Friends, I think I may have taken the easier road on this challenge. First, I pinned a piece of waffle knit fabric onto Emma until it made the shape I wanted. I cut a hole for the neckline, pinned on a back piece, and trimmed and altered until I had two pieces that were similar and had hems the same length.
You'll see that it's yellow waffle knit, which means my brain automatically goes to smothered and covered...
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| Picture from this article where a guy was living on the roof of the Waffle House. I guess he was really serious about those hashbrowns! |
I worked on, dreaming of the tasty goodness which cannot be found in Chicago, and before I knew it, I had a t-shirt.
You'd think with my first attempt at draping (if it can even be called that), I would've tried for something a little more ... exciting. In an effort to bust more of my stash, I cut up an already scrapped yellow t-shirt and used pieces around the neck, armholes, and hem.
It is completely unsurprising that this is one comfy shirt, but I was shocked when I realized that it took me about an hour (from beginning draping to finishing the armholes) to complete this project. I imagine it would've taken me at least half that time for measuring and pinning if I had used a pattern. This shirt makes me feel as though my time was well spent. I can't lie - it was pretty invigorating to be working without a pattern and have no idea if the outcome would be wearable.
Close-up of the waffle knit and sleeve and neckline trimmings. I don't know why it never occurred to me to use scrapped t-shirts as bias tape for other projects, but I am definitely going to incorporate this new knowledge into other projects down the road!
Since I didn't think this project was going to turn out very well, I didn't mind that the fabric had a red stain on the upper shoulder blade. Oh well ... it gives the shirt character. Maybe I should turn it into a pseudo-tattoo that is a heart with "Mom" written over it. Or not. Whatevs.
Now that the first patternless project has turned out so well, I might be persuaded into pushing myself a little farther next time. I really enjoyed the adventure of seeing what was coming next and how it was going to turn out - it got the creative juices flowing!! ( ... and possibly made me hungry. For waffles. And hashbrowns. And really awful coffee at 3am.)
Friends, have you ever gone patternless? Share your links in the comments - I'd love to see what you've been up to!!