Tibetan Bolero — 2

Okay, here is what I got done yesterday.

After looking at the photos I posted, it occurred to me that the temple had a lot of rectangle elements-windows, wall sections, etc. When I saw that, the idea of adding rectangles to the shirt with strips of T-shirt material popped into my head. Then the idea of prayer flags popped in next. Then prayer flags held down with embroidery that vaguely resembles Tibetan script. Bingo! Decoration problem solved.

So far I have only done the back of the bolero. I will add a few more prayer flags to the sleeves, and front. I am also going to add rectangles sewn with just embroidery thread, as I want a bit more color, and I will add small gold beads when all the prayer flags are done.

BTW, the binding trim on the bolero will be the same color of green as some of the little flags.

Here are the little flags pinned in place.

Here they are sewn down with free-form fly stitch embroidery.

 

So, that's the latest update on the Tibetan Bolero.

Tibetan Bolero — 1

The title sounds sort of crossed-ethnic, but I'm not talking about a Tibetan version of the sultry music. No, it is my second attempt at the Alabama Chanin bolero pattern from their book, Alabama Studio Sewing + Design by Natalie Chanin. The first bolero I did turned out fantastic, so I couldn't wait to try another. However, a lot of stuff got in the way, including that mounted archery shoot for which I made so many targets. Then I started the Riding Costume, which I am still working on. Also I needed to get a few more jewelry pieces up on my Etsy site. Bottom line, I am just now getting around to playing with T-shirts again. Also, since it is cold and raining outside, I figured if I made a summer garment I'd feel a bit more cheerful. Maybe.

I found this great dark-purple T-shirt at the Goodwill. I bought it because I loved the machine embroidered Tibetan temple on the front. I thought it would look super on the back of a bolero. So yesterday I dug the shirt out of my stash drawer and went to work.

Here is the front of the T-shirt, which will be the back of the bolero. I mark the center line and cutting lines with soap, which works really well on dark material.

The shirt looks more wrinkled in the photo than it actually was. Not sure why.

 

 Here are the front pieces and one sleeve drawn out.

This is how I mark the pattern on the fabric. Tuna and olive cans to hold things down, soap to mark the cutting lines. This section is what was left over from the front of the T-shirt after I cut out the temple design, which was enough to make the other bolero sleeve.

Here are all the pieces cut out and ready to sew. I haven't put any designs on the front or sleeves because, well, I just don't know yet what I want to do. Figured I could always add something later.

 

This is what is left of the original extra-large man's shirt. Two sleeves which I had cut off the shirt, the folded and sewn hem of the T-shirt, which I save to use as straps or binding over the top of things, and at the top of the photo, the pile of scraps that were too small to use.

And this is what I used one of the sleeve sections for. This stenciled piece will be sewn to a turquoise sweatshirt (also purchased at the Goodwill), stitched around the design, and then the design will be cut out for a reverse applique. The gold paint is Lumiere metallic gold. The stencil sheet I bought at Home Depot in the paint/home decorating section. More pictures of the sweatshirt project will come later.

So, that's the start of the Tibetan Bolero, and a teaser for the Turquoise Sweatshirt. The binding color on the bolero will probably be green, as I already have a T-shirt that color to cut up. Stay tuned!

Mistakes...They're A Good Thing!

I've been hearing a lot lately about letting yourself be free to make mistakes, because we always learn something from them. In some cases, for those of us with artistic proclivities, they can lead to a whole new fun way to play. Case in point: my attempts to stencil on T-shirt material.

My first attempt at putting a design on T-shirt material with fabric paint worked okay...sorta. The paint was a bit thick and as I dabbed it on with a makeup sponge, the fabric stuck to the sponge and pulled up through the stencil. It still worked, but I thought it would work better if I thinned the paint down with water.

With a new, larger stencil (found at my local home improvement center in the paint department), and some red pigment mixed with water, I tried again, and got...a blob of icky pink, in the vague outline of the stencil. The mixture was too thin, and the water bled under the stencil. And, alas, this blob was right on the front of my first tank top project. Wonderful, I thought, as I stared down at the nasty shade of pink. What the hell do I do now?

First, I let it dry. Then I thought, well, I'll just re-stencil the same design over the top of the blob, since most of it would be cut away anyway in a reverse applique. So, with a different color of paint (not my first choice on any of these colors, but I wanted to use stuff I already had during the experimentation process), I redid the stencil over the blob. To my surprise, I loved the halo effect the blob gave the pattern, but really hated the colors. Now I'm thinking of ways to purposely create the blob/halo before I put down the actual stencil design, using much nicer colors.

As for the final pink and white design...it got completely covered with a design that tied in better with the colors and design of the section of pet food logo that ended up on the top right of the shirt (I'm using old work T-shirts of my husband's, and most have pet food logos on them somewhere).

Even though the experiment with the watered down color failed completely, it actually gave me a new idea to play around with, so in the end, it wasn't really a failure, is was a mistake that led to new ideas. So, go ahead, make mistakes, and you, too, might create a big icky pink blob that leads to new ideas.