No Sew Fo Sho!

So today I was totally in the mood to sew but didn't want to have a two hour ordeal. I was looking for something quick and simple - so I turned to a no sew project. I know, I know - that doesn't make much sense. But I've had two things swirling around in my mind for a while now that I just wanted to get out of there. The first was that I wanted to use this new product that I bought called "Liquid Stitch". The second, was that I really wanted a shirt at WalMart but couldn't bring myself to spend the 7+ something on it. My thrifting (as well as the knowledge that the fabric was cheap as all et out) has made me a smart shopper... or an obsessive one. Take your pick.

So here's the shirt that I wanted at WalMart. I decided I was going to make one for myself - it couldn't be that hard, right? So I went in my heavily overloaded drawer of t-shirts and picked a simple pink one that I haven't worn in years. Good thing I'm a slight hoarder! This was a light, cotton, stretchy shirt. There was nothing wrong with it, really, other than it was begging to be cut up.

So the first thing I did was take a piece of chalk and draw a line on the back where I wanted my open back to be. Then I cut one side, folded it over and followed that edge to cut the other side.

At this point, I had not yet decided to use my Liquid Stitch. It was something I knew I had, but wasn't entirely sure what to do with it so kept it in the back of my craft room. It was when I folded all my raw edges under from the shirt and realized exactly how thin and stretchy the fabric was that I decided to break it out. I definitely didn't want to put this fabric under my machine. It would have been hilarious and entertaining, I'm sure, but I kind of wanted to get my night going without having to swear and throw things. So I got out my tube of Liquid Stitch, used a totally unnecessary amount of pins to pin down the edges, and went to work.

Upon opening of the tube I was unimpressed. I would have sworn that I got taken by the maker's of Elmer's glue. It appeared as glue and smelled like glue and I'm pretty sure if I were to schmeer (yup, schmeer) it all over my hand and let it dry it would peel off in a gross see-through layer like glue. Don't try to act like you've never done it.

At this point, the process was started so I had to finish it. I followed the directions, putting a little bit of glue - er, Liquid Stitch - down at a time, using my finger to make it even and then pressed the fabric down into it. I then made a bow-like shape from the cut-out that I had and "stitched" that down as well. Then, continuing with my direction-following, I let it sit for more than 30 minutes. In all actuality it "rested" for a good hour and a half because the fat kid in me got distracted by dinner and the couch. When I went back to it, the "stitching" was completely dry and not even hard, as glue would have been. I've decided Liquid Stitch is one notch above Elmer's glue - good enough for a quick fix, but probably not something I'll use in my normal rotation. I then grabbed a small piece of leftover fabric from my Muu Muu Magic project and wrapped it around the middle of the bow to make it "scrunch" up and more bow-like. This is what I ended up with:

 

So it's not the most drastic change this girl has done, but it was quick, simple and certainly added a bit more "pizazz" to a regular ol' t-shirt. Who knows... this shirt may actually make it out of the t-shirt drawer now.

I also wanted to update y'all on my New Year Resolutions. The first resolution, to get healthier and get rid of some of that holiday poundage has successfully failed, as predicted. This pretty much always happens to me. Why? My birthday is 10 days after the New Years Resolutions are created. You can't really resolve to eat healthier and lose weight, and then stare at a birthday cake (and the leftovers!) without breaking that resolution like a stick. So yes, I gorged out for my birthday, and I plan to do the same thing in an upcoming trip to Lake Placid. So, maybe this one will continue once my January festivities wind down.

My experience Syracuse one is going along swimmingly though! That same weekend I made a trip to Oswego with my sister-in-law and we checked out a new thrift store. It was a blast and we had tons of laughs, and I got a full WalMart bag full of fantastically hideous items to remake for only $3. Then, just today I found a store named Clothes Mentor. I had never been in this store, although I've driven past it plenty. The prices were a bit more expensive than Salvation Army, ranging from a few dollars to over $50 (and above) but it was all very well made items from known designers and in good condition; they refuse to take it if it looks even slightly used. I picked up a cute skirt, a dress and a belt for $16. Not my usual deal, but I was okay with splurging just a bit for the cause.

As for the "choosing a regular blogging" day, I still haven't. Sorry all. At some point, I'll get into a nice routine when I can choose a regular sewing/blogging day and then I can break it out. For now, I'm here to please and choosing a day and not blogging on said day would cause a bit of disappointment, and that's not ideal. Someone suggested to me that I should make a bunch in advance and then just post my blogs on the regularly scheduled day, even if I don't sew. Two problems with that - most of my projects are 3+ hours and require at least one glass of wine to keep sane. This cannot be a daily thing, folks, and nothing would come out well if I do a marathon project weekend to get ahead of myself. The second problem: every time I complete a project, I am WAY too excited to post it. I would never be able to get ahead of myself because my excitement would bubble up too much and I'd end up posting each and every project that same day. So... just stick with me and sign up on the side of the blog to "follow" me (stalker) and roll with me while I try to figure this all out.

What'd I learn? 1) Liquid Stitch - easy way out, not ideal for anything other than impossible fabric. Gets. Everywhere. 2) It's pretty fun to try to copycat items I see at the stores. I see a Pintrest board coming out of this one.

So... as I finish up my post (and my current glass of wine) - Cheers :)