Newest Addition 1931 Singer

My newest baby.  A 1931 Singer in a beautiful bent wood case.  I found this at my local Goodwill way back before COVID happened.  It's taken me some time to get her into good shape, but she got her last oiling last night and I spent several hours sewing with her.  Beautiful!  And so quiet!

I was working yesterday on a new quilt.  It's just random fabric scraps that I didn't try very hard to match or make a nice pattern with.  I don't know.  It's probably the ugliest quilt I've ever made.  For some reason, I decided to do the piecing last year more out of duty to use up those scraps than any real desire to make a quilt or any real creativity.  

As a result, I could probably win the ugly quilt contest hands down.  I suggest.  No, I implore.  Please don't ever do this to yourself. 

I am however, determined to press on.  I will free motion quilt the squares in sections that are 25"x25" and go ahead and make it anyway.  This is the first time I've used Insulbright instead of cotton batting, so I will be curious as to whether or not it is actually warmer than a regular quilt.  Any of you have experience using Insulbright?

Merino Wool Fingerless Gloves

 

Daughter has been looking for fingerless gloves for some months now, and everything she's found so far has had some deal breaking flaw.  So I offered to make her something if she could find a yarn in my stash that she approved of.  Turns out there was a single ball of this blue, green, purple variegated merino wool that she positively fell in love with at first sight.

It took me a couple of weeks, simply because I've been having a hard time finding project time. But persistence prevailed!  I finished these a couple of days ago to an astonishing amount of excitement over how beautiful they were.  I love making my girl happy!

These are done on a circular needle and if I'd had two balls of yarn I would have knitted them both at the same time. Alas, I had only the one and no idea where it came from.  I would guess a clearance bin somewhere, but honestly, I keep my supplies for years sometimes before I get around to using them.  I can almost always shop my stash and find something I didn't even know I had.

I've used the book Knitting Without Tears as my go to reference book for knitting techniques, so that's where the thumb design comes from.  I have made countless fingerless gloves over the years, so my technique has morphed into something kind of my own, but that book is definitely my origin.  I used it 30 years ago to teach myself how to knit.  Left-handed.  People tell me I knit backwards.  I have no doubt they're right.

The wristband is your standard k2,p2 as is the finishing at the thumb and finger ends.  The palms are a straight knit.  The backs are a popcorn stitch.  Alternating double rows of k2, p2.  It's my favorite knitting stitch, for mysterious reasons of irrational personal preference.

Youngest Son is now clamoring for a pair like his sister's. I can't really blame him.  Hers turned out really nice.

I will, however, have to fix my knitting needles first.  I thought it was cute when I saw my cat Gizmo carrying them around by the nylon part, with the bamboo needles hanging from either side of her mouth.  Needless to say, I took them from her and put them away with my knitting things.  Apparently, not away enough.  She found them overnight.  And chewed them.  

Cats. Like husbands, can't live with 'em and can't live without 'em.

I'm Stuck On You, Baby Clothes

Idly shopping at Michael's one evening after work (I was working as the costume designer for a 10 minute play festival) before COVID-19 made such window shopping impossible, I came across the cute yarn collection in the clearance aisle.  5 small balls of yarn in somewhat coordinating colors, intended for small projects and simple color patterning.  In a merino wool/nylon blend.  I am constitutionally incapable of passing up merino wool at a good price.  I bought it.  And then realized I needed a set of needles to go with it.  So I bought those, too, and trundled my way home through the cold, blowing January winds.

Aha! Granddaughter needs a hat, I said.  Perfect.

This was the final result.  I had no real plan, I just kind of winged the patterning, just plain old striping really, as I went along.  The whole hat is done in K1, P1 ribbing knit which made the decreases in the stitches for the hat shaping rather clumsy, but I think it turned out pretty cute nonetheless.  DIL loved it.  Granddaughter wasn't so sure she liked anything on her head.  Alas, in the manner of all babies, she grew out of it very quickly.  But still likes the tassel on the point, so the hat graduated from the hated (or at least disliked :o) hate is such a strong term) item of clothing to a coveted toy whose tassels she likes to hold in her hand and squish it in that delightfully squishy way that merino squishes.  Win, win.  And I have no doubt that Granddaughter will have a little brother or sister sometime in the next few years, so it's a good hat to pass on to the siblings.

Cute Baby Clothes

My oldest son and his wife had their first baby last August.  I didn't get to make nearly enough baby clothes as I was busy working ridiculous hours as a theatre costume shop manager.  This year will be different *evil grin*  This kid will have so many clothes, her mother will only have to do laundry once a month.

I did manage to make this batch early on before my work got beyond insane.  They didn't find out she was a girl until she was actually born, so I made mixes of girl and boy clothes.

I love footed pants for babies.  I think they're so adorable and they eliminate the dreaded Lost Sock Syndrome.  The tops are all onesies with binding around the neck and leg edges and long prong fasteners at the crotch.

These were made from Big 4 patterns, and as we all know, the fit left a great deal to be desired.  I used the newborn size and naturally they were all too big.  And my granddaughter was not a particularly small baby.  Let's just say she wore those footed pants with the narwhales for quite some time.

When my contract with the theatre ended in October, I did some serious revamping of the onesie pattern and also made Granddaughter a few dresses.  None of which I took pictures of, of course. 

However, she needs more, so I will definitely get pics of those.  I've got three different kitty cotton knits (okay, one is tigers, but those are just big kitties, right?) that I've been just dying to cut in to.

I've also got a red brocade to make her a Christmas dress (hey! can't prepare too early) but I'm going to wait on that for a bit.  Guessing what her size will be six months from now is not likely to be accurate.

Braided Rag Rug

I think I mentioned that I made alot of clothes this year for the family out of some really nice wool knits.  Some were interlock, some jersey, some ponte knit.  All of them were very, very nice.  And I decided I couldn't bear to throw a single scrap away.

What to do?

Well, a rag rug, of course.  Isn't that the thought uppermost in everyone's mind.  No? Well, I AM weirder than most, I suppose.

My mother always crocheted rugs.  Where I grew up there were numerous textile factories, and there were always overruns of rolls and rolls of binding.  Usually about 1 inch wide, they were perfect for crocheting rugs and my mom made big ones--one long hallway runner was probably about 4 feet wide and a good 8-10 feet long. 

She showed me how when I was little, and I did make a few.  But I never enjoyed crocheting as much as she did and it's one of the few textile arts that I just. don't. do.

But I do like throw rugs.  Husband makes jokes about them being skateboards. I can't really argue--they do kind of have to be fastened down somehow or else they're hazardous to your health.  But they're so pretty.  And they keep the floor warm.  And they're fun to make!

Husband will just have to learn to be more careful.  :o)

Anyhow, I had all these scraps leftover from cutting out shirts and leggings and things.  Alot of them were already in long strips, some of them had to be cut, though.  And then I braided them together into a great long rope.

Initially, when I started stitching, I used the zigzag on my sewing machine.  I thought I was so clever and that I was going to have a rug in no time. And I was right.  Sort of.  Right up until it came time to stitch the portion of the rope that I had braided some scraps of viscose/nylon/lycra ponte knit into.  My machine revolted. My vintage machine rebelled.  My computerized machine sat in the corner, sulking and wailing.  My trusty compatriots abandoned me in my hour of need.

I broke down and handstitched it.

Wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.  Didn't really enjoy crawling around on the floor for the 4 or 5 hours it took, but I didn't hate it either. 

Now, I have a rug.  Granted, it's a little wonky in the center portion.  A rope made of wool knit stretches alot more than you think it might.  So that center portion got a little stretched in construction, but I think it'll settle down after it's been walked on a bit.

I've been told the colors don't go together.  My response?

It's like the forest. There's lots of rocks and dirt and dead leaves and bark that are gray and black and brown and bright green leaves overheard.  And then there's flowers which are pink and purple and red.

Don't tell me my colors don't go together.  If it works for Mother Nature, it works for me.

I haven't finished off the end yet.  I still have dreams of making it bigger. I just ran out of scraps.  But it's not like there won't be more in the future.  Scraps, I mean.

And I'm patient.

Hand Embroidered Applique

I think I've mentioned before how much I love Michelle Carragher's work in embroidery.  She uses not only thread, but beads, rings, crystals and other embellishments to make the most incredible designs. So I thought I'd give it a try myself.

I started with a quick sketch of an eagle in flight. After all, animals are easy, right? Wrong.  Categorically wrong.

Then I fastened a piece of black organza over the top of the sketch to an empty cardboard box. I simply used straight pins and pushed them through the cardboard to hold the two layers together.  Use lots of pins, because organza likes to slide around when you're tracing.

After that, I used a Fons & Porter chalk quilting pencil to trace the sketch onto the organza.

A really good pencil sharpener can put a nice point on a chalk pencil if you're careful not to break the chalk.  Good thing I have a nice collection of sharpeners.

Once you have your pattern traced, you can put the organza into an embroidery hoop and get started.  On this fabric, it helped if I put a black fabric on my lap so I could see the traced lines easier.

Here's the start of the wings.

Wings, tail, and head finished.  For the inside of the wings, I used one strand each of two different colored embroidery threads. Don't ask me which colors.  These are vintage embroidery flosses that I've had for a lifetime.

Chest and feet complete the thread design.

Some seed beads added to the wings, chest, and tail.  Seed beads make up the claws and the eye.  Ideal? No, but it's what I had on hand.  A trip to the bead store is a half hour and if I remember correctly, I was doing this at about 2am.

Then I coated the entire back side of the design with Alene's Jewel-It using a paintbrush.  I don't know if you can even get this stuff anymore, but it is my favorite fabric glue.  Stays soft and flexible, which is perfect for something like this.  And then I cut away the organza.  Very, very carefully.

And that's the finished applique.  Ready to be stitched to your garment of choice.  I haven't decided what to do with this one yet.

Wool Knits and Jalie Patterns

So back in November (maybe?) when FabricMartFabrics.com had their big sale on wool knits, I bought ....and astonishing amount of yardage from them.  Which I then proceeded to make woolen warm clothes for the whole family.  I got a combination of jerseys, interlocks, and ponte knits, all of them almost 100% wool.  A little itchy, like all wools but the most cozy merinos, but for $8-$12 a yard, who's complaining?

I used mostly Jalie patterns, as I am in love with their fit and all those sizes. One of the first Jalie patterns I ever bought was 2328, their men's thermal underwear pattern. I've used it countless times for either my husband or one of my three boys.  I've got the paper pattern which is no longer available. It's still available off the Jalie website as a download, however.

Here it is in a heathered gray wool ponte knit.  I used the three yards I bought of this fabric for a pair of leggings for me, one for DD, and one for DIL as well as this pair of thermal pants for one of my sons.

I also made a whole lot of shirts for my sons and husband using Jalie 2918. No pics of those, but there's only so much to see.  It's a t-shirt. Nuff said.

For DIL, I made this matching set of leggings and Jalie 2806 the gathered scoop neck top.  I made a whole lot of these for myself a couple of years ago.  These are made of wool/lycra jersey in a gorgeous periwinkle.  Not my color, but it looks fabulous on her.  The leggings I made from a pattern copied from a pair of leggings she already has that she likes the fit.

Apologies for the crummy pictures.  Laying things out on the floor is not my preferred way of displaying my creations, but it's snowing and blowing outside and kinda dim and dreary inside.

All in all, since November, I made alot of tops and pants for all the members of the family.  Good thing, too, 'cuz it's been coooold this year.

Knitted Fingerless Gloves

So I made fingerless gloves for the whole family for Christmas this year and I'm a-kicking myself for not taking a pic of all the beautiful gloves laid out on the table.  I also made a pair for my husband, which was not a part of the Christmas batch, and sadly, it is the only picture I have.

I've been collecting random (usually single) balls of yarn for years--a yarn store I used to go to had a "yarn orphanage" for the last couple leftover balls of a lot, usually sold for rock bottom clearance prices.  So I went through all this yarn--mostly 100% wools--and found plenty for making fingerless gloves.  Some was more suitable for gloves than others, so I used the cream of the crop to make each pair.  I tried to make each knit pattern a little different so that each pair was unique.  I had about two weeks to make up 5 pairs of gloves. 

I was still hurriedly knitting up the last pair on Christmas eve.  I made a pair for each of the kids (they're all teenagers and adults, but they humor their absolutely ridiculous mom) and stuck a little clue inside each one of them to show whose was whose.  Then I had the kids take turns guessing which gloves belonged to who with the only rule being that that couldn't try to guess their own.  Actually, it was quite fun and I'm wondering what I can make for them all next year and play the same game.

A New Blankie

All right then, let's get started.

This winter, I put alot of focus on knitting.  Just before I moved at the end of 2015, I found two balls of this Bernat yarn on clearance, so I bought them with no plan whatsoever what I would do with them.  I fell in love with the variegated earth tones in brick red, chocolate, cream, and blue, and this yarn is fluffy and spongy and just downright cuddly.

Bernat Blanket Yarn--Sailor's Delight

This past winter, I discovered this pattern of colors is still available.  Bought 2 more balls at Michael's. And I started knitting a blanket.

Let me state that I hate large knitting projects.  I almost never knit anything larger than a sock or a pair of gloves or a scarf or a hat.  I just don't.

But this yarn called me.  And I started knitting a blanket.  I don't know. Temporary insanity perhaps.

I started with 100 stitches on a circular needle.  I figure I'll make it in sections and then stitch them together.  That way I won't get discouraged with trying to maneuver a big, old clumsy afghan around in my chair.  I so I started on the biggest knitting project I've ever done. And the more I worked on it, the more I loved it.  It's so spongey.  And warm.  And cuddly.

So I bought another 4 balls of yarn on Amazon.  Because I wanted it to be a BIG blanket.  Permanent insanity.  I have no idea what possessed me.

But here it is. Judge for yourself.  Is it worth it?

 

Racerback Tanks in Jersey Print

It's summertime and time for some new tank tops.  My old ones are pretty much worn out and recently I've had to throw several away.  One got stained beyond rescue and in two others the lycra gave out and made the fabric all ripply and weird. 

I love these two newest additions to my tank top stable.  I spent many an hour developing this racerback tank top until I got the pattern and every little curve of the straps just the way I wanted them.

The yellow print is a cotton/lycra jersey several years old trimmed with the same print fabric in the black colorway.  The binding is a tiny 1 inch wide before it is sewn on -- you have to be very, very careful with that one, there's no room at all for error.

The camouflage -- and I do love camo -- is a plain cotton jersey, kinda flimsy and I don't think this tank will make past this summer season before it starts to develop holes and such.  But it was so cute, I couldn't resist.  If you look closely, you can see the butterflies integrated into the camouflage pattern.  Is that awesome or what?!  I used a slightly wider binding on this one -- 1 1/2 inches unsewn.  You wouldn't think that just a little bit of extra binding could change the look of a shirt so much, but it does. 

I've got two more tanks tops to finish off and a knit dress for Daughter as well.  As soon as those are done, it's off to a couple of simple ballet tops for me.

Everything's Going Swimmingly

Hmmm.  I can't really make a joke to save my life, can I?

Here's the newest project: A pair of board shorts for Youngest Son.  Because we really want to be ready for summer swimming as soon as the water warms up.

The pattern is Kwik Sew 3430...one of the older ones that were still printed on heavy paper. I'm hoping I can use the pattern this year and next year yet, because after that I'll have to find a men's pattern for him.  Boy's patterns are so much easier to find than men's that I'm not looking forward to the treasure hunt.

Anyway, these are made from microfiber purchased from fabricfairy.com.  I only ordered 1/2 yard each of the print and the navy, not realizing how loooooong board shorts are.  So those navy design details at the hems of each leg?  Yeah, that's the extra length I needed for the pattern pieces.  If I'd checked the pattern envelope for yardage needed, I would've known.  I'm going to try not to make that mistake again. 

In any event, these went together pretty nicely with no problems.  Though I used 1 inch elastic for the waist instead of 2 pieces of 3/8 inch like the instructions call for.  You can't really see the front tabs where the lacing goes through because of the crazy print fabric, but they're there.

I think when I make these again, I'll sew 1 inch hems.  I think it would look better with deeper hems, but that's really the only thing I'd do differently.  We'll have to see how they work in the water before I can make a final judgement, though.

Woo Hoo! New Jalie 3350 Swimsuit

Doggone it! This thing is so cute.  Even in the lousy picture with terrible lighting it looks cute.  Okay the hot pink flowers accented with the black probably contributes to its cuteness, but really, I give alot of credit to the pattern.

This is the View A front with the View B back.  That front sweetheart neckline is so prettily shaped and the construction method is easy and straightforward. 

I made this for Daughter using the size that corresponded to her girth measurement, so it turned out to be a little looser in the chest than ideal since she's pretty tall in proportion to her other measurements.  It's no where near a problem, but I'll probably slim down the next one just a tiny bit.  I thought the leg openings wouldn't fit since the elastic is only a teeny bit shorter than them, but that too was no problem.  Fit perfectly.

I used a swimsuit fabric that was covered in dusty pink flowers (that I never liked) for the lining and I lined the back as well as the front.

All in all, from tracing to final stitch was about 3 hours.  Awesome.

Mother/Daughter Swimsuit Set

I made this Jalie swimsuit pattern a couple of years ago and I found at the time that I had used the wrong size for both Daughter and myself.  Neither suit was unwearable, but both were just a little too short in the torso.  So I decided to revisit it to get the sizing right with a pattern that I'm already familiar with before I launched into the more (to me, anyway) complicated new swimsuit pattern. 

The flowered fabric I got from Fabric.com last year and the purple came from JoAnn's.  I ended up lining mine with what was left of the purple since I personally prefer my swimsuit to be on the heavier side and the cost of the lining fabric is the same as the cost of the fashion fabric.  I also hate sewing that slippery, slinky lining fabric.  Win, win.

At any rate, they both fit perfectly.  And I didn't really intend to make matching swimsuits, it just sort of turned out that way.  I have pink, purple, and orange fabrics for swimsuits.  Daughter chose the purple.  Okay.  I don't look good in pink, and I'm saving the orange for my swimsuit from the new Jalie pattern, which means I ended up with purple, too.  And as you can see, they're not exactly alike.  Well, except the backs are identical.

So, now it's time for the new Jalie swimsuit pattern.  Daughter wants one view and I want the other, so I've got my work cut out for me.  I think I'll make Daughter's first, since she probably needs a second suit more than I do

Summer Sewing Begun at Last!

Here's my first bit of summer sewing: Daughter's new bathing suit. She's tried it on and is super happy with it.

The pattern is Jalie 3134 Racerback Swimsuit from the set of patterns that was put out in October 2011.  I've made it before for both myself and for Daughter, but since I wasn't quite satisfied with the fit either time, I wanted to try it again.  This one is absolutely perfect.  And went together from start to finish in about 3 hours.

Remember, it's important to choose the size from the girth measurement.  Anything else is kind of iffy.

Next up is a swimsuit for me.  I traced out the pattern for my size last night at the same time I traced out Daughter's, so it's just a matter of laying out the fabric, cutting the pieces, and stitching my little heart out.

After that, I have Jalie's new swimsuit pattern to try out.  Daughter wants the View A with the B back.  I want the View B with the A back.  And it'll be nice for us both to have a second suit to wear for a change.

 

What Do You Do...

...when you're frustrated?

I have a pretty piece of ivory colored poly/rayon burnout jersey.  Not much stretch but lots of drape, as you can imagine with a poly/rayon.  I had (notice the past tense) 3 yards of it.  Until I totally wasted a yard on a shirt that doesn't fit, will never fit, can't make it fit, etc, etc, boo hoo hoo.  I thought I'd make just a plain tee to wear over a white camisole top, but somehow I got my patterns mixed up or something, because what I just cut out and put together was a 100% fail.  *sigh*  I hate wasting pretty fabric. 

So what did I do?  You mean after I got done ranting, raving and shaking my fist at the sky? 

I made a dress for Daughter instead.  Isn't it pretty?  It's the same boring button down pattern I've been using for a while now.  I really need to get more creative with her dresses.

I have another one in the wings (ha! ha! that's a pun, there's birds all over that dress...my sense of humor is really hurting, isn't it?) but for some reason I decided it would be brilliant to put a gazillion buttons all the way down the front.  The buttonholes are sewn and cut, so there's no going back, but I've been procrastinating sewing on the buttons for over a week.  If I don't hurry up, she's going to grow out of the dress before she ever gets a chance to wear it.  And that would be a shame, because it really is very pretty.

I've got my new Jalie swimsuit pattern, I've got some old nylon/lycra and some new, so I've got everything I need to make new swimsuits for both me and Daughter.  I also got some microfiber to make board shorts for Youngest Son and I've had the Kwik Sew pattern for a couple of years now, so I've got everything I need for him, too.  I'm so looking forward to the swimming/kayaking season and I want to be ready for that first perfect day.

Fitted Blouse with North American Smocking

I started working on this shirt on the opening day of the Fitted Blouse Contest on PatternReview.com and I finished on Saturday.  That means it took me 22 days from beginning to end. Not bad.  Not bad at all.  And I am oh, so pleased with the North American Smocking effect on the midriff.

The fabric is a medium wright stretch linen from Fabric.com.  The pattern is Jalie 2322 Women's Shirt.  Essentially, I eliminated all but the horizontal bust dart, and instead used the smocking to shape the waist.  The side seams are slightly curved for added shaping.  I added about 3 inches of length so the shirt would be too short after the smocking ate up its requisite 20%.  And I added a bit of length to the sleeves as well.  I've made this shirt before with the same fabric in reversed colors and I found that it shrank quite a bit with successive washings.  The closures are cap anorak snaps in antique bronze.

I saw this smocking technique for the first time on the Lilacs and Lace blog.  Laura Mae used it to make an evening bag, and I thought it was just amazing.  I was stunned by how beautiful, useful, and simple this technique could be.  I did a small trial sample with a scrap piece of shirting that was lying around.  I intentionally chose stripes so I could see just how the fabric was being manipulated.  Genius.  Absolute genius!  The tutorial for this can be found at Le blog de Gédane in both English and French, but the pictures are pretty self-explanatory.

What I learned from this is that there is an approximate 20% loss in both width and height of the smocked area.  But here's the cool part:  the smocked area is elastic!  Obviously, you don't get the full width or height at maximum stretch, but you get some.  And of course if you pull too hard, you'll snap the stitches that make the whole thing work.  But it still has some mechanical stretch.

What to do with this marvelous discovery?  Obviously, it was time to make a shirt.

I started by cutting the fronts and stitching the horizontal bust darts.  Then I marked the wrong sides with the grid and lines for stitching the smocking.  I left about 1/2 inch unsmocked for the side seam (this pattern uses 1/4 inch seam allowances) and enough room at center front for the front facings.

I actually removed the front self facings.  As you will see, the smocking is going to gather along the center front.  Separate facings were necessary to handle all that gathering.

Here it is partially complete.  It takes a few rows to see the basket weave begin to form, but once it does, it is so exciting.

The front is complete.

Now on to the back.  You can see in this picture how the smocked area appears recessed in relation to the rest of the fabric.

 Inside the shirt you can see the bajillion little hand stitches I took to make this thing work.  I haven't decided what to do with the thread tails yet.  Next time I do this I'm going to secure each fold with a lockstitch.  That'll get rid of all the thread tails and work just as well as long as I leave enough thread between each stitch to allow for the mechanical stretch.  These knots are simple square knots that have then been secured with Aleen's Jewel-It embellishing glue.  It's intended for glueing rhinestones and such to fabric, but I find it just makes a good glue.  I like to use the Aleen's because it's not scratchy at all and has a lot of flexibility.

After all this it was typical shirt assembly.  Had a bit of trouble with the stretch linen in the collar and cuffs, but just the normal stuff you'd expect with a stretch woven.

I like how well the shirt goes with my cargo pants of last year.

The areas of smocking meet at the side seams for a continuous band of smocking all around the waist.

I could've hoped for a slightly better transition between the two pieces at the side seams, but hey! for an experiment I think this is pretty good.

If that bit of extra length in the sleeves doesn't shrink out, I'm going to smock a few basket weave bands on the sleeves, too.  But I'm virtually certain the dreaded shrinking will occur.

North American Smocking -- A Quick Sneak Peek

So, here's a bit of a preview of the Fitted Blouse with North American Smocking.  The fabric is a medium weight stretch linen with woven pinstripes with the opposite color scheme of the fabric pictured -- it's the dark tan with lighter pinstripes.

 The pattern is Jalie's Women's Shirt.  This is truly a great pattern and I wear the linen shirt I made back in the fall all the time.

The significance of this project is that I eliminated all the vertical darts (but kept the horizontal bust dart) and replaced them with a band of North American Smocking, which gives the fabric a basket weave texture.  The technique is surprisingly simple once you know how, but the proper execution takes some practice.  I can tell which of the three pieces I did first, since the longer I worked at it, the better I got at making the folds turn out exactly the way I wanted them to.

Here's a peek at the shirt back smocking. Isn't this absolutely awesome?  Pics of the finished shirt to come.