you know, for kids..

skull shirt

since the halloween decor hit the shelves, i've had my eye on a few cute halloween tees for the lady. but i'm not in love with the prices. and while i'll fight you for them when they go on 80% clearance, right now, i'll pass...but i still want her to wear some cute halloween-y type clothes. can you see my dilemma? i know...it's tragic. anyway, i figured i could make something that would probably be cuter than anything on the shelves...so...i set out


i picked up a little plain, long-sleeved, black shirt at the store  ($3) and then went on the hunt for inspriation.
cue *aaaah music...
and i found it.
at michaels.surprisingly. (go here for my current michaels frustrations). they have these cute kid-sized felt masks for $1.
i took the little mask and shirt home, introduced them to each other. and got to work.
first, i removed the elastic band from the mask. pinned the mask to the shirt.
then, i went to my sewing machine. said a little prayer. and started sewing. initially, I wanted to do black stitching around the mask-to sort of highlight it and make it look more jagged, frankenstein-esque (even if my sister says it makes no sense that bones would have seams...i wanted to do it). but. logic prevailed.  i knew my sewing skills aren't up to par yet, and black thread would show all of those mistakes/uneven lines, etc. so. white thread it was.
then i found some old material and my favorite b/w ribbon of the season. yes. i've already used it, too...here. cut some circles, burned the edges, sewed them together (by hand). added a cool button and
got this

i love it.it's cute. sassy. all things lady m.
in fact, i might go to michaels (grrr) and see if they have another mask so i can make one for myself.
and all for $4...woohoo!


things i've learned:
1. i'm getting braver with my sewing skills. look at all of those curvy edges. i totally sewed them. i know, be proud.
2. there are  lots of options with this shirt...you could totally do a cool orange/b/w bow tie or turn him into a pirate. i could go on... in fact, i might add more flowers (just two smaller ones) to this one. i think she might need them. but for now i love it.
3. holy cow. $4 can get you a lot...