Off the Shoulder Shirt

I made a 3/4 sleeve, off the shoulder shirt years ago and then somehow managed to lose the pattern. But recently I discovered that I am severely lacking in comfortable, fall shirts and decided to make one. I refused to let a lost pattern stand in my way so I used my old shirt as a model for creating a new shirt. Here’s how I did it:

Requirements:

- 1 yard of fabric

- matching thread

- sewing machine

- pins

 

Directions:

1. Fold fabric in half and cut shirt shape like the following (you can use an old shirt as a model if you need to – and then just leave half an inch around to allow for sewing and make sure to leave room for a wide neck):

 

2. Cut two equal sized rectangles like to following for bottom trim (the trim should be equal to the length of the bottom of the shirt so that they match up perfectly):

3.Pin good sides of fabric together down the sides and along the shoulders and arms. Then sew together.

4. Zig-zag stitch along cuffs and neck to prevent fraying.

5. Pin cuffs and neck then stitch in place.

6. Pin good sides of two rectangles together and then sew in place (do not sew long sides together):

7. Press seams on rectangular trim and fold in half lengthwise so good sides of fabric are facing out. Pin this trim to good side of bottom of the shirt and sew in place. When complete the inside of the bottom of the shirt should look like this:

8. And here is the final product!

My directions aren’t the easiest to follow so if you have any questions don’t hesitate to ask. The shirt is so comfortable so I really hope you get a chance to create your own!

Personal Chocolate Cake in a Mug

Most of the time I like to eat really healthily. But every once in a while I get intense cravings for chocolate and/or baked goods. Unfortunately, if I make a a tray of brownies I lose all self control after the first bite and the whole batch is gone within an hour. I therefore feel that coming across this recipe is going to be a lifesaver for me (I mean this literally because my arteries probably suffer irreparable damage every time I am exposed to a batch of chocolate baked goods). This dessert is perfect because none of the ingredients are all that bad for you and they create a delicious treat that is well proportioned so there’s no need to feel guilty! So take a load off at the end of the day with this little mug of chocolate goodness!

Ingredients:

- 3 tablespoons flour

- 2 teaspoons cocoa powder

- 1/8 teaspoon baking soda

- 1/8 teaspoon salt

- 2 tablespoons sugar (I used Splenda)

- 2 teaspoons oil (I used olive oil for the health benefits but something more subtle like vegetable oil would also work)

- 2 tablespoons water

- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla

- 1-2 tablespoons semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1. In a bowl combine flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Mix until you’ve gotten out all the clumps.

2. Add in sugar, oil, water and vanilla and combine thoroughly.

3. Lightly oil  the bottom and lower edges of a small coffee mug.

4. Pour chocolate mixture in mug. Cook in microwave. for 2 minutes.

5. Place chocolate chips in small container and heat in microwave for intervals of 20 seconds, stirring in between. Keep checking on it so the chocolate doesn’t burn. When it has melted together scoop over cake in mug and spread evenly.

And there you have it – your own, personally sized chocolate cake! Eat up completely guilt free!

Relaxed & Flowy Shirt

I really love the summery style of having a flowy, slightly see-through shirt that you wear over a tank top. So I was really excited to come across this pattern, and then even more excited to come across this knit fabric:

That whole process is incredibly simply and shouldn’t take you more than a couple of hours. Here are the steps I followed (though you might have to make alterations depending on the fabric you use and how you want it to fit):

1. Buy 3/4 of a yard fabric and thread of a matching colour.

2. Fold fabric in half so it creates a large square. Then move the trim of the top half up so it is about 5 inches shorter than the bottom half. If you are shorter or just want a shirt that isn’t too long, trim off a few inches of the fabric along the top (meaning you will be cutting off the fold). If you are tall or want a long shirt just cut directly at the fold. You should end up with something that looks like this:

3. Pin pieces together along the top edge. Sew halves together, leaving hole in middle – this hole will become the collar so make it as wide or as narrow as you would like the shirt to be. I made mine quite wide because I like the fall off the shoulder effect but you can also make it high neck if you would like.

4. Lay the fabric flat on the floor again. This time pull the top piece down so the bottom edges of the pieces line up. Beginning at the bottom left corner start pinning the two pieces of fabric together from bottom to top – you don’t need to go all the way up because you will need room for arm holes. Repeat on right side.

5. Stitch pieces together while leaving 8-10 inches on either side for arm holes.

6. I was lucky in that my fabric was already closed off at the bottom but if yours isn’t you may want to zig-zag hem to make sure it doesn’t unravel. I also zig-zag stitched the collar and arms just to make sure my shirt would last.

7. You’re all done! When I finished mine I discovered a few fabric related issues like the collar not hanging right but they were quick fixes. So if you try this out and it doesn’t come out quite how you wanted just let me know and I’ll be glad to help out! Here’s a look at the final product:

I find it makes your average tank top and jeans just look so much more dressed up so I really hope you get a chance to try it out! Happy sewing!