Chudley Cannons Jersey

The dress code at my old work place was "business casual" (no denim, no Ts, no sneakers).  However, during the month of September, all Sundays were "NFL Jersey Days."  Employees were allowed to wear a jersey to support their favorite NFL team.

I do not follow football.  So I decided to put my own spin on it!  I figured that I would support the worst team in the history of... Quidditch!

There are two parts to this project: the shirt and the print.

1) The Shirt

The easy way out is going to the athletic department of any department store and buying a $10 performance shirt in a color of your team.  However, I used this opportunity to learn how to make shirt from scratch.  I wanted to develop working with knit/stretchy fabric.  

A) The primary skill I learned was making the collar of a shirt.  It's all about knowing how to stretch material.  I used this video as my guide:
http://www.threadsmagazine.com/item/3839/video-a-neckline-binding-for-knits

B) Another thing I learned is that the front and back pieces are identical.  The only difference is in the neck opening.  In garments made out of a woven material, the back piece is a bit longer.

C) For the sleeve, I really like the padded elbow look.  It adds a sporty edge.  To add this patch, I used a lot of tape, and then I zig-zag stitched around the circumference.  In terms of placement, I added it in the middle of the back side of the sleeve around where the elbow is.  I placed the center of the patch about 1 inch lower than the elbow point because the sleeve rides up when you bend your arm.  

I have a couple of critiques on the patch.  The first is that I should have made the patch larger.  The second critique is that I needed to stabilize the patch before sewing the patch to the sleeve.  Tape is a great method, however it is hard to remove.  Next time I would add interfacing to the patch before sewing.

2) The Print

I watch a lot of DIY videos on youtube.  These videos taught me about fabric you can print on with a regular home printer.  I knew that this would be the way to customize my shirt.  Here are a few videos you can watch to learn more about the fabric:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DxtexpJP2LQ&spfreload=10
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=niaQ8I_yebY&spfreload=10

(NOTE: I did not use the brand of paper seen in the videos.  I used the brand that was available at my local craft store.)

I made the logo and numbers on Microsoft PowerPoint.  (You could also buy iron numbers.  I decided to make my own numbers to get the size I desired.)

After ironing the print to the shirt, I stitched over all layers to make the print stay.  The yellow dashed line shows my stitching line; in reality, I used black thread.

I used iron-on letters in the past to make a shirt for my friend.  The shirt turned out really nice, but my friend said that the letters eventually peeled off.  Even with this shirt, I noticed that the corner of the "7" started to peel off.  So I stitched down all of the printed parts for extra support.   This extra stitching was great because it made the shirt look more like a professional jersey.

I'm so glad this project turned out better than I expected!  I really love the way it turned out!  

As for work, I wore it on the Sunday I was scheduled... and nobody commented on it.  I was worried that I was in trouble, so I asked by manager about it.  I explained my situation, and the manager just laughed at me.  She said that I was totally fine and that people just did not get it.  What?   I think I need to become a Harry Potter missionary because clearly there are people who are missing out on a great story!  Or maybe I should become a recruiter for the Chudley Cannons because, dang, they need some better players!

Pokemon Torchic Hat

In honor of Pokemon ORAS, I present to you my new favorite hat!

I do not own this image of Torchic.

Torchic is one of the cutest most kawaii Pokemon out there.  It's definitely one of my favorites from Generation III.  Also, there is a 1/3 chance that every new trainer in this region will start with this 'mon.  So what better way to celebrate this awesome occasion than making an awesome hat based on an awesome Pokemon?

For the base, I used the FREE pattern provided by TheCraftyGemini.  There are child and adult sizes, so you can choose accordingly.  In terms of fabric, TheCraftyGemini uses 2 layers of fleece.  I used an outer layer of fleece and an inner layer of knit jersey.  I chose to make the inner layer a jersey knit to avoid annoying static (I highly recommend this route). Go check out TheCraftyGemini's video!

In case anyone cares, the dimension of the plume is 3 1/4'' x 6 7/8''.  Yes, at this height, my hat does reach the top of the car when I drive.

I made the patterns for everything else.  There was no specific science to this process.   I just had to make sure that 1) the patterns were symmetrical and 2) the base was wide for stuffing.  The small "feather" was very difficult to cut; I tried 4 times to get it right.

A) Top view of hat.  B) Front view of hat.  The sewing line for the plume and beak respectively is indicated by the red dashed lines. 

Sewing on the plume and beak was the main challenge, especially the plume.  I knew that I wanted the plume to stand up.  The easy method to add attachments (like ears) is to sew them right into the seam.  This works best if the attachment is small.  However, the plume is quite large and has more potential to flop over.  So, I used pillow stuffing to give the plume depth and a base (I treated the plume like a pillow).  Then, I slip stitched the base of the plume onto the top of the hat (A).  It will feel like sewing in a rectangle.  I could have sewn the beak into the seam.  However, I wanted my Torchic to look more alive.  So I sewed my beak pieces in a diamond shape (with the top extending higher).  I used stuffing in the beak as well.  This process worked really well for me.  One thing to note is to use a generous amount of stuffing.  This will give the plume strength.

The hat before the eyes or beak were added.  As you can see on the computer,  I looked at a lot of Torchic pictures.  I even looked at other Torchic hats! What a HOT trend!  They are on FIRE! (Okay, I'll stop.)

In anime, eyes are really important.  Eyes are a huge indication of whether a creature/person is cute/fierce/derpy.  I've seen many Torchic hats out there that look really derpy because the eyes are constructed so poorly. For Torchic, the key is to make the eyes large, slightly tipped in, and correctly placed.  As you can see from the above picture, I used tape to figure out the right position before using E6000 to tack them down.

To finish the ties, I cut some trapazoids; sewed the non-parallel sides together; popped the straps through the small hole; made sure I liked the length I wanted; sewed over all layers on the small side; cut the excess strap; flipped the trapezoid down.  (Did you follow?)

I do not own this image of Torchic.

Can you tell I'm really happy?