t-shirt dress

I'm not sure if the tye-dye t-shirt skirt(s) ever made the blog, but just for amusement's sake, here's the latest project: Matt's old t-shirt = Heidi's new dress
(*All photos were taken after the dress made it to a wearable state!)

Sage green shirt, size XL, inside out. Sleeves cut off.

Closeup of random sewing to trim the sides a bit - yes, there's a gap at the bottom because pleats are challenging and a pocket may be added eventually. Hand-cranked lines, there. On both sides. All sides, really. Because it's either that, or needle and thread without the machine! Another disclaimer: it's darn hard to talk on the phone and sew straight lines anyway, much less intentionally curved ones!

The neck line! One super-long crocheted strand of pale cream colored yarn was double-threaded as a drawstring neckline (only slightly adjustable, really) and the shoulder seams were cut as well. This is when the front of the shirt turns into the back of the shirt and the back of the shirt makes for a much better neckline!

So here's the front of the shirt, which is now the back of the dress:

And here's the back of the shirt, which is now the front of the dress:

And the results?

...not bad for only one shirt and two revisions!

Post is also tagged 'pets' because their supervision and cooperative posing made the project all the more amusing. Neither critter was harmed in the process! No caterpillars, either - but that's for another post.

"furniture"

Owning very little furniture is handy for being mobile, but at times there are situations in which furniture ceases to be versatile. A bed, for example, is a bit cumbersome to move out to the porch to sit and watch the world go by. Last summer's field work did have two folding chairs that, unfortunately, were not made to last. In spite of the seat falling through on one and the arm/seat support breaking on the other (duct-taped and masterfully zip-tied), we nursed them both through a full year of use. So instead of routinely hauling the heavy, suitable-for-an-office rolling chair outside, it was time to say farewell to the less-intact of the folding chairs and welcome a dumpster-diving treasure to the porch. A seatless, aluminum folding chair. Scrap canvas was originally slated for the seat, but somehow procrastination kicked in and that never happened. Scrap 2x4s were on hand, however.

Aluminum frame + scrap wood = chair

...and then there's the whole issue of having only one functioning porch chair. The dog bed had been sitting on a pallet (to avoid gathering dirt, dust and fur on the concrete), but only the small dog used it. Another pallet was added for height with hopes that, small dog aside, some day it might turn into a couch. Finally, 6 cuts with a borrowed saw later... there were 4 pieces of pallet. Stack 3 and add some scrap 2x4s to prop up the 4th?

...just add a blanket to sit on, and voila! Big pup has his bed back (albeit on the ground), and small dog has one piece of furniture she's allowed to be on.

August update

Last week we were asked to speak about the impact of drought on birds and other wildlife on Marfa Public Radio; the audio has been archived and can now be accessed anywhere, at any time, should you feel the urge.

Photo/permalink via Marfa Public Radio:


Handy links from previous posts on the Big Bend Birds & Nature blog:
the drying, the drought (a bit heavy, but eye-opening)
in the meantime, pictures
freezer catch-up
and an optimistic final note: drought?

...in the meantime, things are keeping a hectic pace that neither blog quite reflects. We'd promise more updates if we knew there would be any soonish, but that's a long shot! Perhaps photos of some furniture projects one of these days, though...