Drawing and printing and beading - oh my!

I made these t-shirts for the last local craft swap of the year.  I used a kit from EZScreenprint that Amy recommends in her newest book, Bend the Rules with Fabric.  (Fantastic book, by the way!)  I wanted to make embellished t-shirts, similar to the ones I have seen from J. Crew.  I doodled a bit and came up with a design.  I burned my screen in the sunlight (really!  so easy!) and then used it to print on t-shirts.  After the t-shirts were dry, they sat around my house for a few weeks until the day of the swap when I got busy embellishing. 

My vision was an all over beaded design like the one above.  That didn't happen because this one shirt took me 2 hours to bead.  2 hours x 6 shirts = way more time than I had.  I changed course and ended up embellishing the centers of the flowers/stars/snowflakes (really, whatever you want them to be).  They still turned out cute - no picture, though.  It was dark when I finished.

I have one shirt left to embellish - it's for me.  I'm looking forward to sitting in front of a movie, with needle and thread, and beading.  I was surprised to find that I really enjoyed hand sewing and beading together.  Who knew it would be so relaxing?  Once I get the shirt done, it may be time to make one of these.  I think I have everything I need on hand.  Perfect for a day when you don't want to leave the house.  And it fits in well with one of my goals this year:  sew more clothing for me.

Comments

[jess]

You should totally make one of those Alabama Chanin skirts!
They are so beautiful.

[Anna - Three Sneaky Bugs]

Oh, I love how the t-shirt turned out! They grey is perfect. And really it should be one of my resolutions to do a project out of the ASB too. I've only been dreaming about it for months. I just need to get off my tush, or rather on my tush and start stitching!

[Sarah Jackson]

I've been waiting to see the results of your screen printing - so pretty!

I love that skirt. I bet that would be good post-baby wear.

[Jeni]

This is really pretty! I want to try one too :)

[Rachael]

I don't think I've ever commented before, but this is utterly gorgeous!

[beki]

That turned out great! I'm itching to start another alabama stitch skirt (I went crazy and ordered bunches of knit fabric after my first one). I haven't tried my hand at beading yet, but I bet I'd like it. Hand work is more appealing to me these days, I guess because of the portability of it.

[Kelly]

this is so pretty!

[Meg Evans]

The shirt is just beautiful! I received the Alabama Stitch Book for Christmas. My idea is to start the skirt now, while it's still cold, so it'll be ready to go when spring arrives! I'm not sure how much I'm going to like all the hand-stitching, but there's only one way to find out!

[Erika]

Here's a silly problem: I never know what sewing needle to use that can go through the beads.

[tams]

Love it! So fitting for New years! bravo!

[Melanie]

Like you, I was surprised when I realized how much I like hand-stitching and beading. It's so relaxing to do and the results are so pretty to look at. Thanks for linking to my post about my skirt from Alabama Stitch Book.

[Nichole]

that really turned out so nicely! it looks like something that you could find in the store.

[leslie]

ha.... after i left that comment on flickr i was reminded how i thought you put your t shirt in the freezer... to do the freezer paper stencils. :)

this is sooo cute!

[dorie]

So cute! J Crew has nothing on you.

[blair]

Look at you gettin all fancy and screenprinting right over that armhole seam! They look fantastic, I love the embellishement (make sure you give the full beading to yours).

[Taryn]

It turned out great! I'll bet everyone loved theirs.

[Gina]

I go agree, cold weather and hand sewing seem to go hand in hand. So how many beads do think you've sew in all?

[Stefani]

Oh Erin, what fun! "Screen printing" sounds so scary, but you've made it look so divine!

[Jessica C.]

Gorgeous shirts! I do ALOT of freezer paper stenciling and have been thinking about getting more into screenprinting. I hadn't come across these kits before I am thinking about ordering it did you like the product? Love your blog by the way I should probably comment more!

[The Train To Crazy]

So cute! After reading Amy's book I have been wanting to do screen printing but haven't taken the leap yet. I love your design!

[mjb]

Very cute!

[Jenny]

I have never seen that before! So cool. I have tried on a lot of J Crew embellished t's (even own a few) and yours is right up there! Love it!