T-Shirt Wrap Bracelets

When I was in elementary school, during the last fleeting seconds on the 1980's, the coolest girl on our school bus (clearly not me), started wearing bracelets made from cut up t-shirt, stretched, and wrapped around her arm a bunch of times. Trailblazer that I am, I copied her. Turst me, it looked very cool with a popped collar and tapered jeans. When I was making the kids t-shirts, trying to unroll the edges long enough to sew them, I thought of these bracelets. Thirty second later, I had 3 for the kids to play with.

You will need:
A 1" wide band of t-shirt, about 12" long. The band should stretch in the long direction.
A few scraps of wool felt, or vinyl, or other material that won't fray, cut into gem-like shapes.
Thread.
A needle, or a sewing machine.

 Sew the short ends of the t-shirt band together. Trim the end to about 1/8" beyond the stitching. Or, if you're using a piece of an actual t-shirt, just leave the side seams intact.

Unroll the t-shirt band, and pin one of the wool felt shapes to it. Sew just enough to attach the shape. Keep the stitching well shot of the edges of the band, so it can roll back up. Repeat this step, attaching the shapes evenly around the band. When all shapes are attached, give the band a little tug, so it will curl.

Wear wrapped as a bracelet, or unwrapped as a necklace. I had intended to show more pictures of the kids wearing these, but honestly, their hands and faces are rarely clean enough for close up photography. Now, to go make another, 3 bracelets are not easily divisible by 2 children.

Kids Clothes Week - Figgy's Tee for Two

Such a modest offering to KCWC, but when I consider how long its been since I've sewn anything, I'm happy to have the motivation. This is the Tee for Two by Figgy's raglan sleeve pattern. Seems like its out of print, which is a shame, staples like this never go out of style. The fabric is the only tolerable knit fabric I could find locally. I was actually turned away from a store because I had a stroller (if you've ever shopped Philly's dwindling fabric row, you won't be shocked by this), so I didn't get the chance to shop around. This little t-shirt was so easy, my Fashion Fabrics Club cart is now brimming with knits in very color of the rainbow.

Love this pattern, seems true to size, and goes together quickly. I'm not crazy about the unfinished openings, and will probably finish them next time. The collar band is sewn on the inside then turned to the outside for topstitching, leaving another unfinished edge. I would do the opposite, for amore finished looking shirt. I would also put a tag so some sort in it. The kids will never be able to figure out which side is the front without it.

Blue Button Vest

I've had a vague notion of a spring vest floating around in my head for quite a while. Now that its out, I'm not completely happy with it. There's room across the chest for a bit more overlap, allowing for bigger buttons (and I'm a sucker for bigger buttons). I think a pop of color is in order, too. I had intended white buttons for this yarn, but liked the mismatched blue better after they were on the sweater. Now that I've got the basic shaping down, I can work out a few more details. I'm loving the shape, and L is loving the little flower button. 

Maybe it will be an autumn sweater after all. 

Finished just in time for the Kids Clothes Week Challenge. Hoping KCWC will the the kick in the tush I need to sew something.