Here is an incredibly easy way to DIY a t-shirt to add some contrasting color to the sides and make your sleeves slouchier!!  It has the added benefit of snipping away that underarm part of the t-shirt that might be damaged or worn-out from sweat or deodorant.  You can repair an old favorite t-shirt and make it wearable again!!

Here is my selected t-shirt: a super comfy and slightly oversized grey heather shirt
with floral hearts that have the appearance of being applique’d on~
Wearing this shirt soooo much has really worn out the underarms…
It’s really embarrassing sharing this photo!!  But I am doing so to show you that
you don’t have to be embarrassed either, because this damage is fixable.

The floral fabric on the left is what we’re going to DIY with,
and the yellow shirt on the right is another shirt that I wanted to do
a similar method with, so think of it as a preview for a future post!

–

I used pins to mark out the curve I’m going to be cutting along.
There was no super scientific measuring done here –
I only ‘outlined’ the damaged area in a neatly curved way and extended it down.

–

snip snop!
This part is nerve-wracking, because this is the part where you start going,
“Oh my god, I’m cutting into my favorite shirt, what am I doing?!”

the snip snop has been done.

–

Fold the shirt in half length-wise to cut an identical, symmetrical curve
on the other side.

–

(Um, don’t be like me… iron your fabric before using it for any project.)

Here, the cut-out pieces are laid over the fabric so that we can trace the same shape.
You want it against a folded edge so that you’re cutting through two layers.
Also, nudge the piece over further to the right than mine appears here.
There shouldn’t be any pieces hanging off the folded edge.

Also, you will only be cutting along the RIGHT side.
The left side (where the fold is) will remain straight.
It looks like excess fabric, but this is
what makes the new shirt slouchy and loose and cozy!

–

What you can’t see in this picture is all of the pins holding this in place on the inside.
I temporarily pinned it in and turned it right side out for this picture,
to test how it would look and to make sure I cut a correctly-sized piece.

So, this is a rough preview of how it will look when it’s done!

–

Here are those pins on the inside.

These photos are a bit old and I am very late in sharing them,
and at the time I did this project I always placed pins in
at a parallel line to the edge… now I place them perpendicularly, lol.

–

If you open up the shape like this (awkwardly),
you can see how it fits into both the front and back sides of the shirt.

–

Fold the edge over to line it up with the sleeve.
(Roll it under one more time than this, unlike my photo here that leaves the raw edge out…)

–

Here’s the other way to tell that this project is old…
BECAUSE I SEWED THIS BY HAND!!
If you love yourself, do this kind of project with a machine.
But, at the same time, the fact that I did it by hand is proof that it can be done.
You CAN do it even if you don’t have access to a machine.
Just be prepared for the hours of involvement
and that you may spend 2 or even 3 days on this…

–

The photo above showed me using orange thread,
but that was because the thread would be visible on the outside
and I thought the contrasting orange would be cute on the sleeve~
For the rest, I used grey.  Just backstitch aaaaall the way up and back down.

–

Here it is flipped right side out again, this time sewn for real!!

–

Iron the seam to flatten it neatly, and you are done!!!!
This old favorite t-shirt is repaired and dolled up with extra cuteness,
so I can continue wearing it without shame~

Even with the hand sewing and all of the raw edges that I left,
the shirt is perfectly wearable and can even be safely washed.
Stitches are sturdier than you think!!

It goes to show you that you can be messy and slow in your projects,
and they will still turn out successful.

Sewing is so forgiving and rewarding!!

This video is for a steampunk cosplay but this method for applying your base makeup is good in general!

KAWAII PATEEN

Just the other day, I shared a handful of cool playsets and Barbie doll houses, but today it’s time to cover some dolls!!

Barbie Birthday Doll

The PERFECT gift!!
I would be ecstatic to get one of these for my birthday, lol!
And you HAVE to check out the detail pics –
there is SOOO much glitter all over the dress!

–

Barbie I Can Be…Pet Vet

Okay, no lie, I went for this Barbie because I love her poofy curly hair!
This reminds me a lot of a Doctor Barbie that I had from the 90s.
That floral jacket she is wearing is rockin’, too.

–

Barbie Life in the Dreamhouse Midge Doll

The Barbie Life in the Dreamhouse series is super endearingly charming!
Midge returned from my Mom’s days of playing with Barbies
on the show one day and has resurfaced as a doll and character.
That’s seriously so cool!

–

Barbie in Rock ‘N Royals Singing Courtney Doll

Okay, this doll has pink hair so it is automatically my favorite.
Rock ‘n Royals is a recent Barbie movie addition.
I should probably watch it sometime,
watching those movies is a guilty pleasure of mine!

–

Barbie Hair Tattoos Doll

Hair tattoos??  How?!  HOW?!?
This is like the kind of Barbie I would get
just because I wanted to know how it “worked.”
Anyway, check out that amazing agejo dress Barbie is sporting!

I think it’s been forever, but I used to cover toys and dolls like Barbie once in a while instead of clothes all the time. n_n  A ton of new Barbie stuff is available since a new movie just came out!!  Here are some really pretty playsets that I found recently that are filled with beautiful sculpted details and perfect pastel colors!

Barbie Mariposa and The Fairy Princess Castle Playset with Mini-Dolls

The Barbie Mariposa movies are really sweet, I love fairies hehe. n_n
The sweet colors in this are my absolute faves!
Look at the awesome scallop-y sculpting in the table
and cool butterfly-backed chairs!

–

Barbie Chelsea Doll and Clubhouse Playset

Chelsea’s playsets are smaller and sometimes cuter!
Omg she has a cute stuffed bunny!
And look at all of the sweet cupcake decor all around~
And… heeeeey… is that the exact same butterfly chandelier
that is also in the Mariposa castle?

–

Barbie Splash and Slide Bath Playset

This is made with parts that are specifically OK for getting wet
in the bathtub or pool!
Mermaids are some of our favorite fantastical creatures,
and a pastel color scheme coated with glitter is perfect for them!
There is also a small wearable plastic tiara (at the top)
and pearl ring (in the clam shell above the swing)~

–

Barbie Glam Getaway House

You really have to view the page for this one,
because there are soooo many cool little details in these rooms
and you must check them out in the zoomed-in photos!
This is a really cool little set of rooms.
Honestly I’d like to have a getaway place like this myself hehe~

–

Barbie Shopping Mall Playset

OMG it’s a WHOLE SHOPPING MALL! (/*o*\)
There are such neat little stores here
and a really cool escalator!!
This would make a perfect backdrop for lots of play settings~