pinning guesswork out of theequation:Cut off the top of a T-shirt just below the bust (Empirestyle)and folda sheet lengthwise.Cut the sheet to the length youwant,measuring frombelow your bust towhere the bottomof thehem should be, plus 2" (5cm). Run a line of stitches all the way

across,1"(3cm)fromthetopofthefabric.It’sactuallyeasiertodothis by hand; use the strongest thread you have, such as a thickcotton thread (sometimes called rug thread or craft thread).Eachrunningstitchshouldbeabout½"–¾"(13mm–19mm)long.Sewtheopenlongedgeclosedwitha½"(13mm)seamallowance.Now,pulltherunningstitchthread,gatheringthetopofthetubeuntilit’sthesamesizeasthebottomofyourcutT-shirtbottom.InserttheT-shirt,cut side up, into the top of the tube you justmade from the sheet(whichisinsideout—therightsidesoftheT-shirtandthegatheredtubeshouldbetouching).PintheT-shirtbottomandthetopof thetube together just below where you made the running stitch. Sewtubeand theT-shirt top together.Remove the running stitch. Turnthe dress right side out and voila! An Empire waist-styled sheetdress.

MEN’SSHIRTDRESSHave you ever had a favorite skirt whose top got damaged?(ThinIndian-print cotton skirts can be awfully rippy at times, as we’velearnedmorethanonceourselves.)Itcanberebornwiththisdresspattern.

There aremany possibleways tomake this dress, and the lookcan vary widely depending on where you cut the shirt and skirtbefore joining them together. For a slightly high-waisted line, cuttheshirtoffatthebottomofyourribcage.Foraveryhigh-waistedEmpire-look,cutjustafewinches(orseveralcentimeters)belowthearmpit.Sleevelengthisanothersourceofdifferentlooks.Youcangosleeveless,aswedidhere,shortoreventhree-quarterlength;you’llhemthemthesamewayinanycase.Andnaturally,youcanvarythelengthoftheskirt,too.Maketheskirtportionofthedressaslongorshortasyou’dlike—justremembertomeasuretwice,cutonce.Hereweelectedtocreateaskirtthatfallsjustbelowtheknee.

MATERIALSMEN’SBUTTONDOWNDRESSSHIRT

SKIRT(ORYOUCANREMOVEANDUSETHESKIRTPORTIONOFADRESS)

THREAD

SCISSORSORROTARYCUTTER

STRAIGHTPINS

SEWINGMACHINEORNEEDLE

1SELECTYOURSKIRTPickaskirt thatmatches thestyleyouwant. It isbest toavoidpickinga tight,form-fittingskirt,especiallyifithasazipper.Therewillbenowaytoincludeazipperedskirtunlessyouturntheskirtaroundtohavethezipperinthefronttoalignwiththebuttons.Isuggestyouuseaskirtwithanelasticbandoronethatbuttonsupthefront(thatwillworkwiththebuttonsdownthefrontoftheshirt).

2REMOVESHIRTSLEEVESCut the sleevesoff the shirt atyourpreferred lengthand turn theedgesunder.Stitchthemdown.Cut theexcessbottomfabricoff theshirt,andturntheshirtinsideout.

3PREPAREANDATTACHSKIRTCuttheoldwaistbandoffyourskirtandturntheskirtinsideout.Inserttheshirt,cutsideup,intothetopoftheskirt.Therightsidesoftheshirtandskirtfabricshouldbe together.Pin theshirtbottomandtopof theskirt together,matchingtherawedges.Iftheskirtopeningisconsiderablylargerthantheshirtbottom,youmayneed

to adjust the skirt fabric equally around the bottom of the shirt. To do this,arrangetheskirtfabricaroundtherawedgeoftheopeningatthebottomoftheshirt.Pin the twopieces together inone location (suchasona seamor at thecenterback).Thinkofthegarmentasaclock,withthisfirstpointasnoon.Thenpin at the opposite side (6:00). Next, continuing to line up the skirt fabricequally, pin the edges at 3:00 and 9:00. Continue to pin counterclockwise at1:30, 4:30, 7:30 and 10:30, making sure you have equal amounts of fabricbetweeneachpin.Stitch the tube closed, and turn thedress right-sideout.That’s all!You can

sewawaistsashorbeltoutofexcessskirtfabricifyoulike.

ANOTEONPINNING

If you’rehandsewing, itdoesn’tmuchmatterhowyouplace yourpins,butifyou’reusingamachine,you’llwant toplacethemata90-degreeangletotherawedgesbeingsewntogether,withthepinheadsfacingout.Thismakesthemmucheasiertoremoveasyou’removingalong,andit’slessriskyforyourmachine.Manyasewingmachineneedlehasbeenbrokenonastraypin!

SYNTHESIZET-SHIRTDRESS

This dress owes a lot to Jackie O’s Yacht Shirt and the dresstechniques elsewhere in this section. If you like the style of thisproject, keep your eyes open for lightweight skirts that useinteresting fabric colorsor textures.Theydon’t have tobe exactlyyourstyle toworkinthisproject.Forexample,combiningafadedblackheavy-metalorpunkrockbandT-shirtwithavery“girly”palepink print skirt offers an unexpected visual juxtaposition that’sincongruousyetpleasing.Youmaybe theminiskirt type,but don’toverlooklongskirtsthatcanbeshortenedinaheartbeat.

MATERIALS

T-SHIRT

SKIRT,PREFERABLYLONGANDFLOATYTOGIVEYOU

ADEQUATEMATERIALTOWORKWITH

THREAD

MEASURINGTAPE

SCISSORS

STRAIGHTPINSSERGER(OPTIONAL)

SEWINGMACHINEORNEEDLE

2CUTT-SHIRTTrimthehemofftheT-shirtrightabovethestitches.Turntheshirtinsideoutandcutthesleevesoffabout½"(13mm)pasttheseamconnectingthemtothemainshirtbody.Measurethearmholeopening.

2CUTSKIRTCut the bottom 5"–6" (13cm–15cm) inches off your skirt. Then, cut 2semicirclesoffabricoutofthepieceyoucutofftheskirt.Thestraightedgeofthe semicircle shouldmeasure at least as long as the shirt’s armhole opening.Thesewillbecomethenewsleeves.

3MAKESLEEVESMarkthecenterofthecurveonasemicircularpiece.Turnunderthecenterofthesemicircleabout½"(13mm).Pinthecenterofthesemicircletotherightsideofthe shoulder seam of the armhole opening, as shown. Continue pinning thesemicircle to thearmholeopening, turningunder theedgeof the semicircleasyou go. For extra “flutter,” don’t attach the fabric around the entire armholeopening,justattheverytopportionoftheshoulderand1"–2"(3cm–5cm)downthe front andback sides.Repeat for the second sleeve.Sew the semicirclesof

fabric to thearmhole.Foldanyremaining rawedgesunder two timesandsewthemclosedwithasimplestraightstitch,whipstitchorserger(ifyouhaveone).

4PINSHIRTANDSKIRTTOGETHERPinthebottomoftheT-shirttothetopoftheskirtwithrightsidestogether.Iftheskirt opening is considerably larger, you may need to adjust the skirt fabricequallyaroundtheopening.ArrangetheskirtfabricaroundtheT-shirtopening.Pin the two pieces together in one location first, such as on a seam or at thecenter back.Thinkof the area tobepinned as a clock,with this first point asnoon.Thenpinattheoppositeside(6:00).Next,continuingtoarrangetheskirtfabricequally,pintheedgesat3:00and9:00.Continuetopinclockwiseat1:30,4:30, 7:30 and 10:30,making sure you have equal amounts of fabric betweeneachpin.

5CHECKFITTryonthedresstomakesureyou’vepinnedeverythingtogetherevenly.It’sOKtotryitoninsideout(otherwiseyou’llstabyourselfwithallthosepins).

6SEWDRESSTOGETHERHappywiththewayeverythinglooks?StitchtheskirttotheT-shirt,andturnthedressrightsideout.Dependingonthefabric,youmaywanttohemthebottomoftheskirt,oryoucanleaveitrawforthatextrapunkrocklook.

BEYONDTHEDRESS

Haveleftoverfabric?Cutitintolong,thinstripsanduseittolaceupyourfavoritebootsforasubtle,nottoomatchytouch.

SKIRTS

Younameit,itcanbemadeintoaskirt.Fromcorduroypantslegstomen’sties,evenoldjeans—whenyou’vegotsomefunfabricsandhavenoideaquitewhattodowiththem,skirtsarethesewingprojectofchoice.WhetheraplainA-lineor a flouncy, ballgownish affair, even themost die-hard pants fanwill fall fortheseskirts.(Andjusttokeepthepantsfanshappy,we’vegotsomeprojectsforyou,too,inthenextchapter.)TheCopperCathedralSkirthasfunwithcolorandtexturebyusingmultiple

pairsofcorduroypantstoplaycolorsandwale-widthsagainsteachother.(Notefor fabric geeks: “Wale” is the term for the corrugated property of corduroyfabric itself. It refers to thewidthof the ribs, not thequalityof the fabric.Sofine-wale corduroy isn’t necessarily better than wide-wale—its ribs are justthinner.)Feeling a little Cinderellaish but don’t want to dress up that much? (Glass

slippers are pretty tough on your feet, after all!) OurDenim Ballgown Skirtmightbe just the ticket. It’s theperfectwaytouseupall thosesemi-destroyedpairsofjeansyoucan’tbeartothrowaway.But thecoupdegrâce in this section isXan’sTieSkirt.Coupdegrâce is a

termthatreferstothemerciful,quickslayingofawoundedopponentduringaswordfight.It’snotmisappliedhere;youwillabsolutelybringtheoppositesextotheirkneeswhenwearingtheseskirts—andgarnerafewenviouslooksfromthe girls, too. When we designed an entry for the Seamless computationalcouture show inBoston, Shannonwore one of these on stagewith ourmodelduringthefinalcurtaincall,anditgotevenmoreattentionthanourmodeldid!On theway out of theMuseum of Science, someone yelled, “I love you, TieSkirt Lady!” across the showroom. Believe us, you’ll get attention when youwearthese,too.

COPPERCATHEDRALSKIRTThecolorsinthisskirtremindusoftheTremontskyline.TremontisasectionofCleveland(wherewelive)thathasmoreGreekOrthodoxchurchesthanyoucanimagine.When you drive past the area on Interstate 71, you see a collage ofpatina-coveredcopperdomesandbrick—textured,weatheredandglowinginthesun.Wetriedphotographingthisskirtwithsomeofthedomesinthebackgroundanditwashardtotellwhichstoodoutmore!

MATERIALS

3PAIRSOFCORDUROYPANTSINCOORDINATINGCOLORS

HOOKANDEYE

INVISIBLEZIPPER(SEETHETIPONChoosingtheZipperLengthTODETERMINETHELENGTHYOU’LLNEED.)

WASHABLEMARKERORTAILOR’SCHALK

THREAD

INVISIBLE-ZIPPERFOOT

MEASURINGTAPE

SAFETYPINS

SCISSORS

SEAMRIPPER

STRAIGHTPINS

STRAIGHTEDGE

IRON

SEWINGMACHINE

Note:Youmayneedafriendtohelpyoufittheskirt.

1CUTPANTSINTOPANELSCutthelegsoffofeachpairofpantsjustbelowthecrotch.Cutthesideseamandinseamoffeachleg,cuttingclosetotheseamtopreserveasmuchfabricasyoucan.You’llhave6panelswhich,dependingon theoriginalstyleandfitof thepants,mayberoughlytriangular(inthecaseoftaperedpants)orrectangular(inthecaseofbootcutpants).Trimoffthehemsremainingfromtheoriginalpants,thentrimthepanelssothey’reallthesamelength.

2MEASUREANDMARKSKIRTPANELSMathtime!Measureyourwaistandadd6"(15cm)forseamallowances.Divideby6.This ishowwideeachpanelneeds tobeat thewaist.Let’s call this thepanelwidth.Markthecenterofthenarrowendofeachpanel,thenmarkhalfthepanelwidthtotherightandleftofthemarkedcenter.You’regoingtocutawaytheexcessfabricpastthesemarks.Drawalinefromeachmarkyoujustmadetothebottomofthepanel,andcut

alongtheselines.Younowhave6panelstomakeintoaskirt.Beforeyoumoveontothenextstep,markthetopofeachpanelsoyoudon’tendupsewingoneinupsidedown.

3SEWPANELSANDCHECKFITPinthesixpanelstogether,beingsuretokeepthetopofeachpanelinthecorrectposition.Stitch thepieces togetherwitha½"(13mm)seamallowanceuntilallareconnectedintooneflatpiece.Youwillneedyoursewingbuddyforthisnextpart. Pin the last 2 panels together and try the skirt on inside out.Have yoursewingbuddyadjustthepinsuntiltheskirtfitsthewayyouwantitto,thenusetailor’schalktomarkwheretheseamwillgo.Ifthechalkmarkis½"(13mm)from the rawedge,you’re ready togoon to step4. If thechalkmark ismorethan½"(13mm)fromtherawedge,trimtheedgessotheyare½"(13mm)fromthechalkline.Don’tsewtheseamyet.

4FINISHRAWEDGEUseazigzagstitchorsergetherawedgeoftheskirtwaist.Foldundertheedge½" (13mm) to the wrong side, press lightly, and pin the fold in place. Sewaroundtheskirtwaistabout¼"(6mm)infromthefoldededge.

5BEGININSTALLINGZIPPERNowyou’re going to sew an invisible zipper into your skirt.Youwill need aspecial invisible-zipper foot.They’re inexpensive and canbepurchasedwhereyouboughtthezipper.Putthefootonyourmachine.Withaverycoolsettingonyouriron,openthezipperandpressthezipperflatfromthewrongside.Makesuretheskirtisinsideout.Pinthezippertape(theclothpartofthezipper)facedownontherightsideofthefabricwiththeteethontheseamline.Followthemanufacturer’sinstructionsforpositioningthezipper.Puttherightgrooveofthe

invisible-zipperfootovertheteethofthezipper.Asyousew,theteethwillstayinsidethatgroove.Sewasfardownthezipperasyoucan,thenbacktacktolockthestitches.

6COMPLETEZIPPERINSTALLATIONPintheotherzippertapefacedownontherightsideofthefabricwiththeteethcoveringtheseamline.Becarefulnottoletthebottomofthezippergettwisted.Puttheleftgrooveofthezipperfootovertheteethandsewasfardownasyoucan.

7SEWSEAMClosethezipperandpintheseamdowntothebottom.Makesuretheendofthezipper is not caught in the pinned seam.Shift the needle position to the outernotchofthezipperfoot.Sewtheseamfromjustbelowthezippertothebottomoftheskirt.

8HEMSKIRTHemtheskirtasneededorleaveitrawandletitfray—it’suptoyou!

INVISIBLEZIPPERSIfyouhavesewninaregularzipper,putting inan invisiblezippermayseemalittleinsideoutatfirst.Buttheyaremuch,mucheasiertosew,andtheylookgreat.Thepackageyourinvisiblezippercomesinwillhavehelpfulinstructionsandgooddrawingstofollow.

CHOOSINGTHEZIPPERLENGTHZipperscomeinmanydifferentlengths.You’llprobablywantoneinthe7"–16"(18cm–40cm)range,dependingonthedifferenceinsizebetweenyourwaistandhips.Widerhipsrequirealongerzipper,soyou’llhavemorewiggleroomtogetin.Weknowlotsofwomenwithtiny, tinywaists and big hips, so if you fit that description, buy alongerzipper.

TIESKIRT

These skirts are Xan’s signature piece, seen in galleries andboutiquesfromcoasttocoast.Youcanmakethemlong,towearlikea traditional skirt, or abbreviated, to be worn over pants. WestCoastboutiquesseemto favor theshorterones—probablybecauseit’swarmenoughtowearthemyear-round!Buttheseskirtstendtobeshowstoppersnomatterwhereyoulive.

MATERIALSMEN’STIES(ANYWHEREFROM16TO25…DEPENDSONYOURWAISTSIZEANDTHEIRWIDTH)

GROMMETS

RIBBON(ENOUGHFORLACING)

TAILOR’SCHALK

THREAD

GROMMETSETTER

HAMMER(OPTIONAL)

LEATHERPUNCH(OPTIONAL)

MEASURINGTAPE

ROTARYCUTTER(OPTIONAL)

SAFETYPINS

SCISSORS

STRAIGHTPINS

STRAIGHTEDGE(OPTIONAL)

SEWINGMACHINE

1MEASUREANDARRANGETIESDeterminewhere youwant the “hem” of the skirt to fall,measure from yourwaisttothatpoint,andadd2"(5cm).Let’ssaythatmeasurementis14"(36cm)(yoursmightbedifferent).Marka lineoneach tie14"(36cm)upfromits tip.Makethisthesameoneachtie,evenifyouplantoendupwithanunevenhem

lateron.Begin laying out the ties, slightly overlapping the edges. The ties will

automaticallyformanarc(becauseofthewaytheytaperfromthetiptothecutends).Whenyouhave someof the ties in place, if youwant a staggeredor acurvinghem,youcanbeginstaggeringthetips,orslightlyshiftingeachoneasshownhere.Continueaddingtiesoneachsideuntilthetoparcmeasuresthesameasyour

waist measurement plus about ½" (13mm). Pin the ties together where theyoverlap.Putthepinsparalleltotheedgesofthetiessoyou’llbeabletotryontheskirtwhenthetimecomes.

2CHECKFITWrap thepinnedskirtaroundyourwaist,with theopening in the front.Checkthe hem length and see if youwant it to be shorter or longer [remember thatextra2"(5cm)youleftatthetopoftheskirtinstep1?].Holdtheskirtsoit’sthelengthyouwant.Markoneofthetieswhereyourwaistlineis,thenadd1"(3cm)abovethewaistlinemarkanddrawalinearoundthetopoftheskirt.Trimanyexcessabovethatmarkedline.Now it’s time to check how the skirt fits. Does it overlap just a bit in the

center front?Youmayneed to adjust the ties slightly toget theoverlapat thefrontandtogetthemtolienicely.Ifyouhavetosubtractalotoflengthfromthewaistmeasurement,removethecenter-backtie,oroverlapsomeofthetiesmorethanothers.Ifyouhavetoaddtothewaistmeasurement,addatieinthecenterbackandadjusttheoverlapofnearbyties.

3SEWTIESTOGETHERNowmakesureyouhaveallthetiesadjustedthewayyouwantthem,andthattheoverlapsarefirmlypinnedforsewing.Usetailorschalktomarkalineacrosseach tie 3"–4" (8cm–10cm)up from the tip.Youwill stitch your ties togetherdowntothisline.Remember,thisisanasymmetricalskirt,sothelinecurvestotakeintoaccountthelengthsoftheindividualties.Ifyouaremakingastraightskirtwithallyourtiesthesamelength,thelinewillbestraight.Stitchdownthelengthofeachtiefromthetoptothewhiteline,removingpinsasyougo.Thenstitchacrossthetopofthewaistband,½"(13mm)downfromthetop.Youcanserge or zigzag stitch the raw edge at the top of the skirt to hold everythingfirmlyinplace.

4BEGINCREATINGWAISTBANDMeasureyourwaist (or justbelow, ifyou’d ratherwear the skirt athip level).Select2 tiesfor theskirt’swaistband.Openupthenarrowendofeachtie,pintherawedgesofthe2endsrightsidestogether,andsewthemtogether.Wraptheties around your waist with the tip ends in front. Mark the ties where theyoverlapabout4" (10cm)and trimtheexcess.Thisshouldgiveyouastrip thatwillbelongerthanthefinalwaistband.

5CUTWAISTBANDForthewaistband,younowneedtocutastripabout3"(8cm)widefromthetiesyousewedtogetherinstep4.Steampressthewaistbandtiesopenflat.Markandcut a 3" (8cm)band the lengthof the strip. (This iswhere a rotary cutter andstraightedgecomeinveryhandy.Ifyouusethesetools,youdon’thavetomarkwhereyouaregoingtocuttheband.)

6FOLDEDGEUNDERFoldunder the rawedgeabout½"(13mm)along the lengthofonesideof thebandandpressacrease.

7PINWAISTBANDTOSKIRTMatchtherawedgeofthewaistband(withoutthepressedcrease)tothetopedgeof the skirt with the right side of the waistband to the inside of the skirt.Remember, in step 4 you cut the waistband longer than your actual waistmeasurement?Centerthewaistbandontheskirt,leavingsomeofthatexcessateachend.Pinthewaistbandtotheskirt.

8SEWWAISTBANDTOSKIRTPlacethewaistbandonthebottomagainstthefeeddogsandthenecktiesontopunderthepresserfoot.Sewthewaistbandtotheties,½"(13mm)fromtheedge.

9TRIMEXCESSFABRICAttheendofthewaistband,trimallbutabout½"(13mm)oftheexcessfabric.Fold the remaining to the insideandpin it tohold itdown.Repeat thison theotherendofthewaistband.

10FINISHWAISTBANDFold thewaistband toward the front of the skirt, tucking and pinning the rawedgeunder½"(13mm)asyougo.Ifyouhavealreadypressedundertheedge,allyouneedtodohereispinthefoldededgetothefrontoftheskirt.Sewthewaistband to thefrontof theskirtabout¼"(6mm)fromthefolded

edge.Addanotherlineofstitching¼"(6mm)fromthetopofthewaistband.

11ADDGROMMETSMark where the grommets will go, matching pairs on either side of the skirtfront,withagrommet’swidthofspacebetweeneach,vertically.Youcanusejustafew,ormany,whicheveryouthinklooksbetter.Punchholesinthefabricafteryou’ve marked each grommet’s location.Many grommet setters come with apunchtomakethehole;ifyoursdoesn’t,usealeatherpunchandahammer.Setthegrommetsaccordingtoyourgrommettool’sdirections;withoursetup,youplacethemaleandfemalesidesofthegrommetoneithersideoftheholeandtapthemtogetherwithamallet.Ifyoudon’twanttousegrommets,youcouldmakebuttonholesinstead.Manysewingmachinemodelswilldothisautomatically.Startingatthetop,threadtheribbonintothegrommetedholes,shoelace-style,

andtiealargebowatthebottom.Wearthegrommetstothefront,sideorback—theskirtlooksgoodfromallsides!

DUAL-FABRICSKIRT

Oh,thepossibilities!Wecouldn’tevenpossiblycountthenumberofskirts you could make using this general idea. Pair denim withsomething slightly girly, khakis with cowboy-print cotton orcorduroywithvelvet.Younameit—it’lllookgreat!

MATERIALSPAIROFJEANSOROTHERPANTS

EXISTINGSKIRT

THREAD

SCISSORS

STRAIGHTPINS

SEWINGMACHINEORNEEDLE

1CUTTHEPANTSCutoffthepantslegsafewinches(severalcentimeters)belowthecrotch.Clipopen the inseam and the crotch seam. Be sure to cut the stitches but not thefabric.

2CUTNEXTTOFRONTCROTCHSEAM

Cutthefabricrightnexttothefrontcrotchseamjustpastthecurve.

3CUTNEXTTOBACKCROTCHSEAMCut the fabric right next to the back crotch seam just far enough to open thecurve.

4OVERLAPANDSEWOverlap the two sidesof the front crotch seamand sew them together.Repeatthis for thebackcrotch seam.Younowhaveaminiskirt that’s just a little toomini.

5MEASUREANDCUTSKIRTUseadrapeyfabricforthelowerskirt(wecutuparayonwrapskirt).Measurethewidth around the bottom of theminiskirt. Cut the lower skirt at the pointwherethewidthmatchesthebottomwidthoftheminiskirt.

6SEWSKIRTPIECESTOGETHERTurn theminiskirt insideoutandkeep thebottomskirt right sideout.Slip thebottom skirt inside theminiskirt,matching their rawedges.Pin and sew themtogether.

DENIMBALLGOWNSKIRT

This skirt is so fun, not tomentionmuchmore flattering than theusualultratightjeansskirtsmadefromonlyonepair.Pairitwithasimple tank,asseenhere,oraplainwhitebuttondown foramorepreppylook.Bigplatformsorotherdramaticshoeslookreallygreatwith this skirt and let you keep it simple on top. After all, what’smore classic than a pair of jeans and a white T-shirt?(Think ofJames Dean, Marlon Brando and other countless 1950sheartthrobs.)ShannonpreferstheartofafinelymadeJohnFluevogplatform shoe, as her closet will attest (see www.fluevog.com forsomeexamples).

MATERIALSSEVERALPAIRSOFJEANS(ATLEAST4;1SHOULDFITYOUWELLINTHEWAISTAREA)THREAD

DENIMNEEDLEFORYOURSEWINGMACHINE(OPTIONALBUTHIGHLYRECOMMENDED)SCISSORS

STRAIGHTPINS

SEWINGMACHINE

1CUTINSEAMOPENStartwith thepairof jeans thatfitsyouat thewaist.Clipopenthe inseam.Becarefultocutonlythestitcheswithoutnickingthefabric.

2CUTCROTCHSEAMOPENClipthroughthecrotchseamandkeepgoingdowntheotherinseam.

3CUTFABRICNEXTTOFRONTCROTCHSEAMCutthefabricrightnexttothefrontcrotchseamjustpastthecurve.

4CUTFABRICNEXTTOBACKCROTCHSEAMCutthefabricrightnexttothebackcrotchseamjustpastthecurve.

5OVERLAPANDSEWOverlapthe2sidesofthefrontcrotchseamandsewthemtogether.Repeatthisforthebackcrotchseam.Younowhaveaskirtwithabsolutelynofrontorback.Wedon’trecommendwearingitlikethisinpublic(althoughitwouldprobablylookprettycoolwornoverafullskirt,likechaps).

6MAKEINSERTSNowyouneedtomakeinsertstofill inthefrontandbackoftheskirt.Cutthelegsoffafewoldpairsofjeans;weused3forthisskirt.Cutoffthesideseamsofthelegs(justwhackthemoff—there’snoneedtoslicethroughthestitches).Thiswillbeyourfirstinsert.

ADDINGFLARETOASKIRTThemore pieces you fit into the open triangles formed by slicingopenthesideseamsofjeans,thewiderandmore“ballgowny”yourskirtwillbe.Youcanrepeat thestepsabovebyslicingup thesideseamsandinsertingadditionaltrianglesoffabricasmanytimesasyoulike!

7POSITIONFIRSTINSERTLaytheskirtoutandspreadthelegstocreateanupside-downV.Laytheinsertunder the V, fiddle with everything until it all lies flat, then pin the piecestogether.UseplentyofpinsatthepointoftheVsothefabricsdon’tslipwhenyousewthem.If there’s a lot of excess fabric on the inside of the skirt around the insert,

stickingoutpastthepins,turntheskirtinsideoutandtrimasmuchoftheexcessasyoucan.

8STITCHINSERTTurntheskirtright-sideout,andstitchfromthehemtothepointoftheV.Everyfewinches(centimeters)asyousew,slideyourhandinsidetheskirtandmakesuretheexcessfabricoftheinsertisnotgettingcaughtupintheseam.WhenyougettothepointoftheV,ifyoutrytoturntheskirtandsewdown

theotherside,you’llbeinforquiteawrestlingmatchthatyouareboundtolose.Insteadofdoingcombatwiththeskirt,backstitchabout½"(13mm)tolockthestitches.(Thisismorebackstitchingthanusual,buttherewillbealotofweightandstressontheseam.)

9SEWOTHERSIDERemove the skirt from the machine, then sew the other side of the insert,stitchingfromthehemtothepointintheV.

10ADDANOTHERINSERTRepeatsteps6through9toaddaninserttothebackoftheskirt.Foradditionalflare,youcanaddinserts(calledgodets)tothesideseamsoftheskirt.

11

TRIMHEM(OPTIONAL)Ifyouwantraveledfluffallaroundthebottomoftheskirt,cutoffanyhemsontheskirtandinserts.Whenyouwashtheskirt,theraveledfluffwillbecomeyourhem.

DENIMCORSETSKIRT

This skirt—a technical hybrid of the Copper Cathedral, DenimBallgown and Tie Skirt on Copper Cathedral Skirt, DenimBallgownSkirtandTieSkirt,respectively—managestobecomeBestof Breed for all three! You’ll use similar techniques to create theskirt,butendupwithawholenewlook.

MATERIALS1–3PAIRSOFJEANS(DEPENDINGONYOURWAISTSIZE.)GROMMETS

TAILOR’SCHALKORWASHABLEMARKER

THREAD

DENIMNEEDLEFORYOURSEWINGMACHINE(OPTIONALBUTRECOMMENDED)GROMMETSETTER

HAMMER(IFYOURSETTERREQUIRESIT)MEASURINGTAPE

SCISSORS

STRAIGHTPINS

SEWINGMACHINE

RIBBON(ENOUGHFORLACING)

1CUTUPJEANSCut the legs off the pairs of jeans. Line up all the leg pieces with the hemsoriented in the samedirection and trimeachpiece toyourdesired skirt lengthplus1"(25mm).Donotcutoffthehems;thesewillbecomethewaistbandoftheskirt.

2DETERMINEYOURMEASUREMENTSMeasureyourwaistandhips,andwritethenumbersdown.Ifyourwaistandhipmeasurements differ bymore than 2"–3" (5cm–8cm), trim your denim piecesintoslightly triangularshapessothere isspacetofityourhipswithout leavingexcess fabric at thewaistband. If not, you should be able to leave each piece

moreorlessasis.

3FOLDANDSTITCHSIDESTurnunder2"(5cm)oftherawedgesonthesidesofeachdenimpieceandpinatthetopandbottom.Sewthefoldalongthetopofthepieceandalongthebottom.At the top,dependingonhowsturdyyourmachineanddenimneedleare,youmayneedtostopshortofthestitchingthroughthehemfromtheoriginaljeansand stitch that down by hand later (some machines cannot handle that muchthickfabric).Nowmeasurethetopsofthepieces.Youneedenoughtogoallthewayaroundyourwaist.(So,ifyouhavea36"(91cm)waistandeachpieceis6"(15cm)wide,youneed6pieces.)

4ADDGROMMETSTofinish,addgrommetsfromthetopedgeoftheskirttoafewinches(severalcentimeters)fromthebottomonbothsidesofeachdenimpiece.It’shelpfultoplacethepiecesnexttoeachotherandmarkthegrommetplacementwithchalkorwashablemarkersothey’ll lineupwhenlaced.Lacethesidestogetherwithribbon,corset-style.Leaveonesideloosesoyoucanpulltheskirton.

ASYMMETRICALSHEETSKIRTThiswasmadefromthesamesheetsetastheBedheadTop. Ifyouwant,youcansewatank-styleBedheadToptothisskirtandmakeadress, or just wear them as matching separates as shown here. Iknow we say all these designs aren’t hard to make, but this onereallytakesthesuper-easyaward.Ifyoucanfoldapieceoftypingpaperandcutittomakeasquare,youcandothis.

MATERIALS

TWIN-SIZEDBEDSHEET

APPROXIMATELY1YARD(1M)OF1"(3CM)ELASTICFORWAISTBAND

THREADWASHABLEMARKERORTAILOR’SCHALK

MEASURINGTAPE

SAFETYPINS

SCISSORS

STRAIGHTPINS

SERGER(OPTIONAL)

SEWINGMACHINEANDNEEDLE

1CUTSHEETINTOASQUARESheetsarerectangular,butweneedasquare,sofoldthesheetoverevenlyfromthebottomcornertothesideandcutacrossthetoptoobtainasquareoffabric(seeFigureA). (Ifyouwant,youcanskip this step,butanythingother thanasquarewillprobablybetoolongtowalkincomfortably,not tomentionreally,reallyasymmetrical.)

2CUTAHOLEFORTHEWAISTMeasure the waistband of a pair of pants that fits you well. Divide thatmeasurementinhalf,andsubtract2"(5cm).ThisnumberisX.Foldthesquareoffabricoverdiagonallyagaintocreateatriangle.Thinkofthepointformedinthemiddleofthefoldedfabricasthecenterofacircle,withXasitsradius.Marka90-degreearcaroundthecenterpoint,thencutalongthearctomakeaholeforthewaistband(seeFiguresBandC).Slipontheskirt.Theopeningshouldbeatleast2"–3"largerthanyourwaist,butitcanbemore;thelargertheopeningis,themoretheelasticwillgatherit in.Whenyoufoldundertherawedgeoftheholeinthenextstep,itwillenlargetheholequiteabit.

FIGUREA

FIGUREB

FIGUREC

3CREATEACHANNELFORTHEELASTICFold the raw edge of the waist opening under to the wrong side about ½"(13mm)and score thecreasewithyour thumbnail.Workyourwayaround thecirclethisway.Whenyougetbacktothebeginning,foldtheedgeunderagainabout2" (5cm)andpin. It’s impossible toget this foldededge to lieperfectlyflat.Itwillgetalittletwistyinplaces,butdon’tworryaboutit.Workyourwayaroundthecircleandstopabout2"(5cm)fromthestartingpoint.Sewthefoldededgedown,leavinga2"(5cm)openingwhereyouwillthreadtheelasticintothechannelyou’vejustmade.

4MEASUREELASTICWraptheelasticaroundyourwaist,slightlystretched.Overlap theendsa littleandtrimifnecessary.

5INSERTELASTICPin a safety pin at one end of the elastic and use it as a needle to thread theelasticthroughthechannel.Makesuretheelasticisnottwisted.Bringthelooseendsoutoneithersideoftheopening,overlaptheendsandsewbackandforthover them several times using the reverse lever on your machine. Stitch the

openinginthechannelclosedtocompletelyencasetheelastic.

6HEMSKIRTFoldthebottomoftheskirtoverabout¼",pinningasyougo.Hemtheskirtbyhandormachine.

PANTS

Pants tend tobemucheasier toalter thanmakefromscratch.Youcanshortenthemor lengthen them. (GotaclosetfulofCapripants thatareso last season?Addsomefabricorlacetrim.)Youcanaddgems,iron-ons,embroideryorevenappliqués—you name it. Or build a new pair from the ground up with acommercialpatternandthatunusualfabricyoufoundinthethriftstorebargainbin—whynot?Youcanusealotofthetechniquesshowninothertypesofalteringprojectsto

punchupyourleggycreations.Forexample, theLacedPantsusegrommets toadd interest toa sidepanel. Ifyou like theDenimBallgownSkirtandwant tomakeextremebell-bottomsinstead,justopenupthesideseamsasyouwouldforthatskirtandattachextradenimorotherfabric.Or,ifyouliketheDual-FabricSkirt,cutoffapairofcorduroysatthekneeandaddwildprintedflanneltotakewinter-weight pants to a new level. The fun and funky projects shown in thischapterare really justa fewof themanywaysyoucan transform literallyanypairofpantsintosomethingthat’suniquelyyou.

LACEDPANTS

Openup thesideofapairofpantsandaddcontrastingcolorsortexturesplusgrommetedlacing.It’safunwaytoaddnotonlyanewlook to your pants but also some extra “give.” Try this on thePerfectPairofPantsinyourclosetoratthethriftstorethatarejustslightly too tight in the waist or thighs. (Hey, it’s faster thandieting!)

MATERIALSPAIROFPANTSTHATFITYOU

½–1YARD(46CM–91CM)CONTRASTINGFABRIC

GROMMETS

RIBBONORCORD(ENOUGHFORLACING)

THREAD

GROMMETSETTER

HAMMER(OPTIONAL)

LEATHERPUNCH(OPTIONAL)

MEASURINGTAPE

SCISSORS

1RIPSEAMSOPENUseaseamrippertoripbothsideseamsopenasfarupfromthebottomasyou’dliketogrommet,takingcaretomaketheslitsthesamelengthonbothsides.Thepantsshownweregrommeteduptheirentirelength,butifyouprefer,youcangojusttothekneeorevenjustalittleabovetheankle.

2CUTCONTRASTINGSTRIPSCutfourstripsofyourcontrastingfabricatleast3"(8cm)wideandthelengthoftheslitsplus1"(3cm).Thismakesonestripforeachsideofeachslit.

3FOLDANDIRONSTRIPSFoldeachstripinhalflengthwise,wrongsidestogether,andironflat.Foldunder¾"(19mm)tothewrongsideonallfouredgesofeachstrip,andironflat.Thiswill keep the raw edges tucked under when you sew the pieces down to thepants.

DARETOBEBRIGHTThemorecolorandtexturethebetter.Tryabrightlycoloredsolidorprint fabric with a pair of plain black pants, silk brocade oncorduroy pants, heavily embroidered yardage (widely available atfabric stores in the “ethnic prints”section) with jeans.Maximumcontrastmakesthislookwork.

4ATTACHTHESTRIPSWrapthestripsaroundtherawedgesoftheslitsandpinintoplace.Sewthestripdown, stitching ½" (13mm) away from its edge. Depending on the fabric’sweightandyourmachine’scapabilities,youmayneedtosewthebottomandtopedgesdownbyhandifthey’retoothick.

5ADDGROMMETSMarkwherethegrommetswillgo,matchingpairsonbothsideoftheslits,withagrommet’swidthofspacebetweeneach,vertically.Punchholes in thefabricafteryou’vemarkedeachgrommet’slocationandsetthegrommetsaccordingtoyour grommet setter’s directions. If you want the pants completely closed,grommetall thewaydowntothebottom.Foraflaredlook(asshown),stopataboutmidcalf.

6ADDLACING

Lacethesidesupandtieinabow.

PIECEDPANTS

Thesepantsareanotherexampleof“moreismore”(ourversionof“less ismore”).Forthemostvisual impact,addasmanydifferentfabric types as you can, i.e. not just denim, not just corduroy, notjust velvet. These pants look best with wildly contrasting colors,printsandtextures.Oryoucouldplayitsafeandjustusedifferentcolorsofjeans—butwhere’sthefuninthat?

MATERIALSSEVERALPAIRSOFPANTS(PAIRSWITHSIMILARLEGWIDTHSWILLBEEASIESTTOWORKWITH)

THREAD

MEASURINGTAPEORRULER

SCISSORS

STRAIGHTPINS

SEWINGMACHINE

1MEASUREANDCUTPANTSMeasuretheinseamfromcrotchtohemofawell-fittingpairofpants.Keepthismeasurementhandy.Cutthetoppairofpants(whichshouldfityouwellinthewaist) to shorts length. Cut tubes from the legs of your other pairs of pants.Thesetubesshouldbecutthelengthyouwanttheminthefinishedpants,plus1"(3cm) for seam allowances. Keep the legs of one pair intact below the knees(you’llusetheseforthebottomofyourpiecedpants).

2PINTHETUBESTOGETHERPinallofthetubestogetherinyourpreferredorder,withthetubesinsideoutandrightsidesofthefabrictouching.Pinwheretheseamlineswillbe,½"(13mm)fromtherawedges.Youmayneedtoaddortrimtubestogettheproperlength.Thefabricpatterns

oneachsidedon’thavetomatch,butyou’llprobablywanttheoveralllengthofthelegsto.Ifanyoftubesareslightlywiderthantheothers,you’llneedtotaketheirsideseamsinalittlesothey’llmatchtheothers.

3SEWPANTSSew the fabric tubes together,with½" (13mm)seamallowances.We’vemadethe leg as one piece first, because sometimes it’s easier (depending on yourfabricsandmachine)toconnectthemultiple-tubed,already-sewnlowerportionofthelegtotheuppershortsallatoncethanit isaddeachadditionalpieceasyougoalong.Italsomakesiteasiertocheckthatbothlegsmatch(ifyouwantthemto).

TRIMMEDPANTS

Sometimes you want a simple project: just a little pick-me-up, anextrabitofwardrobe“oomph!”Thisisthatproject.You’llprobablyspend longer pickingout the trim than youwill actually sewing iton! You can also use this approach on denim jackets—the sleeveslook really coolwhen cut to three-quarter length and embellishedwithtrim.

MATERIALSPAIROFPANTS

1–1½YARDS(1–1½M)LACEOROTHERTRIM

THREAD

MEASURINGTAPEORRULER

SCISSORS

STRAIGHTPINS

SEWINGMACHINE

1CUTPANTS(OPTIONAL)ANDPINTRIMCutyourpantsoffatyourpreferredlength,unlessthey’realreadythelengthyouwant.Capri-lengthpantslookgoodtrimmedthisway.Pinthetriminplace.

2SEWTRIMZigzagstitchthetrimtothefrontofyourpants,thentotheback.Becarefulnottostitchthroughbothsidesofthepantsasyougo!Withlaceoropenworktrimsuch as this, use a slightly smaller stitchwidth than youmight usually use tomakesureyou’recatchingasmanyofthethreadsinthelaceasyoucan.

SIDESEAMSTYLE

For a really cool “swishy” look, try attaching fringe to the sideseamsofyourjeans,orrunalineofvelvetribbonuptheseamsofblackpants.Thepossibilitiesareendless.

ACCESSORIES

Scarves,bags,boots—accessoriesaretheplayful,funpiecesthatcantransformeven the plainest outfit into something amazing. And when your favoriteaccessoriesarealteredandreinventedcreationsofyourown,theybecometwicethefun.OurDangerousCherryHandbag introducesyetanothercleverway torepurposethatoldclosetstaple:wornjeans.TheuniqueSolubleScarftransformsordinary scraps of fabric into a fabulous cosy complement to your favoritesweater or jacket. And the three very different variations of our Tie StoreExplosionCollarswillhaveyourmindspinningatallthecreativepossibilities.

SOLUBLESCARF

Thisisjustlikemakingasandwich,exceptyou’reusingdissolvableinterfacing for the bread and scraps of yarn and fabric for thefilling.Afteryoumakethebasicpiece,youcanembroiderthescarfwithyarnorembroideryfloss,addbeads,orwearasis!Dependingonwhat materials you layer in the center, this scarf can be verythick,woollyandfluffy,oritcanbeathin,summerypiece.

MATERIALSASSORTEDFABRICANDYARNSCRAPS,WOOLFIBERANDLEFT-OVERWOOLSWEATERBITS

WATER-SOLUBLESTABILIZER(WEUSEDSULKYBRANDSOLVY,WHICHCOMESINAROLL,LIKEPLASTICWRAP.)

MATCHINGANDCONTRASTINGTHREADS

SCISSORS

STRAIGHTPINS(LOTSOFTHEM!)

YARNNEEDLE(OPTIONAL)

CLOTHESDRYER

SEWINGMACHINE

1ARRANGESCRAPSONSTABILIZERSpreadoutalayerofwater-solublestabilizerthelengthyou’dlikethefinishedscarf to be. Arrange your fabric and yarn scraps on top until the stabilizer iscompletely covered. Overlap the pieces generously; this will help them staytogether once the stabilizer is dissolved and only stitches are holding themtogether.Placeanotherlayerofstabilizerontop.

2PINEVERYTHINGTOGETHERYou’ll want to put many pins around the outer edges andmanymore inside,closelyspaced,tokeepeverythingfromfallingoutasyousew.

3SEWEVERYTHINGTOGETHERSewover the fiber“sandwich”with lotsofstitching.Youcanstitch randomly,withazigzag,intightsquaresorinanyconfiguration,usingasmanycolorsasyoulike.Justbesuretocovertheentirepiecewithmorestitchesthanyouthinkyouwouldpossiblyeverneed,becausethey’reallthatholdsthescrapstogether.Watchoutforpinswhileyou’restitching.

4SOAKANDDRYSCARFSoakyour scarf inwater.The stabilizerwill dissolveandyou’ll be leftwith afunky scarf!Rinse thoroughly, squeeze out the excesswater, and hang to dripdry.When thescarf isverynearlydry,put it in thedryer for10minutes.Thiswill tightenanywoolpiecesandflingloosebitsoffthescarfwhereyoudidn’tstitchenough.Holdthescarfupandlookforanyunattractiveholesorsectionswherethestitchinghas tornapart.Handstitchthemclosedasneeded,or leavelooseforawilderlook.

SQUARE-BOTTOMBAG

Do you have a huge collection of giveaway bags from events?Shannon’sgotanentirewallof theminherstudio filledwithcraftmaterials.Thisisforyou.Theproblemwithmanytotebagsisthatthey’re sewn straightup the sidesanddon’t haveany room in thebottomtocarrythings.Thisprojectcaneasilyfixthatflaw!Notonlydoesitteachyoutosewacool-lookingnewliningintoyourbag,butit squares off the bottom so you can tote all youwant.Nomatterwhat fabrics you use—and the more, the merrier—these bags arefuntomakeandevenmorefuntocarry.

MATERIALS

EXISTINGUNLINEDTOTEBAG

APPROXIMATELY1–2YARDS(1–2M)OFFABRICFORTHELINING

THREAD

MEASURINGTAPEORRULER

SCISSORS

STRAIGHTPINS

SEWINGMACHINE

1PREPARELINING

Tolinethebag,foldyourchosenliningfabricinhalf,wrongsidefacingout,andtrimittothesamesizeasyourbagplus2"(5cm)oneachsideand2"(5cm)onthe top. (This is for the seam allowance and for folding over the top whenstitching in the liner.) Iron the liner and the bag. Sew the sides of the liningclosedandleavethetopopen.

2ARRANGELININGTurnthebaginsideoutandgrabthesidesofabottomcorner.Pinchthecorneropenandflattenit(you’llbemakingatriangularpoint,asshown).Arrangethebottomoftheliningsoitcomestoapointat theendofthesideseam.Putthebagontopoftheliningwherethewidthofthebottomseammatchesthewidthofthetriangleinthelining.

3ADJUSTBOTTOMWIDTHTomakethebaganditsliningwideratthebottom,sewanewlineofstitchingontheouterbagfartherinfromtherawedge.

4ADJUSTLININGSewthe liningstraightacross thebottomof the triangleat thesamedepthyouchoseforyourtotebaginstep3[inourexample,whereitmeasures4"(10cm)].Repeatontheotherside,beingsuretomakethetrianglesthesamesize.

5TRIMEXCESSFABRICYou’ll see the bottom is now a roomy rectangle instead of an envelope-stylesleeve.Youmay trimoff the excess triangle fabricpast the lineof stitching ifyoulike.

6SEWLININGINPLACEInserttheliningintothebag,wrongsidestogether,andmatchupthesquared-offportionsoftheliningandouterbag.Pinthemtogetherfromtheoutsidesoyouwon’tsewtheliningintoohigh.Alongthetopoftheback,foldtheliningtotheinsideofthebagandstitchinplace.Ifyouwanttoreplacethestraps,youcanpinthenewstrapsinplaceeitherbetweentheliningandthebag,orontheinsideoverthelining.

AbottomviewoftheSquare-BottomBagwhenfilled

VARIATION:QUILTEDBAGForthevariationshownhere,Ipinnedapieceofquiltbattingtotheback of the Maker Faire logo with a scrap of fabric behind it. Iquilted the logo by hand, stitching around the outside of the bluesquareandaroundthelettersMandF.

DON’TSTOPWITHTHELININGTote bags are prime candidates for reverse appliqué and otherdecorative techniques.What about a corduroy bagwith a brightlycolored lining showing through crochet cutouts (see variation:Spiderweb Jacket)? Or handles made of plastic tubing from thehardwarestorewithcoordinatingfabricthreadedinside?

DANGEROUSCHERRYHANDBAGYou should always be on the lookout for unusual materials thatcouldmake theirway into your designs.Chains suggest a certainChanel-like quality (Chanel’s couture jackets have a small goldchain sewn into the hem to ensure the jacket hangs properly, andtheirpursesoftenfeaturechainhandles).Ofcourse,thishandbagisalittletougherthanyouraveragesocialite,henceits“dangerous”tag.Thesechainscouldtakeoutamuggerifyouheavedthepurseintherightdirection!

MATERIALS

BLACKJEANS

1YARD(1M)CHERRYPRINTFABRIC(ORFABRICOFYOURCHOICE)1YARD(1M)METALCHAIN(FROMAHARDWARESTORE)PLASTICNEEDLEPOINTCANVAS(PREFERRED)ORHEAVYCARDBOARDCUTTOFITTHEBOTTOMOFYOURBAG(SEESTEP6)2METALKEYRINGLOOPS(OPTIONAL)

PAPERGROCERYBAG

PENCIL

THREAD

MEASURINGTAPE

SCISSORS

STRAIGHTPINS

SEWINGMACHINE

1CLIPINSEAMOPENClipopentheinseamofthejeansasshownonDenimBallgownSkirt.Becarefultocutonlythestitcheswithoutnickingthefabric.

2CLIPCROTCHSEAMClipthroughthecrotchseamandkeepgoingdowntheotherinseamasshownonDenimBallgownSkirt.

3CUTFABRICNEXTTOFRONTCROTCHSEAMCutthefabricrightnexttothefrontcrotchseamjustpastthecurveasshownonDenimBallgownSkirt.

4CUTFABRICNEXTTOBACKCROTCHSEAMCutthefabricrightnexttothebackcrotchseamjustpastthecurveasshownonDenimBallgownSkirt.

5OVERLAPANDSEWOverlapthe2sidesofthefrontcrotchseamandsewthemtogether,asshownonDenimBallgownSkirt.Repeatthisforthebackcrotchseam.

6DETERMINEBOTTOMPANELMEASUREMENTSTodeterminehowbigyourbag’sbottomshouldbe,measurethebottomopeningofyourcut-offjeans[onceyou’vesewnthecrotchpiecedownflat,thensubtract

thetotalnumberofinches(orcentimeters)youwanttherightandleftsidepiecesto be. Divide the remaining number in half to find the length of the bottompanel.Sayyouhavea38"openingandyouwant4"sidepanels.Subtract(4+4)from38=30.Divide30by2=15.Yourbottompanelwouldthusmeasure15"x4".Cut2rectanglesthesizeofthebagbottom,1fromyourliningfabricand1from the denim, then cut a piece of plastic needlepoint canvas or heavycardboardtothesamesize.

7SEWINBOTTOMPANELTurnthebagbodyinsideoutandpinthedenimpieceyoujustcuttothebottomopening. Sew it closedwith½" (13mm) seam allowances. Turn the bag rightsideout.Inserttheplasticneedlepointcanvasinsidethebagbottom.

8CREATELININGSewaliningthesamesizeandshapeasyourbag.(Youalreadyhavethecorrectsizeliningbottomrectanglefromstep2.Tomakearoughpatternforthebodyitself,cutopenthepapergrocerybagsoitliesflatandtracethebag’sshapeonthepaper.Use thispaperpattern to cutout2mainpieces for the inner lining.Sew the bottom lining rectangle to these 2 pieces (with thewrong side of thefabricfacingout)andinsertintothebag.

9SEWINTHELININGTurntherawtopedgesoftheliningunderandpinintoplace.Stitchtheliningtothe topof thebag.Dependingonyourmachineand the thicknessof thepantsused,youmaywanttodothisbyhandoruseadenimneedle.

10ATTACHCHAINLoop thechain through thebelt loops.Here,weusedametalkeyring loop toattacheithersideofthechaintoeachother,butyoucouldalsoopenupaloop

andcloseitaroundtheothersidedirectly.(Someoneatthehardwarestorewhereyouboughtthechainshouldbeabletohelpyouwiththis.)

REMEMBERPLASTICNEEDLEPOINTCANVAS?Plasticneedlepoint canvas is that stuff your childhoodart teacherusedtomakeacrylic-yarn-stitcheryfridgemagnetsandthelike.It’slightweight,yetsturdyandflexible.Youcanusearectangularpieceofittokeepthebottomofyourbagflatandstiff

PAINTEDCOWBOYBOOTS

Homeontherangejustgotalotmorecolorfulwiththesefunboots!This technique will work on cowboy boots, Doc Martens—anyleather boot that’s got some blank space to fill. If you have bootsthat have been scuffed upmore times than they’ve been polished,youcancoverallthebadspotsandgetawholenewlooktoboot.

MATERIALSBOOTS

VARIOUSCOLORSOFPAINT(OILHOLDSUPNICELYBUTACRYLICWILLDO)

CLEARVARNISH(OPTIONAL)

FINE-GRITSANDPAPER(OPTIONAL)

PERMANENTMARKER(OPTIONAL)

PAINTBRUSHES

1PREPARESURFACEIf yourboots are shiny andnew,you’llwant to roughen the surface a little togivethepaintsomethingtosticktofirmly.Gentlyrubthebootsintheareasyouintend to paintwith fine-grit sandpaper (amanicure blockwill alsowork in apinch).

2PLANYOURDESIGNLayoutthedesign.Ifyou’renotcomfortablepaintingfreehand,useamarkertolayoutthebasicdesign.Areyoupaintingcowboybootswithastitchingpatternon theuppers?Use thestitchingasabasis foryourdesign,ordoodlewith themarkerforpaint-by-numbersfunlater.

3PAINTBOOTS

Paintthebootsasdesired.Can’tpaint?Can’tevenpaintbynumber?GofortheJackson Pollock look by filling your brush with paint, then flicking it at theboots(don’tforgettoputdownnewspapersfirst!).

4SPRAYONFINISH(OPTIONAL)Spraythebootswithclearvarnishforashinyfinishandtopreservethepaint.

TIESTOREEXPLOSIONCOLLAR

These stand-alone collars made of ties (to be worn with a shirt,jacket or winter coat) resemble old-school fur collars—you know,thecreepyoneslurkinginthriftstoreseverywhere.It’saclevertakeonneckwear that’seasy tomakeand looksgreatwithTieSkirts ifyou’regoingforawildnightout.

MATERIALS

ASSORTMENTOFNECKTIES

HOOKANDEYE(OPTIONAL)

TAILOR’SCHALK

THREAD

MEASURINGTAPEORRULER

SCISSORS

STRAIGHTPINS

SEWINGMACHINEORNEEDLE

1CREATETHEBASETwotiesmakeupthebasethatgoesaroundyourneck.Drapethetwotiesaround

yourneck,withthewidepartofeachtie infront.Askasewingbuddytoholdthetwotiestogetheratthebackofyourneckwhileyouadjusttheminfrontsothey come together where you want them. Ask your friend to mark the tieswhere theycome togetherbehindyourneck.Lay the tiesout straightand flat,overlapping where your friend marked them. Sew the ties and trim off theexcess.Thisoverlappedseamwillbecoveredwithloopedtiesveryshortly.

2BEGINLAYINGOUTTIESLay out four ties side by side with their points aligned and their edgesoverlappingslightly.Pinthetiestogether.

3MEASUREANDMARKMarkaline8"(20cm)fromthepoints.

4SEWTIESTOGETHERSewthetiestogetheralongthemarkedline.

5TRIMEXCESSMarkanotherline30"(76cm)fromthetipsofthetiesandtrimofftheexcess.

6MARKANDFOLDOnthebacksoftheties,markaanotherline8"(20cm)fromthetips.Foldthecutendsovertothewrongsideandpinthecutedgestothemarkedline.

7SEWLOOPSStitchthefirstloopsintoplace.

8FOLDANDPINFoldthetiesovertotherightsideandpinthemsothefoldsareabout4"(10cm)from the tipsof the ties.Marka line about5" (13cm) from the folds and sewdowntheloopsonthemarkedline.

9FOLDAGAINFold the ties over againwith the folds about 4" (10cm) from the first row offoldsandpintheloopsinplace.Markalineabout4"(10cm)fromthesecondsetofloopsandstitchonthemarkedline.

10SEWLOOPSTOBASEAttach the loops to your base ties by sewing across the row of stitching you

sewed in step9. Ifyou’reworkingwithparticularlydelicate fabricsor ifyoursewingmachinehasatoughtimehandlingthickfabrics,youmaywanttostitchtheloopedtiesdowntothebasebyhand.Repeatfromstep1,addingloopedtiestothetwofoundationtiesuntilyougettotheotherend.

VARIATION:FLAT-TIECOLLARFortheflatcollar,createthebase(twotiessewntogether;seestep1),thentrimthetiesthatwillmakeupthepointsasshortasyou’dlike them to be. (This is, by theway, a greatway to use up endsfrommaking tie skirts.)Tucking thecutendsunder, stitch the tiesintoplaceonthebase.

Ifyoustitchthemdownwithonlyonestraightline,thetieswillbe“floppier”andmoreinclinedtomove.Don’tlikethat?Addafewmorelinesofstitchingparalleltothefirsttokeepthemfrommovingaroundonthebase.

VARIATION:QUEENLIZCOLLARThis scarf-style collar is meant to evoke the high neck pieces ofQueenElizabethIandhercourtandcanbeassedateoraswildasyou like. This variation is a snap if you have basic knittingknowledge. Start collecting scraps from other projects (or laundryfeltingaccidents)inthesummerandyou’llhavemorethanenoughtomake yours by the time the first snow falls. To keep the collarfastenedsnuglyinthedeadofwinter,youcanstitchitdowntoyourcoat,attachasnapclosureoruseavintagebuttonandbuttonhole,aswedid.

STEP1|FELTSWEATERThrowyourwoolsweaterintoyourwashingmachinewithahotwashandcoldrinse until it shrinks. (Some sweaters, particularly light-colored ones or woolblends,maytakemorethanonecycletoshrinkappropriately;keepgoinguntilthefabricissolidandyoucannotseetheindividualstitches.)Spintheexcesswateroutofthesweaterandplaceitonaflatsurfacetodry.

STEP2|DETERMINEMEASUREMENTSTo determine your size, put on the coat you plan towear the collarwith andwrapthemeasuringtapearoundyournecklikeanecklace,endingatthetopofyour collar bone or the second button from the top of your coat. Record thismeasurement.Knitagaugeswatchandmeasure thenumberof stitchesper 4"(10cm), then divide by 4 to get the average stitches per inch(centimeter).Multiplythestitchesperinchbythecollarmeasurementyoutooktodeterminethenumberofstitchesyouwillneedtocaston.Thesamplewasknitinseedstitch:knit1,purl1allthewayacrosstherowthenpurltheknitsandknitthepurlsonthewaybackacross.Youcanuseanyreversibleknit/purlpattern,orevenasimplegarterstitch(knitacrossallrows).

STEP3|MAKECOLLARFOUNDATIONPIECECast on the number of stitches determined by your measurement, working

looselytocreateastretchyedgefortheoutsideofyourcollar.Forthiscollar,wecast on 125 stitches. Work in your pattern stitch until the piece measures 2"(5cm),andcreateabuttonholeifdesired.Bindoffallstitchesfirmlyinpattern.The loose cast-on edge and firm bind off will cause the knit piece to curveslightly,helpingthecollarrestnicelyaroundyourneck.Thisknittedstripwillbethefoundationforyourfeltedloops.

MATERIALS

WOOLSWEATER

APPROXIMATELY100YARDS(91M)WORSTED-WEIGHTWOOLYARN(SHOWNHERE:CASCADE220,COLOR4002)

BUTTONOROTHERCLOSURE(OPTIONAL)

MASKINGTAPE

THREAD

KNITTINGNEEDLES,STRAIGHTORCIRCULAR,U.S.SIZE#10(6MM)

MEASURINGTAPE

ROTARYCUTTERORSCISSORS

SEWINGNEEDLE

STRAIGHTPINS

STRAIGHTEDGE

WASHINGMACHINE(FORFELTING)

STEP4|CUTUPSWEATERCutapartyoursweateras follows:Takethearmsoffat thearmholeseamandleave themintact.Openup thebodyof thesweaterbyslicingopen1shoulderand1sideseam.Cutthebodyofthesweaterinto30–40stripsoffelt,from½"–1" (13mm–25mm)wide and at least 6"(15cm) long. An easyway to cut thesestripsistolayastraightedgeontopofthefeltedmaterialandcutalongitwitharotarycutter.Themoreirregularthepiecesareinlengthandwidth, thewilderthefinishedcollarwilllook.

STEP5|CUTMASKINGTAPECarefullyplaceastripofmaskingtapeabout1yard(1m)longstickysideuponyourworksurface.Youmaywant to tapetheendsdownto the table tokeepitfrommoving.

STEP6|MAKELOOPSCreate loops by folding each felt strip in half, then arrange them, with thelongestloopsatthecenter,alongthepieceofmaskingtape.Thefinal½"(13mm)ofeachfeltstripshouldextendpastthetape,andeachloopshouldjusttouchitsneighbor.Byarrangingitsothatallofthebiggestloopsareinthecenterofthepiece, you create a collar that’s fuller in the back and smaller in thefront.Optional:Tomaketheloopsstanduphigher,sticktheleftedgeoftheloopdown,thenputahalf-twistintheloopbeforealigningtherightendoftheloopinplace. This not only makes the loops more dimensional, but it also keepseverything inone layersoyoursewingmachinedoesn’thave to stitch throughlayersofthickfelt.

STEP7|MAKEMORELOOPSRepeatsteps5–6tomakeasecondlineofloopsadheredtomaskingtape.(Therowsofloopsneedtobesewntogetheredgetoedgebeforeyousewthemontothecollar.Maskingtapeissimplertousethanpins.Youcantearitoffwithoutharming the stitches after sewing the felted loops together in their continuousstrip.

STEP8|SEWLOOPSSewacrossthemiddleofthemaskingtapeattachingyourloopstripswithyourmachineandthenremovethemaskingtape.

STEP9|CUTUPSLEEVESMakeloopsoutofthesweatersleevesbylayingeachsleeveflatsothattheseamisonthebottomedge.Makecutsabout½"–1"(13mm–25mm)apart,beginningatthetopedgeofeachflattenedsleeveandstopping1"(3cm)fromthebottom.Theseloopsarealreadyattachedinonecontinuousstripbecauseof thesleeveseam,sotheentirestripcanbesewndirectlyontothefoundationpiece.

STEP10|SEWLOOPSTOFOUNDATIONPIECEToassemblethecollar,centerthefirststripofloopsonthecast-onedgeof theknittedfoundationpiece(whichwillbetheoutsideedgewhenworn)andpinthestripinplace.Stitchthisstripdown.Next,positionthesecondstrip½"(13mm)from the first,moving toward the front edge of the foundation piece. Sew thisstrip inplace.Theslicedsleeves shouldbepositionedon the frontedgeof thefoundationwith thecuffsat theendsof thecollarand thewideends(formerlythesleeveshoulders)atthecenter.Oncethisisassembled,youcaneithersewitdirectlyontoyourcoatifyouwantittobepermanentlyattached,orputabuttonorotherfasteneronthefrontedgessoyoucantakeitonandoff.

THEGUIDE

Ourfavoriteresourcesforinspiration,materialsandinstruction.

MagazinesADORNwww.adornmag.com

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CROCHETTODAYwww.crochettoday.com

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www.dharmatrading.comink-jettransferpaperEARTHENWOODSTUDIO

www.earthenwoodstudio.comcustombuttonsREPRODEPOT

www.reprodepot.comfabric,buttons,embellishments,younameitSUBLIMESTITCHING

www.sublimestitching.comiron-ontransferpatternsSULKYOFAMERICA

www.sulky.comiron-ontransferpens,Solvywater-solublestabilizerBooks

LEARNTOKNITKnitgrrl:LearntoKnitwith15FunandFunkyPatterns,ShannonOkey(Watson-GuptillPublications,2005)Knitgrrl2:LearntoKnitwith16All-Newpatterns,ShannonOkey(Watson-GuptillPublications,2006)KnittinginPlainEnglish,MaggieRighetti(St.Martin’sGriffin,2007)KnittingRules!TheYarnHarlot’sBagofKnittingTricks,StephaniePearl-Mcphee(StoreyPublishing,2006)Stitch’nBitch:TheKnitter’sHandbook,DebbieStoller(WorkmanPublications,2003)LEARNTOCROCHET

CrochetStyle:ChicandSexyAccessories,ShannonOkey(CreativeHomeowner,2006)GetHooked:SimpleStepstoCrochetCoolStuff,KimWerker(Watson-GuptillPublications,2006)TeachYourselfVisually:Crocheting,KimWerkerandCecilyKeim(Wiley,2006)LEARNTOFELT

FeltFrenzy:26ProjectsforAllFormsofFelting,ShannonOkeyandHeatherBrack(InterweavePress,2007)FeltedKnits,BeverlyGaleskas(InterweavePress,2003)

LEARNMOREABOUTSEWINGANDALTERINGCLOTHINGTheArtofFabricCollage:AnEasyIntroductiontoCreativeSewing,RosemaryEichorn(TauntonPress,2003)TheArtofManipulatingFabric,ColetteWolff(ChiltonBookCompany,1996)GenerationT:108WaystoTransformaT-Shirt,MeganNicolay(WorkmanPublications,2006)Second-TimeCool:TheArtofChoppingUpaSweater,Anna-StinaLindenIvarsson,KatarinaBrieditisandKatarinaEvans(AnnickPress,2005)Tease:50InspiredT-shirtTransformationsbySuperstarsofArt,CraftandDesign,SarahSockit(Perigee,2006)GETINSPIRED!

BazaarBizarre:NotYourGranny’sCrafts,GregDerAnanian(VikingStudio,2005)SuperCrafty:Over75AmazingHow—ToProjects,SusanBeal,TorieNguyen,RachelO’RourkeandCathyPitters(SasquatchBooks,2005)PLUS-SIZEHELP

BigGirlKnits:25Big,BoldProjectsShapedforRealWomenwithRealCurves,JillianMorenoandAmyR.Singer(PotterCraft,2006)ALSOBYSHANNONOKEY

JustGifts:FavoritePatternstoKnitandCrochet(PotterCraft,2007)JustSocks:FavoritePatternstoKnitandCrochet(PotterCraft,2007)SpintoKnit:TheKnitter’sGuidetoMakingYarn(InterweavePress,2006)ThePillowBook(ChronicleBooks,2008)

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