I have been using scraps of curtain material which we have had for years and years but have amongst hem some really beautiful patterns and colours. I cut sections out, round the flowers, following the vines and leaves to make interesting designs on the shirts.
I sourced some different colours and sizes of t-shirts from Primark, which I was worried would make the tops seem less impressive but they are of good quality and soft material and also my prices will be based on the time and effort I have put into these designs and so far I am quite proud of my work so far! I tried to get a mixture of small, medium and large so that they would be accessible for all.
With my designs I tried to make the scraps match the colour of the shirts whilst making a statement and use interesting threads to either emphasise some of the colours in the design or contrast with one already prominent! Here are some photos to give you an idea of how I start the process…
I lay out all the pieces that I think will go well together with the soft t-shirts – I find it takes a few attempts to get the right composition but once I have it I take a picture and fold it carefully out so that it is easy to start work on later.
I then pin all the parts of the design which make it a bit dodgy when sewing on the machine but it meant I could get through each t-shirt quite quickly.
Large, blue t-shirt with cream coloured appliqué
Medium, pastel red t-shirt with pink and cream appliqué
Large, light grey t-shirt with green and maroon appliqué
I am so pleased with the outcome of all these t-shirts and have really enjoyed making them – so far I have 20 unique t-shirts and, will see how much time I have nearer WOMAD, but would love to do some more!
