Tuesday, August 25, 2009

How-To: Shirt Full of Posies

After taking some inspiration from Pretty in Pink (the parts where Andie, aka Molly Ringwald, refurbishes old/ordinary clothes into something new and fabulous), I decided to make my own ruffle/corsage shirt. So without further adieu, I give you my very first (but not my last) tutorial!

You'll need to get 2 shirts- same style/color. Buy the 1st shirt in your size and the 2nd shirt in the largest size available. You'll be cutting up the 2nd shirt and the larger the size, the more fabric you will have. I bought these 2 shirts at target on sale for $4 each, a grand total of $8 for this project!


For your posies, you will need 3 different sizes of circles. I used what I could find for my stencils- a spool of ribbon, a spool of jewelry wire and a container top. Just use whatever you can find or just eyeball it, the sizes are completely up to you.


I used a fabric pencil to trace my "stencils" onto my 2nd shirt. If you don't have a fabric pencil handy, you can always trace your circles onto paper, pin the paper to fabric and cut away.


Now start cutting out your circles. I found it easiest to layer my fabric and cut out 3 circles at a time.



Keep cutting until you have your desired amount of posies. 1 Small, 1 medium, 1 large circle makes up 1 flower. It is completely up to you how many you want to make and how "full" you want your shirt to look. I wanted a really full and ruffly look so I made around 18 posies. Don't worry about your circles being perfect.



Next, sew your posies to your shirt. You can either machine stitch (3 stitches front and 3 stitched back) or hand sew them on. Pinch the flower before sewing to get the bunchy look. I started out on my sewing machine but I quickly moved to hand sewing because I found that it was much easier to bunch and pinch the layers. This doesn't need to be perfect- the messier the bunching, the better.


Bunch the posies close together. I staggered mine a little, still bunched in tight, in a zigzag pattern. You can see that my circles are already looking like posies after only 3 have been sewn on. I could have stopped here for a different look.


Keep sewing until you have a shirt full of posies- super cute and very affordable!



If you try this tutorial, please add your photos to the Designs by Vanessa Tutorial Flickr Group so we can all see your shirt! Don't be afraid to try this, it was actually very simple to accomplish.

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34 comments:

Valerie said...

LOVE this!

I want to make one! How did you hand stitch them? Just a few stitches in the middle?

Ashley said...

How cute!! I love it!

Vanessa @ See Vanessa Craft said...

Valerie- Bunch and pinch the posie and sew a few stitches in the middle :)

Valerie said...

OK! I'll give it a try. How fun! Thanks!

Emma said...

That is so adorable!!! Very creative!

lolly-jolly said...

wow that's so cool. a big thank for this tutorial!

Nannieflash said...

Well Vanessa, thats a bit cheeky but very clever, what a fabulous use of old Tshirts, and the flowers are stunning, I reakon you could make those flowers for crafting, will have to have a go. Well done with love and hugs Shirleyxxxxxxxxx

Erica Bunker said...

I love that! I'm going to give that a try! Thanks for a great tutorial!

V and Co. said...

dude love it and going to make it. will link back when i do! and love your name ;) -V

Susanna said...

how does it hold up to washing? and does the T-shirt fabric fray over time?

gilagirl said...

This technique would look so cute on a headband, too! Thanks for the tutorial!

Vanessa @ See Vanessa Craft said...

T-shirt fabric is pretty good about not fraying (at least that has been my experience). I would either hand wash or wash on a gentle cycle...I'll let you know how mine holds up after the first wash :)

lyndsey @ the stationery place said...

this is fantastic! found you through craftzine and i am TOTALLY wanting to try the posie shirt and the ruffle necklace. your tutorials are awesome, thanks for posting!

Unknown said...

This is awesome! I love the idea. I'll have to give it a try =)

mub said...

This is wonderful! Thanks for the how to =)

Daer0n said...

Oh this is so pretty, i love it! i am not sure when, but when i have time, i am DEFINITELY making myself one, gorgeous!

Thanks for the tutorial, keep them coming! I really enjoyed this, i love DIY!

Ansley Bleu said...

Thanks so much, I love it! I saw something similar at Ann Taylor Loft but was scared away by the price tag.

Jayson, Kim, and Lotta Carlson said...

i love the idea. its beautiful.... have you washed these? do they frey?

Ginny said...

So cute!

Farah A said...

Hi Vanessa, I am new to your blog. It's amazing! Specially this tutorial. It's so wonderful how you did this. I , soo, wanna make one. Can't wait to get my supplies.

Anonymous said...

oh my god, Deb just bought a version of this shirt..she's going to return it and make her own. Also, your version is awesome, it's more balanced on the neckline, and I really like your tutorial.
p.s.I also really like that your website girl looks just like you!
-Heart Laura & Deb

Vanessa @ See Vanessa Craft said...

Thanks everyone!! I still haven't washed my shirt yet but I'll keep you posted on how that goes :)

arzu said...

great!
thank you very much=)
ı love it..

Splendid Little Stars said...

This is just the coolest! And I'm going to link to it on my blog post about you for the etsy bloggers!

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hanging your canvas photo looks great.

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