Fun with nerdy T-shirt transfers: Doctor Who, Funkadelic & Minecraft Tees and Onesies

Not sewing and not knitting, but I've been having fun embellishing some boring blank onesies and T-shirts with nerdy iron-on T-shirt transfers. These are the Avery dark fabric ink-jet transfers, as traditional iron-on ink-jet T-shirt transfers only work on white or very light-colored garments.

So far I've done:

• A "Future Doctor" TARDIS design for baby, ironed onto a blank blue onesie I got for $1 at the thrift store. I found some TARDIS art online, traced it in Adobe Illustrator, then added text in Adobe PhotoShop. I didn't come up with this slogan, but it's about time we had a black Doctor Who, don't you think? (And depending on baby's sex, maybe a female one, who knows?)
• A Funkadelic onesie for baby, ironed on to a purple and gray New Conceptions One-Hour Bodyshirt that I sewed for Z when I was pregnant with her. This was husband's request—I also made him a matching Funkadelic T-shirt that I couldn't find for the photograph.
• A Minecraft-style pixel heart T-shirt for Ms. Z, ironed onto a knit T-shirt sewn for her by my mom (no pattern—my mom just takes some measurements and improvises her own patterns). This was my gamer husband's idea—they both LOVE Minecraft and play it together quite a bit.

Since each transfer sheet is a bit pricey, I didn't want to leave any white space, so I also squeezed in a bunch of other vector logos or icons that I haven't ironed on to anything yet: The Incredibles, Ghostbusters, The Clash, a bicycle, and Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF).

The results were pretty good, and they seem to be holding up after a few test washings. I had originally wanted to do freezer-paper stencils (I have SO much fabric paint that I've never used) because the effect is a little cooler... but they are a lot more work and I cannot for the life of me seem to apply the right thickness to prevent unseemly cracking on knit fabric.

Z was very excited and silly about her Minecraft pixel heart T, so much so I could not get a normal smile out of her for pictures:

Anyway, it's a fun way to do some quick embellishments without the time required for embroidery, appliqué or stenciling. The ironing only takes two minutes each.

A few tips, though: first, be careful to read the instructions for your transfers thoroughly. For light-colored T-shirt transfers, you generally need to reverse the artwork—not so with the dark ones. I wasted two sheets before I figured this out.

Second, be sure to wash and dry the shirt before wearing to set the transfer. I didn't do this when I took Z to an AIDS activist rally with Doctors Without Borders when she was one (we were protesting for the scaling up of the most effective treatments and making them more affordable and accessible worldwide to more patients), and she got water dribbles on her "TREAT AIDS = STOP THE VIRUS" shirt, and the transfer ink ran:

What are your favorite embellishment techniques? Appliqué or embroidery are still tops for me, but these transfers are just so QUICK and EASY.

Brights and Prints Overload (Me Made May Week 4)

I may be a week behind in getting up these blog posts, I may be tired, my photos may be degenerating and me-made-May posts may be the least commented on of all posts on this blog ... but I am NOT giving up on this challenge. SO THERE.

Day 20: Bright Green and Blue Day

Me-Mades (just one):
1. Jalie 2921 scarf-collar floral poly knit top

Other:
1. Thrifted J. Crew green cotton lawn polka-dot skirt (similarish style here)
2. Wurishofer 711 ridiculously comfortable granny sandals, black leather version

Day 21: A Little Sparkle

Who says sequins aren't daytime/work appropriate?

Me-Mades (just one):
1. Cake Patterns Tiramisu knit dress, adapted into a top

Other:
1. Sequined inset lined gored blue skirt
2. Turquoise necklace made by a dear friend
3. Some old Clarks leather sandals, super comfy (similaresque)

Day 22: A Peplum & a Circle Skirt

Here's my black & white polka dot Hummingbird peplum top again, this time with a big blue circle skirt (not me-made). I typically think of peplum tops as only going with pencil skirts and skinny jeans, but I see a lot of peplums and circle skirts in photos from the 50s, so trying a new silhouette! Think the skirt is maybe a bit long, though...

Me-Mades (two):
1. Hummingbird knit top by Cake Patterns with four-leaf clover peplum in polka dot ITY jersey.
2. TARDIS socks in blue, black and white merino wool (held in hands, near completion).

Other:
1. American Apparel blue circle skirt, awkward midi length — originally bought for TARDIS Halloween costume that never came to fruition
2. red coral necklace bought at Renegade Craft Fair ages ago, can't remember maker
3. The Sak orange leather handbag (the only handbag I own, so I wear it regardless of outfit color.)
4. Wurishofer 711 comfy granny sandals, red leather version

Day 23: Green and Purple Love

This is a bit of a cheat—I was sick most of the day, ended up working from home and didn't get dressed until 5:30 p.m. when I had to get my daughter from preschool. Those are my fabric and yarn drawers behind me—all six of them.

Me-Mades (two):
1. Self-drafted reversible shirred skirt.
2. Striped undies, not visible.

Other:
1. Surplice green and white printed knit top.
2. Turquoise necklace made by a dear friend.
3. Clarks Privo black leather Mary Jane flats scuffed to shreds over past 6 years but still going. (Super similar here).

Day 24: Scarves Upon Scarves

This colorblocked second-hand cardigan is actually really awesome, and in real life without a bad flash photo the flower rosette thingies do NOT look like pasties. Just saying. But I don't know if this silhouette really works for me.

Me-Mades (two):
1. Jalie Scarf-Collar top in red and cream polka dot knit
2. Monkey socks in kettle-dyed merino wool

Other:
1. Second-hand purple colorblocked cardigan from friend who was cleaning out closet
2. Pink silk rib knit lace-edge cami
3. Not Your Daughter's straight-legged black stretch jeans (Marilyn style)
4. Arcopedico Flower black leather Mary Jane cut-out flats

Day 25: TARDIS socks for a journey to the stars

Finished my TARDIS sock disaster just in time for a family outing to the American Museum of Natural History's Hayden Planetarium, where we saw "Journey to the Stars." (Toddler was scared sometimes but overall loved it and can't stop talking about how "stars are big hot balls of fire—don't touch!")

Me-Mades (3):
1. Georgina cardigan by Alexis Winslow in chartreuse hand-dyed Swans Island merino wool
2. Falling-down TARDIS socks.
3. striped underthings (not visible)

Other:
1. Not Your Daughter's straight-legged dark blue stretch jeans (Marilyn style)
2. Arcopedico Flower black leather Mary Jane cut-out flats

SO TIRED. But MUST GO ON!

Who else is still hanging in there for the challenge?

TARDIS sock disaster + swatching my Delancey cardigan

It seems the Doctor and his TARDIS have landed on a planet populated by gigantic adorable toddlers...

Yeah, so, if you've watched any Doctor Who at all (latest episodes available on iTunes if you don't get BBC America), you know that the Doctor's time-traveling spaceship—aka the TARDIS for Time and Relative Dimension in Space—has a curious feature. On the outside it appears to be a small blue wooden British police call box...

But it's MUCH, MUCH bigger on the inside:

Which brings me to my TARDIS socks (full details here, including some mods I made), which, unfortunately are bigger on the OUTSIDE. See how they slouch and bag around the ankles?

They fit fine while I was knitting them (just the right amount of negative ease), but after I gave them a gentle bath, they started to grow...

And now they look good for a second when I tug them up...

But quickly slouch back into saggy baggy land within moments:

I really don't know what's going on here. I used a non-superwash 100% merino wool yarn, and knit them on the smallest sock needles I have (size 0). I've never had baggy socks before but they always had a bit of nylon in them, so maybe it's because these socks have no nylon content?

Anyway, all hope is not lost for my Time and Relative Dimension in Socks—the excellent Tech Knitting blog recommends a fix using elastic thread or an elastic garter at the top of the sock, so we'll see how that does!

Meanwhile, I swatched for my Delancey cardigan by Alexis Winslow. Here's the sketch (on bottom right) as you may remember from my Sweater Showdown decision post:

And here's my gauge swatch:

I'm using stash yarn, so my color scheme is based on what I have available. The main color is going to be the eggplant, and the sets of triple stripes will be in the gray, periwinkle and light purple. The aqua will be for the shawl collar and sleeve cuffs.

I'm going to knit a 33" bust size (even though my bust is 38.5") as I'm not getting exact gauge. I'm hoping it'll come out around 35", giving me 3.5" negative ease. I'd much rather it be a bit on the tight side than loose and slouchy (see my Not-Goldilocks and the Three Sweaters fitting post for more on this).

TARDIS sock progress + Blue Alpaca Cabled Earflap Hat Redux

Dear Doctor and Clara: I love you. Sincerely, Mikhaela. (P.S. But I still miss Amy and Rory).

I know I said my next knitting project would be colorwork gloves, but then I remembered Doctor Who was coming back tonight and I went for colorwork TARDIS socks instead... More details later when I am farther along. (Two other women in the Brooklyn Burdastyle Sewing Club are knitting them too—they'll probably both finish before I do at my snail's pace.)

The whole stranded aka fair isle colorwork knitting thing isn't quite as hard as I anticipated. The only tricky part for me was just teaching myself to knit English-style with one hand and continental with the other — like jumping up and down and patting your head and stomach and singing at the same time, but doable. The lettering looks a little fuzzy so far so I will touch it up with duplicate stitch as suggested.

And here's the hat I finished while lying in bed after my surgery:

The pattern is 18 Seconds to Sunrise by Tiffany Gallagher and the yarn is Misti Alpaca Chunky Baby Alpaca in Marine.(Full Ravelry details here.) I had already knit this hat before but had to unravel it and add an extra pattern repeat because it was just too tight no matter how I blocked it. This time I added the earflaps and i-cord (aka "idiot cord") tassels and am much happier all round. I feel like without earflaps I either have to knit a hat so big it covers my eyes, or I just constantly tug at the sides to keep my ears warm. I-cord was also new to me and was much simpler than colorwork!

I realize the photos are a bit odd because I am wearing it with a lace camisole tank top thing instead of a coat, but it's nearly 60 degrees in Brooklyn today and I'm still too sick/weak to go out much.

Oh, and little Z wanted her turn to wear both the hat and matching cowl too:

Are you a Doctor Who fan? If so, what do you think of Clara so far? Would you ever do a geeky craft project or are you a bit too sophisticated for that?

P.S. Thank you all so much for your good wishes before and after my surgery! It means a lot to me! I'm still not at 100% (more like 60%) but I am getting better every day and finally was able to return to work.

Name that flirty Hummingbird! (presale + a post-surgery update)

Hi all! I'm still recovering from my surgery, which has been SOOOO much harder than I expected! (General anesthesia and I are NOT friends, and for days afterwards I could do nothing but sleep, cry, eat gelatin and take pain-killers.)

... but I wanted to make sure you were all aware of the Hummingbird Presale for Cake Patterns, which runs through April 7!

Also, StephC and I had so much fun working on the girls for the cover (she modeled, I drew), but while you may have met Maya on the cover of Pavlova, our background girl still needs a name. Ideas, please? (Of the suggestions so far, I love Ingrid, Clea and Izzy...). As before, my cartoonist husband Masheka was the designer.

Here's the back image... Oh I just love peplums and flounces! Also, I love green and pink together. And bright colors... you know me!

More details on Hummingbird and the presale over at 3 Hours Past.

As for the surgery... I was on strict bed-rest for a week, and have to take it easy for another week, but I'm now breathing through my nose and free of a sinus infection for the first time in MONTHS. I was actually able to smell my delicious spicy lunch food today. AMAZING. I cannot WAIT to be well enough to SEW, I tell you what! Thank you all for your super sweet well wishes.

Here's a drawing my 2-year-old daughter Z did of her taking care of me during my surgery recovery... she drew a bandage on her face as well (she's the tiny one) to make me feel better. "Mommy is happy because the doctor fixed her hurt nose":

P.S. Not much knitting while lying in bed, but I did weave in the ends on my cardigan and reknit a too-tight hat (scroll down) I had to frog because it was giving me headaches ... pictures when I can! And I wound the balls of yarn for a pair of TARDIS socks (the dear Doctor is back in just a few days after all).

And the vintage pattern illustration giveaway winner(s) are...

If you're wondering why it's taken me so long to announce a winner for my "You on a Vintage Pattern Envelope" giveaway, well... that'll teach me to have a non-random giveaway! I got 17 fabulous, fun and well-thought-out entries, plus lots of sweet comments and birthday love, and I hated having to choose just one!

But as promised, I picked five names at random out of the 17 qualifying entries, tried to evaluate them based on fun/long-time readership/creativity/etc... and totally failed to make a clear decision. In the end I changed the rules and picked one random winner out of the five. The five finalists were:

#1: Alexa, with Simplicity 3868

Source: vintagepatterns.wikia.com via Mikhaela on Pinterest

Alexa said:

ohh what an awesome giveaway. I have been reading since you had your daughter, who is a little younger than my oldest. I found you through you sewing.patternreview.com after admiring your work.

I sew, but am not at vintage pattern making level yet. So this is just pretend for me. I think Simplicity 6838 is gorgeous. I like version 3 in a jewel tone like deep purple or dark turquoise.

I would print out your illustration, frame it and hang it in my studio (the part of my bedroom where my sewing stuff lives.)

Alexa is right--how awesome is view 3 with those awesome cutouts?

#2: Beata, with a cover from Australian Home Journal

Source: ebay.com.au via Beata on Pinterest

Beata wrote:

Hmmm, would you put me on an "Australian Home Journal" cover? Like this one.

It's not quite a pattern envelope, but pretty close! Otherwise I'll pick a pattern later :)

I'd like to be in the pink dress, but made up in a purple floral, maybe something like this.

I love the shoes she is wearing, but I'd leave off the other accessories...

As for hair, I want big, bouncy curls like the main picture here.

Thanks for the awesome giveaway!

Oh my goodness, I LOVE all three of those dresses... surplice necklines, gathers, scallops, pockets, peplums, directional stripes... all kinds of awesome, really.

#3: The ever-inspiring Laura Mae, with Advance 5470:

Source: lilacsandlace.blogspot.com via Mikhaela on Pinterest

Laura Mae said:

While I wish I looked like those beautiful vintage pattern envelopes, it just isn’t meant to be. I wonder what their stats are? I would imagine they are at least 6 feet tall with a 20” waist. So maybe that would look rather freakish in real life.

But what pattern to choose? I think I would choose my most recent creation, Advance 5470, which is special in so many ways. First off, the pattern came to me via Mr. Male Pattern Boldness, himself. It doesn’t get much more special than that! The black and white floral fabric is something that I have been saving for quite a while now, earmarked for a Vintage Vogue pattern that I just have not had the proper opportunity/event to cut into the fabric. The huge shawl collar, full skirt, and lantern sleeves may just be the most perfect pattern I have ever come across.

I did not have the perfect hat to top the outfit off when I wore the dress yesterday. In a perfect world, I would have whipped up something, but time ran out, as it often does . . . But with a drawing I can pretend that I finished that exquisite hat and my softly curled hair looked perfect and fabulous even though rain was threatening all day long and the wind was ridiculous! ...

Wishing you a Happy Belated Birthday! And thank you for the opportunity to win such an amazing prize!

Laura Mae is, of course, way too modest, because I do believe she DOES look like she stepped out of a vintage pattern envelope (or at least a vintage fashion magazine) most of the time with her amazing vintage-inspired creations.

#4: Lee, with Simplicity 1668:

Source: vintagepatterns.wikia.com via Mikhaela on Pinterest

Lee said:

Mikhaela, this is such a cool project and a generous offer. I've been following you since you commented on my blog earlier this year, though I only recently formally subscribed. I like reading because your sensibility and array of projects and thoughtful way of proceeding all appeal to me. You have smart commenters too.

I would love to see myself on a vintage pattern envelope, specifically Simplicity 1668, a 40s dress with scallop details, in bright blue and white polka dot fabric, red shoes, red lipstick, and hair kind of like my own but more 40s-styled, less frizzy and unkempt. I would use the image wherever I could! Definitely I would frame it and display it next to a photograph of my much missed grandmother in a similar dress.

Now that I know Lee in real life through the Brooklyn BurdaStyle Sewing Club (in fact, I saw her there last weekend!), I can easily picture her rocking the dress she describes. Polka dots + scallops... yummy.

And last but not least...

#5: Cosmo, with Simplicity 3471:

Source: vintagepatterns.wikia.com via Mikhaela on Pinterest

Cosmo wrote:

I love your blog mainly because you are a cool mom vintage sewing knitting graphic designer. You have a perspective similar to mine.

I am cutting it pretty close on this one because I forgot it was EST midnight not my midnight. I am still not entirely sure that this is the pattern I love the best but Simplicity 3471 is adorable and I would love to have it in a bright Pucci or Marimekko style print. I was also looking at some 70s maxi dresses, but I am really more of an early 60s kind of girl.

I am getting ready to start up a new sewing and fashion blog and would love to use artwork like this. Also I am getting ready to chop several inches off of my locs and would love to have them memorialized this way.

Oh and I would wear a bright pair of wedges and a chunky necklace and my locs in a braid out with one side pinned back with a giant ranunculus.

So yeah. Clearly impossible to make a choice here, so I grabbed the old digital hat and drew a number.

And the winner is...

Cosmo! Congratulations! I'll send you an email--since you already gave me most of the details, the main thing I need is you preferred reference photo of yourself. (Perhaps a bicycle should be involved?)

But you might have noticed I said WINNERS (plural). Did I mention that in my own totally arbitrary way I decided to award a special prize?

The arbitrary because-I-felt-like-it Doctor-Who-Obsessed TARDIS Prize goes to...

Source: shenanagin.deviantart.com via Mikhaela on Pinterest

Meg the Grand! Meg wrote:

I want this so very badly. So very very badly. I don't suppose you could draw me as a Tardis? An illustration of me as a Tardis would need me in blue, of course, with a light bulb as a little hat, and some rocking blue heels. This would go in the Tardis bedroom, next to my bed, so I could always giggle when I get up in the morning. It would also need to go on my blog somewhere so people know what they are getting into when they click on my page. I have a Doctor Who problem - I'm sure there is counseling for this somewhere.

In my next life, please let me come back as Alex Kingston's duplicate. With her wine colored Louboutin heels.

Seriously, though - this giveaway is truly special. I think any of us who read your blog regularly would be so honored to be drawn by you. I know I am getting misty at the sheer generosity of this!

If I had to pick a vintage pattern, I would pick the Mail Order 9388 that was my Sassy Secretary dress. I would love big hair (I long for big hair in my real life), cobalt blue dress, and then blue heels. I love that outfit. It makes me so happy to put it on, so to immortalize it as one of your drawings would be one of the best things in my life. This would have to go on my blog, and if I ever got around to business cards, it would be there too. It would also get printed and put above my sewing machine so I could always smile when I am seam ripping a zipper.

Now, there are of course several ways to go about this, the main two being either putting Meg in a TARDIS dress, like this awesome one by Tara Reich:

Source: tess-san.deviantart.com via Mikhaela on Pinterest

Or by drawing her as Idris (when the TARDIS was temporarily in a woman's body in a super-awesome episode called "The Doctor's Wife" penned by Neil Gaiman):

Source: blogtorwho.blogspot.com via Mikhaela on Pinterest

Congrats to both winners, and guys, I'm so sorry I couldn't draw every one of your awesome vintage envelope ideas!