T-Shirt Dresses for a Cause

   Back in November, a group of seamtress met at our local extension office to create some T-shirt dresses for some little ladies that needed a dress.  This is the same group of ladies that receive the pillow case dresses many folks create.  There was a request for a dress that "covered" a bit more.

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Featured over @ Podunk Pretties

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1. First decided on where I wanted the waist line to be and then how long the shirt needed to be for that waistline & cut off excess if necessary.  We had some possible guidelines to follow, but the problem happened when shirt sizes weren't consistent.

2. Measured the circumference of the bottom of the T-shirt to make sure 45 inch wide fabric will work for gathering.

3. Decided on length of added fabric plus hem and gathering seam.

4. Hemmed with a double rolled top stitch hem.

5. Stitched back seam.

5. Gathered fabric.  I used this method.

6. Seamed to bottom of T-shirt.

7. Embellish?????

One of the ladies showed how to make "yarn" from the left over T-shirt fabric that was cut off the bottom of the T-shirt.  Just cut about a 1 inch strip, then stretch.  I used one as an embellishment on a dress.

  A bow embellishment was made from scraps.

In about 3 hours time, I got 3 dresses finished.  The embellishments slowed things down a bit.

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Sun Best ~ Cocoa Beach Bird Beauties

 Cocoa Beach, FL, USA

Cropped but untouched

Taken with Galaxy 4 

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Quilt Shot Block #58d ~ Woven Friendship Star WIP for QOV

      On Quilt Shot Block #58c, I had gotten 16 blocks completed.  Did you figure out which block I decided to use in each corner to finish this Quilt of Valor quilt?
      I decided to use the Old Glory block. 

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     This was Quilt Shot Block #3, which I then turned into a  holiday pillow that I use to decorate my porch during Memorial & Labor day and Fourth of July.  This block was designed by Debby Kratovil and can be found in her Quilter's Block A Day Calendar. 
      I changed the measurements to make a 12 inch block.

           When I made the pillow, I sewed the pieces by row.  For some reason, I had a hard time getting everything to line up when doing rows all across.  I had better luck when I did the 2 sections as shown above.  Then I created the bottom and added it on.

        This quilt was a challenge for me.  Lining up seams are ok, but lining up angles are a different thing.

      I finally figured out I could roll back to match the angled seam lines.

Then as I held the seam, I placed a pin on the right side of the seam.

Then pinned the left of the seam.

Then the center.  I used the center pin to help me see this intersection as I was sewing and to make sure I sewed across this spot.  I was wishing for my open toe foot.

Sometimes I had to put the center pin in first by looking at the right side to make sure I had hit the intersection.

As you can see above, the technique worked real well.

I didn't have to rip any out as I was putting the rows together.

I decided to use the "Old Glory" block because of the mini friendship star it contained.

When I laid out the finished top, I realized I could have put a white center in the mini star, but I think I like the red block better.

This quilt top is 48x60 inches and the QOV minimum requirement is 55x65.

So I need to decide on a border to make it that large.

Any ideas?

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 Related posts:

Quilt Shot Block #58 ~ Woven Friendship Star

Quilt Shot Block #58b ~ Woven Friendship Star WIP for QOV

Quilt Shot Block #58c ~ Woven Friendship Star WIP for QOV

 

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Fun or Funny Fri Foto ~ Maybe Not So Funny Hunting Hat?

@ Space Coast Flea Market

Port St. John, FL, USA

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Thoughtful Thinking Thursday #36 ~ Reflection of a Couple?

@ CSX railroad yard Baxter community 

in Harlan County, KY, USA

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Photographer Chris Jones of Harlan, KY

didn't realize he had taken a shot of what looked like a reflection of the couple.

Later someone pointed out the reflection due to the similar clothing.

I think we would only think that because we saw the picture in small frame at first.

When I post the picture in full size does it change things?

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Wordless Wednesday #161 ~ Great Blue Heron

 @ Ritch Grissom Bird Santuary

Melbourne, FL, USA

Shots with Canon Super Shot

More info on Great Blue Heron

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Slide Ruler

@ Space Coast Flea Market

Port St. John, FL, USA

 These were still being used while I was in high school.

I remember attempting some cos(i) problems in algebra. 

Fun and interesting.

 The seller of this piece said he started out as an engineer major and used one of these.

He didn't say if this was the one he used.

While in college the big engineering calculators started coming out.

I often wondered if someone proficient in the use of a slide ruler,

 could get an answer faster than someone using the calculator?

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Quiet Book Page ~ Matching Flowers ~ Free PES File

       If you have lots of small scraps, this is one good way to use them.  
       Make a page of matching fabric flowers for your child's quiet book.
       Below you can find the free PES file to help you embroider flower appliques, or do them the old fashioned way with directions given at the bottom of this post.

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The FREE pes file below will make 12 flowers in the large frame.

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Free PES File for Flower Match

Fits 8 X 12 inch hoop 
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1.  The first step of the PES file will stitch outlines of all the flowers. So stitch outline on the fabric that will be your page. The fabric is hooped with stabilizer.

2.  Place scraps of fabric over those outlines. The second step will stitch down the scraps.

3. Cut away the excess as was done for this applique. (Shot below as well.)

4. After cutting away excess fabric close to stitching line, then proceed the third step of embroidering which will be a satin stitch around the edge of the flowers.

5.  Use a font on your machine to stitch the word "Match" if you like.

Make a second set of matching flowers. You don't have to use the fabric used for page to back the flowers. Do use a heavy fabric & stabilizer.  Cut this set of flowers out.

Stitch a pocket on another page of fabric.

 Stitch the flower and pocket pages, right sides together leaving an opening for turning.  Press edges and top stitch.

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If you don't have an embroidering machine

1. You can make the page simply by cutting out a double layer of the same fabric & stabilizer of the flowers at one time so their shapes will match.

2.  Place one set of flowers with stabilizer on the page and satin stitch edges as seen in this pillow project.

3.  Satin stitch the other set of flowers around the edge as I did with the eggs for this Easter Basket page.

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The child will need to match fabrics noticing colors and design as well as the direction of the shape of the flower.

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Sun Best ~ Orange to White Beak Bird?

@ Ritch Grissom Bird Santuary

Melbourne, FL, USA

 

No, not the same bird.

According to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology- All About Birds site,

the orange beaked bird is a Common Gallinule

and the white beak bird is an American Coot

Pictures are untouched and not even cropped.

Think maybe we accidently changed a setting on the little Canon Super Shot to get such vivid colors?

Love the big zoom lens on that camera.

We didn't have the Nikon, but thank goodness had the little Canon.

We may not have gotten these vivid shots had the big camera been with us.

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Quilt Shot Block #58c ~ Woven Friendship Star WIP for QOV

Woven Friendship Star

Made 8 more to add to what I already had

and got this below

 The piece above needed to be one row wider to meet minimum requirements.

So I redistributed the corners to make it longer.

I am now working on 4 blocks of a different design for the corners.

 Can you guess what it will be?

Hint: It's a patriotic block I have made before as well.

You can find it in my "Quilt Blocks" collection.
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 Related posts:

Quilt Shot Block #58 ~ Woven Friendship Star

Quilt Shot Block #58b ~ Woven Friendship Star WIP for QOV

 Quilt Shot Block #58d ~ Woven Friendship Star WIP for QOV

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Fun or Funny Fri ~ Calm Ocean Paddle Boarding

@ Cocoa Beach, FL, USA

Shot taken by Canon Sure Shot ~ Untouched

Thoughtful Thinking Thursday #35 ~ Dolphin Shape

@ Cocoa Beach, FL, USA

 This shot untouched.

Do you see the shape of a dolphin in this picture?

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