Sewing Fail: A Summer Shirt

The other day I decided that I wanted to sew a sleeveless top.  I don't currently own any patterns for such a top, and my printer refuses to print unless every single ink color is filled to maximum capacity, so I went off on my own.

I had been browsing Pinterest, doing serious research, and saw lots of crafters successfully draft their own tank pattern from a shirt in their closet.  Easy enough, right?

Since I was leaving my comfort zone by going pattern-free it was an it was an obvious decision to not use any of my good fabric.  This seemed like a good idea, but it might have been the biggest contribution to this project's ultimate fail.  Years ago, I had picked up some highly discounted mystery fabric for a steal.  (I think it was something crazy like fifty cents a yard.)  Well, it's some sort of polyester blend (I guess) and it melts when ironed.  It also frays like crazy.

In theory, I really like this tank.  I love the long back.  (Which I totally free-styled!  My original tank was just a boring hip length shirt.)  I managed to get the bust darts in about the right place to give the front just a teeny bit of shaping.  The fabric is lightweight, airy, and has some nice drape.

In practice though, it's rather a fail.  The hems are atrocious.  I hadn't quite realized how much I rely on my iron to make my hems neat.    The neckband screams "I'M HANDMADE!" in a bad way.  Again, I hadn't realized how much an iron helps.  I also used bias tape that was way too wide.  It's just a disaster.

From a distance it doesn't look too bad, but up close it's just not good.  What do you think?  I did learn things through this process.  I also did enjoy my time while creating.  I am reminded of this post by Melly Sews, "Why You Should Sew -- Badly".  I might wear this top around the house a few times, but I highly doubt I'd wear it in public.  (Other than on this public blog!)

What was your most recent craft fail?  What's your favorite tank sewing pattern?  Have you worn some of your fails?

Shop now and get $10!

My New Shirt from Allied Shirts (A Product Review)

I received a shirt in exchange for this review.  Everything in this post is my own honest opinion.  

Here I am sporting my new shirt courtesy of Allied Shirts!

Catherine, age 4, took this picture of me and Dominic.

Shirts start as low as $3.54, but price is determined by number of shirts and how many ink colors you need, so it will be a bit more for a single shirt.  I think mine would have been over $30.  However, I don't think you would ever have to pay full price, because they are constantly having sales!  (This morning I checked and they are having a 30% off sale.)  BUT, they also have a Low Price Guarantee.  Additionally, they have free shipping on standard orders!  Free shipping is a huge plus, however, keep in mind that it does take a little while.

I am happy with this t-shirt.  The shirt is the "Unisex Classic" in Ash.  I generally am a ladies medium, but since this is a unisex shirt I ordered a small.  I think the size is perfect.  The shirt is 100% preshrunk cotton.  There are lots of colors to choose from in this style.

I must admit, the grey shirt is the second shirt that I received from Allied Shirts.  The first shirt had a quality control issue with the shirt itself and I was disappointed with how the printing turned out.  (The image wasn't vibrant at all.)  When I informed them of my concerns they immediately started working on solutions.  I can attest firsthand that they are serious about customer satisfaction.

The printing options are just about endless, but you will want to keep in mind some images won't work as well on some colors of shirts.  Here's my original image:

This image looks good on the shirt I'm wearing in these pictures, but it didn't look as nice on a black shirt.  Just something for you to keep in mind when you create your own shirts.

I can think of a lot of great reasons to make a custom shirt: family reunions, class trips, school (traditional, non-traditional, or homeschool!), advertise your blog, and more.  How would you customize yours?

Disclosure: 

Like I said above, I received a shirt for the purpose of this review.  All opinions are my own.