Faux Layered T-Shirt - Mini Tutorial

See, I have this problem.  The older I get, the more "old-lady-ish" my upper arms get.  And I no longer wear sleeveless or even short-sleeved shirts.  It seems that most of the cute t-shirts that are made these days are made with very short sleeves, and even "capped" sleeves.  They don't work for me, so I finally decided to do something about it.  Once I figured it out, I thought I'd share what I learned with you.

Before

After

If you have t-shirts with too- short sleeves, you can make them longer by adding faux layered sleeves.  Most of us have old t-shirts that we don't wear anymore ... let's cannibalize them for parts!

  First, measure the diameter of the too-short t-shirt sleeve hem (“target sleeve”).  Lay the sleeve flat and measure straight along the sleeve hem. 

From an existing sleeve of a discarded shirt:  cut it off at a point that closely matches the diameter measurement you’ve taken of your target sleeve.  For instance, if your target sleeve diameter measures 8”, your newly-cut sleeve diameter (at the cut edge) can measure from 8” to about 8-1/2” diameter at the cut.

(If the new sleeve is much larger, you can simply narrow it by taking a larger “bite” out of the existing inner seam to make it the diameter you desire.)

Turn the newly-cut sleeve length inside out, and insert it, cuff-side first, down into the shorter ("target") sleeve … making sure wrong sides are together … aligning the new raw edge with the hem stitching line of the old sleeve.  You will be working (pinning) inside the existing sleeve for this next step, although you can turn it slightly back in your hand to facilitate pinning. 

Matching first at the underarm seams, secure with a single pin at the underarm seam.  Then, starting at the center-shoulder, pin all the way around each side, working towards the underarm seam, making sure not to stretch either fabric.  If your new sleeve is slightly larger around than the existing sleeve, this will allow for some slight easing at the underarm.  Clip into the new fabric at the underarm, if necessary, so you can slightly overlap any excess fabric, as shown below.

Below is a picture of the new sleeve (on the right) pinned onto the inside of the (flipped back) existing sleeve of the t-shirt (on the left). For the photo, I've also pulled the new sleeve out from the inside of the t-shirt, where it had been tucked for the pinning process.

Before taking it to the sewing machine, I find it easier to now turn the shirt entirely inside-out, and flip the new sleeve back to expose the newly-pinned-on sleeve addition (see below).  This will allow easy stitching on the free-arm of your sewing machine.  (If you don’t use a free-arm, you may find it easier to leave the shirt right-side-out, and sew it that way.)

I find that when using horizontally-placed straight pins, and sewing slowly with a zig-zag stitch, I can safely sew over the pins without removing them.  However, do remove them if you feel more comfortable doing so.

Beginning just past the underarm seam, stitch slowly with a zig-zag stitch , being careful not to stretch either fabric;  and as you come back around towards the underarm seam, ease any overlap at the underarm seam, and complete the zig-zag seam. The completed faux-layered t-shirt sleeve is shown below.

You can now turn the shirt right-side out and admire your new “layered” t-shirt! (The one shown below is a different t-shirt, with longer added sleeves ... but the same technique.)

I hope you enjoy this process as much as I did.  Since I'm not a garment seamstress, any technique that allows me to alter existing garments is a bonus for me!

BONUS Hint:  If you don't have a lot of discardable t-shirts laying around, you can pick them up really cheap at a thrift shop or Goodwill store.  Lots of great colors to go with your fun t-shirts, and all you have to look at are the sleeves!  I never pay over 99 cents for them.

Need a sports-themed gift?

My friend Sharon Dixon is well-known for her beautiful t-shirt quilts.  One thing I love about them is that they are soft and comfy, not stiff like some people make them.  She also does some unusual block settings that make them even more unique.

Now she has a new version of the t-shirt quilt that only requires ONE t-shirt.  If you have a favorite team or are in need of a great gift for a loved one, she now offers this one (with your own t-shirt in the center):

(Sorry, Sharon says that the popcorn, beer, and husband are not included.)

Of course, the colors and fabrics would be coordinated with your t-shirt.  See her website or her  Etsy shop for more details.

Sharon Dixon, Guest Quilter

Sharon's on the right, and that's me on the left ... 2009.
(We simply must take a more recent shot.)
Thanks, Cathy, for sending me this picture!

My very dear friend Sharon Dixon has agreed to appear as my Guest Quilter today.  She is a wonderful machine quilter, with a business in longarm quilting for quilt-top makers, as well as creating one-of-a-kind t-shirt quilts for her customers, called Katy T-Shirt Quilts .  She uses a special soft interfacing so that her t-shirt quilts come out nice and soft ... "real" quilts, not stiff and icky like some I've seen.  She has also now opened a new Etsy store to sell her own pieced quilts.  She has many customers from across the world.

Sharon's funky new layout design for t-shirt quilts

Interview with Sharon Dixon:

Sharon, how did you get involved in quilting, and how long have you been quilting as a business?

I can thank my mother for my quilting career.  She taught me a love of fabric and quilting at a young age.  After making my first quilt at age nine, I pieced and hand-quilted several quilts through the years.  Then when I discovered rotary cutters and rulers around 1989, I became a prolific piecer.  Since there was no time to get the quilts hand-quilted, I had to explore other options.  My husband Tommy sold a tractor he refurbished and gave me the money to buy my first quilting machine.  By 1996, I was quilting for others.  I hadn't really planned to start a business.  It just evolved from a part-time hobby to a full-time business. 

The simplest t-shirt layout.

Do you still piece quilts?  How do you manage your time in order to be both creative and a successful businesswoman?

I'm usually so busy piecing T-shirt quilts or other special order quilts for customers that I don't find much time to piece or quilt my own.  But I try to sneak in one of my own every so often.  Time management is my biggest challenge.  It's so easy when one is self-employed at home to get distracted and not use time wisely.  But I try to work all morning and then take a two-hour break in the afternoon to rest and re-energize before working until about 8:00 or so at night.  It helps a lot that I love what I do.  And I have to admit that I don't follow a rigid schedule every day of the week.  Having flexibility to spend time with my grandkids and quilting friends is important to me.  I would be remiss if I didn't credit my husband Tommy with a great deal of my success because he does so much to help me which allows me time to concentrate on my quilting business.. 

A very cool pieced layout for t-shirts.

What awards/ribbons have you won, and what publications have you appeared in?

I've won several ribbons in the West Houston Quilter's Guild quilt shows, but the one I was most excited about was the Judge's Choice ribbon.  I've been fortunate to have quilts that I quilted for Bonnie Blue Quilts appear in McCall's Quilting Magazine and on the cover of Quilt Mania, a French quilting magazine that is published in several languages.  Cynthia Regone's book Colorful Quilts, A Journey Through Fabric featured several quilts that I quilted for her.  And four quilts that I quilted were published in Simple Strategies for Block Swap Quilts by Lynn Roddy Brown.  I have been told that Lynn is releasing another book in August that will have my quilting in it, and another Bonnie Blue quilt will be appearing in a magazine this spring. 

  

A t-shirt quilt made for the AWTY International School auction.

What advice do you have for customers who have never taken their quilt-tops to a longarm quilter to be finished?

The most important advice would be to find a reputable longarm quilter.  One does not instantly become a professional machine quilter when she purchases her first quilting machine.  It takes practice to develop longarm skills as well as customer service skills.

Texas Aggie t-shirt quilt

What would you do with a year free to do what you wanted with no responsibilities or financial concerns?

I would spend more time with my grandkids and maybe take each of them on a special trip.  I would also do some traveling with my husband and quilting friends.  But most of the year would probably be spent piecing and quilting my own quilts!

One of Sharon's own pieced quilts ... gorgeous!

Thank you, Sharon, for being my guest today ... 

Detail of the quilt shown above.

Please visit both Sharon's Etsy Store and her Katy T-Shirt Quilts website, for contact information and to find out about having your own t-shirt quilt made.  I sleep under one of mine every night, and have others as lap quilts and guest quilts.  The best use of old-and-treasured t-shirts EVAH!

Sharon Dixon's 15 minutes

My dear friend Sharon Dixon has had what she calls her "15 minutes of fame" recently, with several articles about the West Houston quilting industry.


"Sharon Dixon uses a computerized quilting
machine to make custom designs." (Katy Magazine)

Hobby Thrives Despite Economic Downturn - Houston Chronicle, February 17, 2009
(article slightly abbreviated due to length)

This month, many Katy and Fort Bend quilting entrepreneurs will be showing their wares at Katy’s Merrell Center, where the West Houston Quilter’s Guild is hosting its biennial quilt show and sale. With 213 entries and more than two dozen vendors, the “Threads of Time” show runs 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, February 20 and continues 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday.

WANT TO GO?
• What: West Houston Quilter’s Guild is hosting its biennial quilt show and sale
• When: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday (Feb.20-21, 2009)
• Where: Leonard Merrell Center, 6301 S. Stadium Lane in Katy, Texas
• Admission: $6 per day; $5 for seniors
• For information: www.whqg.org

Show visitors can take chances on a raffle quilt, vote for their favorite show entry and buy more fabric for their next project. Downtown Katy merchants have organized their own quilt show and sale as part of their monthly Market Days.

Quilting business owners say their customers love the color and feel of fabric, and seem compelled to grow their “stash,” a store of extra fabric kept in closets, under-bed boxes, or guest rooms turned into quilting studios. They are “destination shoppers,” planning day- or weekend-long “shop hops” with their friends, or retreats to country locales where they gather to sew and shop together.

The Emporium books quilting cruises, allowing crafters to sail away with their sewing machines to exotic ports of call. For most avid quilters, a first step when arriving in any new town is turning to “Q” in the yellow pages of the telephone book.

Quilt shops have many ways to lure customers in the door. Like other shops, Quilt ‘n Sew Studio offers classes and a buying club. The Feathered Star has a weekly “Sit and Sew” where customers can bring their machines and visit while working on their latest projects. Several times a year, the Emporium schedules a popular “pajama party” where quilters show up in their nightgowns and fuzzy slippers for a late-night quilting party.

Business is still good, said quilt shop owners, despite the current economy. “Quilters are obsessed with fabric. It’s a type of hobby that is handed down from generation to generation,” said Debbie Bertrand, owner of the Quilter’s Cottage in Richmond. “When the economy takes a turn, people turn to their hobbies and do more things at home.”

Sharon Dixon, whose workshop is behind her Katy, Texas home, is one of several machine quilters listed on the WHQG Web site at http://www.whqg.org/. She began her business full time in 2001, after she and her husband sold their hardware store in Old Katy.

Dixon sews youths’ T-shirts into bedcovers, and has been asked to turn a stack of old shirts into a quilt honoring a loved one who died. She’s now on her third room-sized long-arm machine.

“Business is going very well. I’ve been a little bit nervous with the economy, but it has not slowed down so far. I think quilters are so addicted they just have to keep going. It’s their therapy."

Last month, Sharon was again featured in an article about quilting in Katy Magazine:
(again, article slightly abbreviated for length)


(Hey, that's MY t-shirt quilt that Sharon made and quilted for me!)

Quilting is a big deal in Katy. According to Nita Beard of the West Houston Quilter’s Guild, half of its membership are from the Katy area. “The popularity of quilting is astounding. People have quilted forever,” says Beard. “Some still prefer hand-quilting, but many of today’s artists quilt by machine. It’s an ancient craft that has evolved into a modern-day art form.”

The WHQG was formed in 1993 with only 25 ladies and now boasts hundreds of diverse members including teens, new mothers, grandmothers, and even a few men. Every other year the WHQG hosts a quilt show, attracting thousands of onlookers, shoppers, and artists. Last year, guild members presented a check for $3,000 to Katy Christian Ministries through proceeds from a raffled quilt. “Our 2009 show will be held in February at the Merrell Center, and the excitement is building!” says Beard.

Most modern-day quilters cut out squares from high-quality quilting fabric, follow specific patterns, and machine sew the squares together. Then they either hand quilt the top, or take it to a professional machine quilter. These quilts can cost hundreds of dollars to make, but can be passed down through families from generation to generation.

Quilting has come a long way. Just ask Sharon Dixon of Katy T-Shirt Quilts. “Customers come to me with boxes of their children’s school t-shirts, or Rock-n-Roll t-shirts, or any collection of t-shirts. And I sew them into the most beautiful memory quilts you can imagine! It means so much to snuggle with all of those memories,” says Dixon. “Quilting is a unique way to share your love with future generations.”

Dixon also has a long-arm quilting machine business. “People who don’t stitch by hand come to me for specialized machine quilting. My quilting machine is on a big table and runs stitching through the entire quilt, based on a design my customer chooses.”

Learning the Craft
Some quilters are self-taught, while others learn from family members. Most join a quilting guild or take lessons at a local quilt shop. Many young mothers are learning to quilt because of the design appeal - quilts give a custom look to a bedroom and are lovely on the wall of a nursery. Devoted quilters visit the International Quilt Festival every October at the George R. Brown Convention Center to learn the latest about quilting world-wide. Whether you’re a master quilter or you just appreciate the art form, there’s no doubt that Katy has plenty to offer the quilt enthusiast.

If you’re interested in purchasing a quilt, taking lessons, or buying some supplies, be sure to visit each of these stores.

Quilt-N-Sew
(Owner Terri Burton is a big supporter of the West Houston Quilt Guild ... thank you so much, Terri! )
829 S. Mason Rd.
281-398-0670
http://www.quiltnsew.com/

Bonnie Blue Quilts
http://www.bonniebluequilts.com/

Feathered Star
1002 Ave. A
281-371-2456
thefeatheredstar.info

Katy T-Shirt Quilts (Sharon Dixon)
3020 N. Saddlebrook Lane
281-395-3374
http://www.katytshirtquilts.com/

West Houston Quilter’s Guild
http://www.whqg.org/

Reporter KM MELANIE SAXTON is a local area writer and editor, community
volunteer, and proud mom to daughter, Emily.

I would add one more quilt shop to the list of great places to visit near the West Houston/Katy area ...
Quilter's Cottage
920 FM 359
Richmond, TX 77406
281-633-9331
http://www.texasquilterscottage.com/

Owner Debbie Bertrand opened this wonderful shop in 2006, and has a huge selection of quality quilting fabrics, plus gift and quilting supply items. The last Saturday of every month is “Build Your Stash” day, when a selection of fabrics are chosen and priced at a 25% discount , and they also have a fun sew–in on Friday mornings. Debbie is a generous supporter of the West Houston Quilt Guild, and we appreciate her! Quilter's Cottage is a "destination" shop ... well-worth the few minutes' extra drive to Richmond.

Beautiful T-Shirt Quilt

My friend Sharon Dixon of Katy Tshirt Quilts does longarm machine quilting for customers, and the latest addition to her business is making quilts from her customers' t-shirts that they bring her. Most customers seem to want simple blocks and sashings (see her website for examples), but this one (for the Awty School) is a bit more complex, with its compensating blocks. I just love what she did with it, and asked her permission to show it here ...



Beautifully constructed, and beautifully quilted. Sharon is not only a dear friend, but also one of the best and most dedicated quilters I know. Highly recommended ... tell her I sent you!