sewing | Sewhooked

My son got this great orange t-shirt at the science fair he participated in last year. Unfortunately, it was way too small and *gasp* not black, which is his favorite t-shirt color. We talked it through and he agreed that if it was part of a black shirt, he’d definitely wear it.

I used one of my favorite “save a t-shirt” recon techniques, a reverse applique window. It’s easy peasy and takes only about 15 minutes to complete. The sewing machine and rotary cutter are totally optional here. This recon could easily be done with just plain old scissors and a needle and thread.

You’ll Need:

2 t-shirts
straight pins
chalk
ruler
rotary cutter (optional)
scissors
sewing machine with ball point needle OR needle & thread

Slit the shirt that will be in the “window” up each side and open out.

Using a rotary cutter and ruler OR a ruler and chalk with scissors, cut a square out of the front of the window at least 1″ larger than the image on the shirt.

Turn the intact shirt inside out. Center the square with the image on it right side down on the inside front of the intact shirt. Pin clockwise – this makes it easier to remove the pins as you stitch.

Stitch around, removing the pins as you go so as not to stitch over them. If using a sewing machine, choose a stretch stitch.

Turn the shirt right side out. You can faintly see the stitching line here.

Draw a chalk line 1/4 – 1/2″ inside of the stitching line. This will be your cutting line.

Near one of the corners, pinch the fabric of the intact shirt away from the applique piece on the inside. Make sure you just have one layer of shirt. Cut a small hole with the scissors. Trim carefully towards the chalk line.

Cut around the chalk line and remove the center piece.

Voila! Reverse applique t-shirt!

Happy crafting!

Find my free patterns on Sewhooked & Fandom in Stitches.

♥ Jennifer O

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Back to School Book Cover from Fabric Remnant

My eighth-grader brought an Algebra book home for the first time yesterday because it needed a cover. It’s huge, really huge, weighing in at a whopping six pounds (what, I was curious!).

The paper book covers of yesteryear are truly a thing of the past, something I learned a couple of years back when I suggested recycling a brown paper bag, just like I had when I was in school. Ah, the brown paper cover! All that real estate for doodling and scribbling down phone numbers or bits of song lyrics.

The look of shock and horror on my kiddo’s face was enough to tell me that, sadly, grocery bags are O-U-T, and stretchy fabric covers are IN.

The one-size-fits-all stretchy fabric cover we picked up with school supplies did not, despite the packaging promise, fit the mammoth math book.

We came up with a quick and easy solution with a project we’ve used a few times before: a fabric book cover, custom-made from a cotton remnant.

Let’s do it!

Measure out the remnant for your book, making sure that it is at least 2″ wider on top and bottom (4″ total) and several inches longer on each side than the book when it is opened.

Trim the top, bottom, and sides so they are straight and will be easy to sew. Rotary cutters work perfectly for this if you’ve got one, otherwise a chalk, ruler, and scissors work just fine, too.

Hem both of the short ends. Turn under 1″ and then again 1/4″ or 1/2″ to make a sturdy seam. Stitch with a straight stitch.

As evenly as possible, align the fabric on the book inside out, with the hemmed edges inside the book cover.

Pin the fabric, leaving enough fabric for seam allowance and hemming later. The pinned corners should be approximately 1/16″ of an inch away from the outside of the book. It’s very important to not pin too far away from the book’s edge or the cover will be too loose.

Using a straight edge, mark along the pins in chalk.

Stitch on chalk or pencil line for all four corners. Reinforce the stitching line several times. These will have a lot of pressure on them from the book being opened and closed.

Trim corners and the short piece of fabric where you have just stitched. Repeat for all corners. Turn, using a chopstick or crochet hook to push out the corners.

The seam allowance along the edges are at this point still unstitched. Press these, using the already-turned corners for your measurement. Turn the hem under (opt) and pin in place if needed.

Start under the flap then straight stitch along the hem, finishing after the next flap. You do not need to stitch all the way to the end, but it’s a good idea to reinforce the hem past the flap so the fabric will lay nice and flat.