Category: Fabric Projects

Making Comfort Shirts for Hospice Patients

Are you looking for a simple project that could be helpful to caregivers working with hospice patients? Making comfort shirts might also be a project suitable for a scout troop or by a teen who needs community service hours. A comfort shirt is a t-shirt that is split up the back, ties or Velcro added and the neckline decorated with buttons or beads. It provides a way for a caregiver to dress a bed-bound patient easily without having to work head and arms through holes. It also provides a little color for those visiting the patient.

Over ten years ago I was working with a local hospice service making memory bears for the families of their patients. A request was submitted by the nursing staff to try to make colorful shirts that would be easier for them to put on the patients. Regular hospital gowns were drab, too long and not comfortable over the long haul. Most patients were bed-bound and were covered below the waist when they had visitors. Thus, adapting a colorful t-shirt sounded possible.

To make a comfort shirt, you’ll need a t-shirt, ribbon (1/4″ to 3/8″ wide, 2 yards) OR Velcro hook and loop fasteners; assorted buttons or beads to decorate the neckline; a sewing machine to hem the back edges and needle and thread to hand sew the decorations to the front of the t-shirt.

I started by finding inexpensive t-shirts at JoAnn’s Fabric store…they were stocked in all sizes to be used in art projects. I chose mostly the Adult Medium size. All shirts were washed in hot water and dried in the dryer…which is how they will be washed in the future.

Step 1: I removed the tag at the neckline and saved it. Later, I’ll sew it down low in the back so caregivers know what size it is.

Step 2: I turned the t-shirt over and drew a line from the center back neckline to the hem. I cut the shirt up the back.

Step 3: I folded each cut side over about 1/2 inch and stitch it down. You can fold it again and stitch it a second time to make it sturdier.

Step 4: Sew the tag to the inside bottom of the t-shirt in the back.

Step 5: Use 1/4″ to 3/8″ wide ribbon OR Velcro for the fasteners. I marked the location of the ties with one near the neckline, another about mid-back. I stitched each ribbon twice…first facing away from the opening and then folded it back and stitched it again in the right direction. This hid the raw edge of the ribbon.

Here are the final ribbon ties.

NOTE: If you decide to use Velcro, which my caregivers preferred, I made sure all the corners of the Velcro were trimmed and rounded so the corners didn’t stab the patient in the back. I’ve also learned the Hook part of the Velcro can be smaller than the Loop part…it doesn’t have to be exactly situated to “stick” to a larger loop piece. The Hook part can be about 1″ x 2″ and the Loop part can be about 1″ x 3″.

Step 6: Choose buttons or beads to decorate the neckline. Mark the locations about 1″ below the ribbed neckline and hand sew them to the shirt.

Here are a few of the comfort shirts I’ve made:

Check around in your local community and see if comfort shirts would be useful to caregivers. Great project for folks of all ages! Enjoy!

Donating My Necktie Stash

I thought it would be so easy…just drag that bin of necktie material out of the corner, check that I hadn’t stuffed any other kind of materials or tools in the bin, have Bert put the bin in the car and drop it off at Scraps & Skeins! Haha!!

After I had explored Scraps & Skeins Shop here in State College (see https://marykisner.com/exploring-the-scraps-and-skeins-shop/) and had conversations with folks who work there, I determined that was the perfect place to donate my stash of neckties. I thought I could just load up the bin and be done with it! I didn’t realize how emotionally attached I was to that stash!

I couldn’t figure out why I was so attached to these ties…did I have other projects in mind? Was each scrap of material so beautiful that I couldn’t let go? Did each necktie have a memory attached?

What got me started with neckties?

Over 10 years ago, I was volunteering for a local Home Health and Hospice organization. I offered my services to make memory bears from a loved one’s clothing after they passed. I must have made over 100 bears during that time. You can read about the memory bears here: https://marykisner.com/making-a-memory-bear/

One family asked if I could make something out of a collection of neckties…and my quest to find an appropriate item began.

Some neckties can be very colorful and unique. However, there isn’t a lot of fabric in a tie. It is often not washable or colorfast. While some items are made with whole ties sewn together side to side, like a skirt or throw, they end up quite heavy. I did not get enough ties in that first batch to make anything large.

The inner lining of neckties tends to retain odors from the wearer or cleaning solutions. This is often a layer of wool felt or polyester fabric. I found it was just easier to take them apart and remove the inner lining that retained odors. This gave me tie-shaped fabric pieces about twice the width of the tie, tapering to much smaller at the other end.

Ties are cut on the bias (diagonally across the fabric) which makes them too stretchy to work with and is made in three pieces, so two seams are about in the middle of tie. Adding an iron-on interfacing was essential to use the fabric in other projects. To make something, I was limited to small pieces or strips of varying weights and colors.

I knew I could not make a bear out of bits and pieces of fabric. A little research on Pinterest for memory items showed many folks had made pillows out of neckties, along with other small items composed of strips, squares, or freehand shapes. The photo below shows a pillow made from 8 neckties. The back of the pillow was a piece of polyester satin. This made a nice memory pillow for the widow.

I even made small covered button magnets as an extra gift for the family. You can read about covered button magnets here: https://marykisner.com/more-than-just-a-refrigerator-magnet/.

Where did I get neckties to recycle?

I have obtained neckties from friends and acquaintances who have cleaned out attics and closets. Sometimes garage sales have a few for sale. Thrift shops, like St. Vincent DePaul’s and Goodwill usually have a collection. I have paid as little as $1 to as much as $4 per tie. That can be very expensive if I’m not careful! Sometimes specific name brands are worth much more.

The most interesting ties I worked with came from a retired school Principal…he had novelty ties with cartoon characters appropriate for kids. He probably had enough ties to wear a different one each day.

Once I figured out the process to convert a necktie into small but useful pieces of fabric, I was challenged to find other ways to use neckties. First, of course, I cranked out a bunch of pillows just for fun! This pile below I mailed to a niece in California who works as an Activities Director at a gated community. She used them as prizes and gifts in her activities. Obviously, I was focused on make squares from the neckties at the beginning!

I made cosmetic bags for friends showcasing an interesting tie:

I tried to make wine bags:

I even made a Christmas stocking for the front door last year!

I made crazy quilt pictures…interesting, but I gave them away.

Even though I had made numerous items for fun…all of these projects were missing the deep memories of the pillows I made for a loved one’s family.

Reflecting on why I had this huge stash of necktie pieces was important in the process of letting go. I also realized I will never forget how to work with neckties. If a family loses a loved one, and has a pile of neckties they remember their loved one wearing, I know exactly what to do. I also realized I didn’t need to have this stash of neckties in my cluttered space.

All of this reflection helped me let go of this stash! Maybe someone else can use the pile and do some wonderful things! Perfect!

So, I had Bert load up the bin in the car and off I will go to Scraps & Skeins. What a relief to let go. Now…what to sort next! If I do this a little at a time it might not be so tough! Enjoy!

Revisiting Hot or Cold Wraps and Pocket Warmers

Thanks to the winter storm moving through our area today, I’m reminded about two projects that I worked on two years ago…the hot or cold wraps and pocket warmers. These items, made with cotton and flannel scraps from other projects, would be perfect for these cold days. Unfortunately, I have managed to give away all the ones I made…so I guess I’ll need to make some more!

The hot or cold wrap just fit around my neck and could be rolled up to fit in the microwave or placed in the freezer…I think I gifted them two at a time so one could be left in the freezer until needed. It is filled with about 3 cups of flax seeds. With just 20-30 seconds in the microwave, I had a warm wrap for my neck, shoulder or knee. I’ve heard they are even comforting for pets after their walks outside in the snow! The cold wraps in the freezer are handy for kids with bumps and bruises!

You can read about how to make this neck wrap at

https://marykisner.com/hot-or-cold-neck-wrap/

The pocket warmer was made from smaller scraps of leftover fabric and about 1/4 cup of flax seeds. I’m thinking I’ll make these first. Just 15-20 seconds in the microwave and they’ll warm up my coat pockets before I head outside!

You can see instructions to make these pocket warmers at https://marykisner.com/pocket-hand-warmers/

Check out the instructions for these projects at the links above! Enjoy!

NOTE:

You can buy flax seeds at the grocery store, or the local health food store in bulk.

Flax seeds in bulk

Any color cotton fabric and cotton flannel will make a cozy wrap!

Learning How to Mend My Socks

Never in a million years did I think I would want to learn how to mend my socks! Now that I’ve finally found the perfect socks (from https://maggiesorganics.com) I was very distressed to find I had worn a hole at the toe. So sad…both my mother and Bert’s mother passed away over 30 years ago and I couldn’t ask them how they did it! Believe it or not, I found dozens of articles and YouTube videos with instructions online!

I realized I needed a “darning egg” that would fit inside the sock to stabilize the place I wanted to sew. I remembered seeing such a thing in one of the drawers of my treadle sewing machine. It seemed small…like it would work in a child’s sock.

Then I realized I needed appropriate thread! So, I headed to JoAnn’s to see what they had. Lo and behold…they also had a new (larger) darning egg!

The smaller “darning egg” above is old and used. The new one is larger and made of hardwood. On the back of the packaging for the new one, were these instructions:

Looks so simple, right? Besides needing a magnifying glass to read the instructions, somehow the actual sock wasn’t so precise!

At JoAnn’s I also picked up thread (called “Button & Craft” thread) in four colors, I don’t actually have socks in red or lavender, but I thought it didn’t matter…my socks are usually inside a shoe!

Then I grabbed a packet of needles, with larger holes just in case my regular hand sewing needles were too small:

Sock #1

This was an older sock that I felt I could practice with. The first set of instructions I read told me to put the darning egg inside the sock…so I did.

Next, I was to make a row of running stitches around the hole. I used red thread on purpose so it would show up in these pictures. I made a knot at the beginning, before the first stitch. I planned to cut off the knot when I was done.

Then I read the instruction that came with the new darning egg and it said to turn the sock inside out before starting!! Of course! So, I removed the egg and carefully turned the sock inside out…and got the needle to the outside. Geez!

OK…continuing on the inside of the sock…I started making long stitches to create the beginning of the patch.

Then, I tried to weave stitches across the long ones going perpendicular to the first stitches. Then I just went over the whole pile on the diagonal.

Looks crazy and messy, I know! But it did look like I had covered the whole from the inside.

Time to turn the sock right side out to see what I had!

Now the proof of success will be to wear the sock and see if it’s comfortable!

Sock #2

One more time. Here is one of my favorite socks…organic cotton from Maggies Organics. I really didn’t want to throw it away!

With the sock turned wrong side out I dropped in the darning egg. I started with the row of stitches around the hole. Then I started filling in with long stitches across the hole. I pulled the sides of the hole together a little as I snugged up the stitches. Finally, I wove stitches across the long stitches.

And the final result from the right side:

I hope my mother would have been proud that I saved a sock! Bert and I both remember our mothers darning socks. I probably wouldn’t have bothered this time, but I really like these socks and they were expensive! Now I’ll see if the repair patch is comfortable! At least now I have the right supplies to fix other socks!

Follow-up with the Retro Dress and Aprons

Just a quick post to show you the final pictures of the retro 1952 dress and the retro 1940s aprons. The dress was made for my oldest granddaughter (17) in California. She and her family visited this past summer and spent time in several thrift shops and the local antique store looking for “vintage” clothing. We had fun at the fabric store finding patterns for retro clothing…meaning made new but in a vintage style.

Follow-up of the Retro 1952 Dress

We ended up with this pattern.

After she and her family left town, I had the challenge of making the dress with no way to “fit” it to her…I had just her measurements! You can read about the process of making the dress at this link:

https://marykisner.com/making-a-retro-1952-dress/

Fortunately, the dress fit just fine, but it didn’t “look” like the pattern picture.

I finally figured out the skirt was full, but it just didn’t look full. It needed a gathered slip to give it shape! So, I ordered a slip and mailed it to her. Now, the dress looks like what I imagined…EXCEPT…since she wasn’t here, I couldn’t estimate the length of the slip. I left it alone and mailed it to California. Of course, the slip is about 4″ too long!

However, she loves it! I guess it could be a new fashion statement…with the lace showing. Warning to my son…if she decides she doesn’t want the slip showing, you’ll either have to mail it back to me or cut it off and hem it yourself! (Luckily, he knows how to do that!)

Follow-up of the Retro Aprons

Then, I found a pattern for a set of Retro 1940s aprons.

I knew I wanted to make one like the pinafore apron and possibly the half apron, like the one in green on the pattern. If I made two, then both my granddaughters could bake together! You can read about making these aprons here: https://marykisner.com/making-a-retro-1940s-apron/

The pinafore apron was a real challenge and the half apron with pockets was much too complicated! (I don’t remember the apron I made in Home Ec. class around 1960 being this complicated.)

I can’t decide if I’m just out of practice in following complex instructions or if clothing construction procedures have been simplified over the years.

The pinafore apron turned out fine:

The half apron (in purple) was hard to photograph and needed to sit above the waist.

Of course, without my granddaughters nearby I couldn’t check the aprons for length. Turns out they were willing to put them on and send me a picture. They said they loved them! Hopefully, the next time they bake cookies they’ll remember to wear them!

That’s the story of Mary making retro clothing so far. Who knows what I might try next?

Revisiting Ideas for a Handmade Christmas

I was reminded (by Facebook no less) of a post I wrote one year ago today. It was a great reminder for me because I’m still making and gifting these items…but since I already posted about each project, I usually don’t post about it again. I’d like to share it here to give you some ideas for a handmade Christmas by giving you the link to the original articles:

https://marykisner.com/tis-the-season-part-1-paper-soap-and-fabric/

and the follow-up post: https://marykisner.com/tis-the-season-part-2-clay/

The first post describes (and links to the original posts) how to make gift bags and boxes by recycling pictures from calendars, guest soaps from melt and pour soap bases and making hot or cold neck wraps from fabric. The second post deals with polymer clay projects. If you’re looking for ideas for a homemade Christmas, give some of these a try. Enjoy!

Making a Retro 1940s Apron

When was the last time you wore an apron? Do you have a novelty one to use when you barbeque, or a heat resistant one to protect you when you drop that Thanksgiving turkey into boiling oil? Maybe your job has an apron as part of your uniform or you grab one when you’re dressed up and want to pull a dish out of the oven. I don’t think I have a single apron anywhere in my house and I haven’t made one since 7th grade Home Economics class…a long time ago!!

In the 1930s and 1940s when fabric was scarce our grandmothers and great grandmothers used aprons to protect their expensive clothing. Those aprons were often made from colorful feed-sacks or repurposed sheets to save money. My mother seemed to have a hankie in every pocket…long before affordable paper tissues. Bert remembers his grandmother always had wrapped homemade candy in her apron pockets that he looked forward to with every visit.

With my granddaughter’s interest in vintage clothing, I thought I could easily make an apron like the ones from the 1940s. Haha! Easy is not the right word to describe making retro 1940s anything!

I should know better by now. A few weeks ago I made her a dress from the 1950s and was amazed how complicated every step was. Maybe I just haven’t made clothing for many years but it feels like in the last 10 or 15 years the methods of construction have been simplified or the instructions in patterns have better step-by-step illustrations. You can see more about the dress I made at https://marykisner.com/making-a-retro-1952-dress/ and the final result on my granddaughter at https://marykisner.com/success-with-the-retro-1952-dress/.

I’ve been bothered for several weeks that something was missing with the dress. She loved it but you really can’t see how full the skirt is. I finally figured out that the dress needed a half slip…it could even be a crinoline (remember that stiff scratchy stuff?) No, that would be too much. I just ordered her a cotton slip with gathered layers. That might make the dress look more like the picture…at least if she wants to look like 1952! We’ll see!

Anyway, she was so happy about the dress and I was feeling accomplished about making it. I started looking at other retro patterns. I found this Retro 1940s Apron pattern and figured it didn’t look too hard. Again…haha!

I was interested in trying the red one with the lace along the side of the bib. This would be called a pinafore apron. She hasn’t really asked for an apron, so it will be a surprise. Who knows? Maybe it will be useful as a Halloween costume or on stage in a play. She’s headed off to college next year but she does like to bake. Actually, this project will keep Grandma Mary busy, so that’s all that matters.

I won’t try to go step by step, but here are a few pictures as I worked on the apron:

Gathering the eyelet lace:

Figuring out how the bib and straps went together:

Getting the lace attached:

Here is the front of the finished apron:

And the back, with the straps crossed:

If I decide I need an apron, I don’t think I’ll make a Retro 1940s one…at least not from this pattern. If you need an apron, may I suggest choosing one from a kitchen supply store or a novelty one with a clever saying!

Love Bears for Miss Anna

As September rolls around I’m reminded that my dear granddaughter Anna has a birthday! I can’t believe she’ll blow out 11 candles this weekend! She started out so tiny, under 4 lbs. and didn’t come home from the hospital until October that year. She was a fighter and to this day, she’s an independent delightful young lady. Even big brother Ben was learning how to take care of her.

Of course, now she tests the limits of Ben’s patience with hugging! Makes us laugh!

When I traveled with Anna and Kathy to Minnesota recently for a family reunion, I was sharing with extended family about the memory bears I make out of a loved one’s clothing…including tiny bears that could be used as Christmas ornaments or just to hug. Anna piped up… “Gee, I’d like a tiny bear!”

I could not imagine I hadn’t made her some bears already! I certainly can’t compete with all the lovely assortment of stuffed animals she already has. However, who knows, maybe a tiny one or two from Grandma would be good for a hug now and then.

Here are two tiny bears made from men’s flannel shirts. They are about 6″ long. I add a tiny heart button to the toe, unless it will be a gift for a baby.

So, I pulled out the pattern and some leftover flannel and got busy.

Because the bears are so little, I baste the darts by hand first.

The rest goes pretty quickly, so now when I go to the birthday party this weekend, I’ll bring along some love bears!

Success With the Retro 1952 Dress

Just a quick update in case you’ve been following the last two posts about my attempt to make a dress for my granddaughter (age 17). Her interest in trying to find a vintage dress from the 1950s led us to finding a retro pattern at JoAnn’s to make such a dress. The previous posts included understanding the difference between vintage and retro, and the steps I went through to actually make the dress. (See: https://marykisner.com/understanding-antique-vintage-and-retro-clothing/ and https://marykisner.com/making-a-retro-1952-dress/)

I mailed the dress to my granddaughter in California and held my breath. Would it fit? Would it require major adjustments? Would she like it?

Yesterday I received pictures and a heartfelt message that it was “wonderful” and “Thank you so much!” Very rewarding to connect with my granddaughter this way! Made my day!

This grandma is very pleased! I just might have to try some more Retro clothing.

Making a Retro 1952 Dress

On the request of my 17 yr. old granddaughter, who was visiting a few weeks ago, I volunteered to make her a dress, in the style of the 1950s. She had been trying to find “vintage” and “retro” clothing in thrift shops, but around here they were hard to find. (to see the difference between “vintage” and “retro” check out my last post, https://marykisner.com/understanding-antique-vintage-and-retro-clothing/.

Luckily, we found a pattern at JoAnn’s labeled “Retro ’52”, so we picked out fabric, buttons, zipper and thread for the project.

This is the pattern we chose:

I was convinced I could just read the pattern, follow the directions, and whip out a dress! HA! This project brought back so many memories of my high school Home Economics classes…my teachers would be so proud that I actually did it! (Thank you, Mrs. Shaffer and Mrs. Krause!)

I think it turned out pretty well…hopefully it will fit when it gets to California! Here is the final dress (looks kind of flat without a body in it!).

Some very basic differences in sewing a dress in the style of the 1950s compared to today:

Fabric choices…suggested fabrics were light to medium weight woven fabrics like broadcloth, linen and taffeta. This means no extra stretch and the final dress will definitely need a hot iron! Does my granddaughter even know how to iron?

Side zipper…I had forgotten about the zipper tucked under the armpit! The pattern had pretty good instructions but it still took me two tries to get it right! (Gee, I hate to rip out stuff!)

Fitted sleeves…just looking at the shape of the sleeve pattern told me it would be a restrictive sleeve. We are so spoiled with soft stretchy t-shirts!

Full skirt…making the hem a tedious half-day task by hand.

Complexity of the pattern itself…this pattern had 5 sizes in one, from size 6 to 14. To do that every pattern piece had 5 cutting lines, 5 sets of circles, etc.

Cutting Out the Dress

I cut out the dress on a day when I had no distractions. The suggested layout was intimidating:

This layout had me cutting out each piece in a single twice and after stewing about this, I went back to JoAnn’s and bought another yard of fabric so I could do it my way. I just knew I would forget to flip each piece.

I folded the full width fabric in half and cut two of each piece at once so I was sure to have matching pieces. The extra yard I used to cut out all the little pieces, like the collar, cuffs, facings and sleeves. The length and shapes of the skirt pieces limited my choices of placement on the fabric.

Once I had all the pattern pieces cut correctly, I kept them pinned together until I was ready to use the piece. Then I transferred the various markings (like darts and circles) with pins or a pencil. All the skirt pieces looked alike without the patterns, so I think that was a wise move.

Making the Dress

Step 1: Iron (fuse) the interfacing to neck facings and cuffs

Step 2: Assemble the Bodice

Step 3: Cuffs and Sleeves

Step 4: Sew skirt pieces together and add to bodice.

Step 5: Sew in side zipper.

NO NO NO!!!

Now I remember that’s not how to hide the zipper! Rip it out!

I only had to rip out one side of the zipper!

Much better!!

Step 6: Hem the skirt.

Instructions say to sew the edge 1/4″ with a long stitch. I didn’t make it long enough so I couldn’t pull the thread and ease the fullness. I had to make a basting stitch by hand along the 1/4″ stitching to lightly gather the edge to fit. Boo Hiss! Took hours to hem the skirt!

Step 7: Finally, add the decorative buttons down the front of the dress.

I carefully folded the dress up and put it in the mail to my granddaughter in California! I have no idea if it will fit! We agreed that this first dress was an experiment. Alterations may involve her sending the dress back to me. Or…it might make a good Halloween costume for someone!?!

I’ll have an update in the next week or two! Enjoy!