No-Sew Superhero Cape

Here's a classic I recently adapted from my second book, Generation T: Beyond Fashion, because, hey,  it's superhero season (okay, okay, when is it not...). A plain T-shirt is the key ingredient to this phonebooth-like transformation. Whether you're a superhero at rest, or in action (leaping tall buildings in a single bound, racing faster than a locomotive, and generally exercising capabilities beyond those of mortal men (and women) -- you know, the usual), this cape has got you covered. Well, partially covered. The superhero in my household requested an orange lightning bolt on his cape, so once I created the basic shape, I made a couple of stencils I could layer to get the two-color effect.

DIY Swim Suit Cover-Up from a T-Shirt

My daughter is on swim team. That being said, we have a lot of swim team T-shirts lying around. Enough that she could wear a new one each day. I decided to give one of them the swim suit cover-up treatment.

How to: Make Frida-Style Braids

Happy Birthday to one of my favorite artists: Frida Kahlo. I've been wanting to post this tutorial for awhile now, and the occasion of her birth is the perfect opportunity. Here's a simply way to dress up your hair using an old T-shirt, tie-dye, and scissors. But first, some images of those inspiring braids from the queen of the Mexican art scene, who would be turning 107 if she were alive today...

Trompe L'Oeil Necklace T-Shirt DIY

 This Trompe L’Oeil Necklace T-Shirt DIY is a fun way to add a simple pattern to a basic t-shirt. Inspired by the black drawn necklaces on t-shirts by Yves Saint Laurent, this is not only a fun DIY to make it’s also a lot cheaper! 

Chic Shoe Travel Bag from an Old T-shirt!

Let's face it: Shoes get dirty. Really dirty (okay, maybe I'm only speaking for New York sidewalks and streets, but my shoes pick up a lot of filth!). So it's not a particularly charming prospect when I have to pack a suitcase full of nice clean clothes and those dirty shoes. Solution: Here's a simple project that makes use of an old T-shirt, requires very little sewing (you can use the T-shirt hem as the drawstring casing!), and keeps the rest of your wardrobe fresh and clean. And, because the bag is made from an old T-shirt, it's easy enough to toss in the wash when you get home and unpack.

Materials:

-T-shirt (M or larger)

-Ruler

-Scissors

-Sewing machine (with a ballpoint needle and thread), or Needle and thread

-Alphabet stickers (or make your own; I used alphabet sticky notes!)

-Fabric paint and paint cannon (black)

-Safety pin

Make it:

1. Turn the T-shirt inside out and lay it flat. Measure and cut a 12" x 16" rectangle extending in from one side and up from the bottom hem. Cut a 1" strip from the top of the rectangle, through both layers. Set aside the strip.

2. Sew a straight stitch along the two cut edges of the rectangle, leaving a 1/2" seam allowance, and stopping at the hem (this becomes the drawstring casing. (I used contrasting thread for visibility, but matching your thread to the fabric color is recommended.)

3. Turn the bag right side out and lay it flat, oriented with the hem (the opening of the bag) at the top. Stretch out the fabric strip to make a drawstring cord and set it aside again. Arrange the letters across the side of the bag.

5. With the fabric paint, spray lightly over the letters and let dry completely. (Paint will seep around the sides of the letters that are not sealed flat, creating a rough-edged look to the lettering.)

6. Carefully peel off the letters to reveal the reverse silhouettes. Attach a safety pin to one end of the cord and draw it through the entire drawstring casing. Remove the safety pin and tie the ends together in a knot.

7. Now spin the globe and buy a ticket! If your shoes are made for walking, this T-shirt shoe bag is made for packing. Bon voyage!

Variations:

-Differentiate your various shoe stashes by making multiple bags--do away with the generic "shoes" label and instead indicate heels, flats, sneakers, and so on.

-Scrap the shoes altogether and use the bag to pack pajamas for a slumber party!

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T-shirt Book for Baby!

I like projects that help me use up the scraps that threaten to overwhelm my craft space. I also like projects that can be gifted. So this one's a win-win: The T-shirt Baby Book is perfect for using the T-shirt sleeves that have been cut from another project (like a tank top) and it makes a great baby gift. Did I mention it's personalized? Once I picked the recipient (my friend's new baby, Elliot), I enjoyed figuring out what words to have each letter of his name represent (in other words, what could I illustrate easily?). I settled on: E = earth, L = light, L = love, I = ice cream, O = orange, and T = tree. No pictures of baby Elliot and his new book just yet, so the book is presented by these two cute corduroy pals.

Materials:

-T-shirts or T-shirt scraps (in multiple colors)

-Scissors

-Ruler

-Craft knife

-Cutting mat

-Lightweight cardboard (cereal, snack, or tissue boxes work great!)

-Aleene’s Fabric Fusion Permanent Dry Cleanable Fabric Adhesive

-Tulip Disappearing Ink Pen

-Fabric paintbrushes

-Tulip 3D Fashion Paint Blazin' Brights (variety of colors)

-Clothespins (optional, for clipping in place while gluing/drying)

Make it:

1. Measure and cut one more 4" x 4" square of cardboard than there are letters in the baby's name. (Example: Elliot has 6 letters, so I cut 7 squares.) Then cut as many 5" x 10" rectangles from the T-shirts as there are cardboard squares.

2. Squeeze a small ribbon of glue along one long side of one of the fabric rectangles. Then fold over the edge about 3/8" and press. Repeat on the other long side.

3. Find the center of the rectangle and line up one edge of one of the cardboard squares. Squeeze a small ribbon of glue along the fabric at the top and bottom edge of the cardboard.

4. Fold the fabric in half, sandwiching the cardboard in between the layers. Press the glue into the edges to seal them. Squeeze another ribbon of glue against the cardboard and between the fabric layers on the open side. Press it closed.

5. Repeat steps 2 through 4 until all of the cardboard squares are covered. These are the pages of the book.

6. Use the air-soluble ink pen to begin outlining the letters and images on the book pages. (Or, skip this step and freehand them with paint--I outlined the earth, but skipped to painting for them rest.)

7. Color in the lines with fabric paint!

8. Paint all the right-folio pages first (including the front cover), let them dry, then paint all the left-folio pages, making sure you match up all the letters and images.

9. Trim the raw edges (the side of the pages that will go into the binding) down to 1/2". Then squeeze a line of glue along one of the edges you just trimmed and press it against the adjacent page. Keep gluing and adding pages (in the correct order!) until the book is complete.

10. Let dry completely. Optional: Clip the binding closed with clothespins while it dries.

11. Then it's story time! E is for earth. L is for light. L is also for love. I is for yummy ice cream. O is also for a delicious orange. T is for Tree (and Totally Terrific and....T-shirt book!).

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Ex-Boyfriend T-shirt Remix with the Tulip® Girls

The Tulip® Girls are at it again in the iLoveToCreate studios! In this video, watch as Chloe and Allee use Tulip® One-Step Fashion Dye™ and scissors to show you how to transform an ex-boyfriend's old t-shirt into one that will get you a new one!

Here's some fun behind-the-scenes pics!

Allee is the queen of tie dye! She's always coming up with new techniques!


Allee also created the cool sign seen at the beginning of the video!

And here's the inside of that fab Tulip® Fashion Graffiti™ hat that Chloe decked out! She shares it in the video but didn't show us the cool detail shown here. Didn't it turn out cool?

The Tulip® Girls will be back next week with an exciting DIY adventure so stay tuned!

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