Sewing Leftovers - Burnt Orange T-Shirt

 

Whilst the opposite is currently the case, I sometimes go through phases of having nothing to sew. It's something that I really hate, and is often a combination of not really needing any more clothes and the fact that I sew quite quickly. Also, the weather was appalling here for most of May and making summer clothes seemed pointless. But sewing is my hobby, it's something that brings me a lot of joy and makes me feel calm, so it's important for me to always have a project on the go that I can work on when I have the time and inclination to do so. If I do find myself with nothing to sew, I try and go through my fabric stash and find fabrics that I haven't yet used or old projects that need upcycling. It doesn't always work, especially as I try not to keep too much unused fabric around, but it's often a good way to get back into the swing of sewing. 

I like to think of leftover fabric as 'free' fabric, giving me the freedom to make whatever I want without worrying about whether the project will be successful. It's fabric that would otherwise just take up space and because I've already used it to make something else, there often isn't much left. My absolute favourite leftover make is my corduory jacket, but my cami top and denim Moss Skirt were also good scrapbusters.

I actually started making this top a couple of months ago before it was cast away in favour of making prom dresses (more on that to come!) and picked it up again the other day to finish it off. It's a really simple t-shirt, ideal as I didn't have a lot of fabric and also the kind of thing that will get a lot of wear. I've found that I'm hesitant to wear some of my handmade clothes when I'm doing an activity such as sport that risks damaging them, so it's good to have a well-made t-shirt that didn't take much time or money to make. My stripy t-shirt is a good example of a similar garment that I don't worry about getting dirty or destroyed (which I realise is pretty unlikely but it still goes through my mind!) wheras I'm more cautious when wearing tops such as my polo shirt which took much longer to make.

When it comes to sewing with leftovers, I don't worry much about having several garments from the same fabric. Often, if the two makes are made a couple of years apart, my style will have changed and they will be quite different. With neutral fabrics it's hard to tell that two items of clothing are made from the same fabric unlike with a bold print. For example, my black Lander Pants and this Moss Skirt are made from the same fabric but it doesn't cross my mind when I wear one of them. Likewise, the leftovers from my corduroy Dawn Jeans were used to make this jacket but they're very different garments. I've actually used the same white cotton jersey for four different makes including this jumper, this long-sleeved top and this sleeveless one.

The fabric I used to make this t-shirt was the leftover from my mum's burnt orange Linden Top which I made her for Christmas 2018. She has worn all four of the Lindens that I've made her a lot, although I think the orange one is her favourite. I really like the fabric and have wanted to make something from its leftovers for a while, so I'm pleased to have finally done so. Of course, there is now a chance that we both wear our orange tops at the same time but I'm sure one of us would quickly change!

I will never cease being driven crazy by stitches that snap in the hems of handmade tops - one day I'll get a coverstitch machine, but until then I'll have to live with it. When it came to hemming this t-shirt, I thought I'd try something a bit different and use the triple zigzag stitch on my new sewing machine. Three stitches are sewn for each line in the zigzag, meaning that the line of stitching stretches with the jersey fabric and hopefully avoids the threads snapping. I added the same stitch to the neck and sleeve hem too, which I both finished with a neckband. I probably won't use this on every t-shirt going forward as I like the look of a straight hem, but it works well here and also adds a nice decorative touch.