Fox In Socks

One of my favorite accessories is socks. Womens' and girls' socks have come a long way from the plain white cuffed style. However; I do keep at least a half dozen or so on hand and do wear them regularly with my black Mary Janes. By the by; socks aren’t usually trendy or emphasized by its parent fashion industry.

When I was growing up there wasn’t much selection when it came to socks. There were white cuffed, white ankle socks with little pom poms at the heel or boy’s striped tube socks (if you were a tomboy and played softball). Like I said, the sock industry has come a long way since the ‘70’s.

Nowadays, almost every retail store has at least 2 or 3 rows of socks in a wide variety of colors, shapes and designs. During the Christmas season you can get a pair of microfiber ankle socks that resemble candy canes or wool slipper socks with felt “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer” faces looking up at you. I admit, these are impulse items but hey, I’m a sucker for impulse items.

I was visiting a local craft and fabric store the other day and came across several diy sock books. These books were not the run of the mill baby bootie designs. The patterns were cute, edgy and the designs looked as if they reached as far as your imagination could take you on a sock journey. One of the books that caught my eye is called Knitted Socks East And West. The pair of socks on the cover reminded me of ‘80’s leg warmers; but for your feet! They are super cute but I would never wear them because they expose your toes and mine are usually cold; even during the summer months.

In addition to my on hand supply of white cuffed socks I have several pairs of knee high socks: argyles, polka dotted, fishnet, opaque and dotted swiss as well as a plethora of solid colors. I work in a conservative environment where khaki pants and button down, cotton blouses usually make up the dress code. Since I have a lifetime of pushing the dress code boundaries, I have found that socks can give me a subtle edge to my outfit without being obvious.

T Shirt USA

So, I have been following this girl's "New Dress A Day" blog online for a few weeks now; http://newdressaday.wordpress.com/ and it has revived a favorite sewing project of mine- transforming t shirts. I know this idea is not new and a lot of people have paved the way in the fashion industry by distressing, disassembling, deconstructing and safety pinning t shirts. Practically every designer in the industry has their own signature t shirt and style. I just thought it would be fun to write a blog about it and let ya'll know how I look at t shirts. I really am a fan of wearing t shirts but with my vertically challenged height and short torso, t shirts make me looked boxed in and frumpy- not the look I am usually going for.

When I see I t shirt I see potential. I see it as a piece of raw material just begging to be shaped into a skirt, a blouse, a pillow or even a rug. I don't think anything I do to a t shirt is extraordinary or really cutting edge but it is fun and gives me another way to express myself through clothing. Why, just the other night I had several comments on a t shirt I was wearing. Granted, the t shirt was noticed because it had my high school alma mater mascot on it; but the only alteration I made to the shirt was cutting off the collar. T shirt transformations can be as simple as that.

I found a really great craft book called T Shirt Generation. It is a fun step-by-step instruction manual on transforming t shirts. I often use that book for inspiration.

One of the last t shirt projects I did was during the past Superbowl. I could have worn any one of the number of New Orleans and or Saints t shirts in my collection but I really wanted something special; I mean it isn't every year the Saints are in the Superbowl!

(1) I started out with a large t shirt with the Saints graphics and logo.
(2) I cut off the sleeves and the collar.
(3) I cut the shirt down the middle of the back and then made several equal cuts in the material on both side so that they were strips that could be tied in the middle this was an easy way to cinch the t shirt around the waist thus removing any chance of frumpiness.
(4) I cut the front of the shirt down the middle as well and again in the center giving me four (triangles). I re-stitched the seams to create an empire like bodice and ruching. The bottom of the center seam was left open.
Now for the final flourish!
(5) I cut about two (2) inches down the center at the neck then tucked the corners inside and pinned them. Next, I took two (2) pieces of gold elastic and gathered the sleeves at the collarbone and tied a bow on each shoulder.

Et voila'! My very own custom made New Orleans Saints t shirt.