A Bunch of Old T-shirts

Over several months I have had a bit of an obsession with Alabama Chanin type clothes and techniques. Some have already been documented here. In the fall I grew my collection of t-shirts again, going through my husband's drawer and checking out Good Will and the Salvation Army. What really bugs me is how so many current promotional t-shirts have printed matter on both the front and the back. But I digress. I tried to dye some bright green, blue and red t-shirts black. This was not successful in terms of turning them black, but it was successful in toning them down a whole lot. 

My first project was a tunic length top, with stencilling and stitching. I made up the stencil specifically for where I wanted the design to go. 

front

front detail

pocket

back

back detail

Last week I pulled out what was left in the pile to put together pieces to do a test run on a dress. I used the same top from the tunic, already adjusted from this pattern:

I changed the skirt part by making the front and back be 2 pieces rather than 3, and I added a pocket. The perfect dress really needs a pocket! 

front

front top detail

front bottom detail

back

back sleeve detail

At this point I was faced with the option of putting little scraps away or making a small item. I decided to make a t-shirt for my grandson. Everything I make for him (so far) has at least one pocket. 

It's in the mail to him now. I hope he likes it.