How to downsize a t-shirt

The big story in Oklahoma right now is that our basketball team, The Thunder,  is playing in the NBA finals right now.  

My brother from Texas visited us over the weekend.  

He bought himself a Thunder shirt and also bought shirts for Gavin and Elizabeth.  

but we have a little problem......

the Thunder shirt on the left is the size my brother bought.
the shirt on the right is the size shirt that Gavin and Elizabeth currently wear.

So,  I got busy with a little alteration, it really was easy and quick.
and successful.  

first I laid the smaller shirt (with the sleeves folded under) on top of the bigger shirt.
then just cut off the bottom, sides and sleeves.
I left about an inch on the sides,
2 inches on the bottom.
The neck of the shirt was not changed in any way!

I did this with the Thunder shirt turned wrong side out.
Make sure to check your design, so you don't cut into it if you try this.  

then I cut the sleeves off and open at the sides so I can cut them smaller. 

For size,  I used the smaller shirt as a guide.  I cut off the bottom -seam of the sleeve...

then cut off more at the top  

then just pinned the cut down sleeve back into place.
See - the sleeve hem never changed.
Just machine sew the sleeve back to the shirt.
I also added some zig-zag to finish off the seam but that is optional.

After the sleeves are sewn in,  pin the sides together and machine sew them .  

now,  just turn up the bottom hem
and machine sew it about 1 inch from the bottom and then again at 3/4 inch from the bottom .

close up of the altered sleeve  

20 minutes later
the finished shirt!  

Gavin modeling his Thunder shirt.

it is still a little big but I think it will be a little smaller after a laundry.
the original shirt was a 10-12 youth
Gavin and Elizabeth both are 3T size


Now,  I need to size down Elizabeth's.  Her mom asked me try to make hers into a t-shirt dress.
I'll let you know how it goes.  

Andie is 3 months old today

Baby Andie
she's come a long way from that tiny 5 pounds that she started out as-   she is so sweet and  cute, I can hardly stand it.  

some cleaning tips and a use what you have

I've been spring cleaning and am happy to brag a little that I've got a lot of it done.  

One tip to share is those Mr Clean sponges work great at getting marks off tile floors.  

Another tip is for cleaning ceiling fans blades - use a pillow case,  just slip the dirty fan blade into a pillow case, then run your hands down both sides and off.  All the fan blade dirt and dust just goes right into the pillow case.    I  did not come up with trick,  I read it somewhere but don't know where to give them credit.  

It is the only way I will ever clean my 5 ceiling fans in the future.  

my other tip,    don't buy a house with these crazy high ceilings!  
 If  we ever move,  we will not buy another house  like this,
regular 8 foot ceilings will be just fine.
If you do have high ceilings and want clean ceiling fans,  you will need a giant ladder.
yikes!

 What do you think of this easel at our front door?

My daughter bought it off a swap list but it takes up so much room, so she sent it to my house.  

At first I had it in the house,  then moved it to the front entry.

There is a roof over it so it is mostly protected from the weather.  

I need to get a good package of dry erase markers and some real plants to put in the little pots
but I did not want to go to the store yesterday.  

I will go to the store today,  Theo is out of dog food after his breakfast.
So maybe I will find some little plants to put in the little pots and they will look better than the hand-scribbled flowers currently in them.


I know my family is all shocked when they read this, that Theo is eating dog food.
He really is!
I think this gland condition has been affecting him for so long and dog food just never tasted good before.
Anyway,  he likes dry Beneful food just fine now,
 He has finished off 2 of the smaller bags since his doggie hospital stay.  

The camouflage project

the camouflage project - finished!


Can you tell what it is?
it is a formal vest like men wear with tuxedos - camouflage with black satin lapels and pockets.
Son Bobby asked me sew it for him.
If I got the story right,  Bobby and Sheena are hosting a party with a 1980's prom theme for the workers at Sheena's salon.
Bobby wanted this vest to wear for that event.

Bobby is not a hunter and is not military but he has always liked camouflage.

It is not the first camoflage I've sewn for Bobby.  

I think these camouflage shorts were the first clothes I ever sewed for Bobby.
They were made from one of his dad's unserviceable  blouses (that is USMC lingo for a  worn out  uniform shirt)

Bobby is sitting on a kitchen cabinet in our base home aboard Camp Pendleton, 1982.
The housing area is built on the side of Wire Mountain.
Because we were up high enough,  we could see the Pacific Ocean from this side of that little home and the sunsets were just so wonderful to enjoy every evening.  

another sewing project for Bobby,  in 1999, was this Hawaiian print vest  that he wore to prom.
He picked out the fabric and I sewed it.

Nobody else there was dressed the same as Bobby!


Anyway,  the vests sew up pretty fast and I think could be made by anyone with basic sewing skills.
I used a McCalls pattern for the latest one.
You might choose different fabric for yours though.

Hello-------

Hello, hope all of you are good.  

Here are few recent scenes from my home 

Crinum lilies in bloom 

lots of blooms - 5 different rose bushes, the big Rose of Sharon and the crinums.
in the ground,  the zinnia seeds mostly sprouted and should be blooming soon.
There are also some little moss rose plants and impatiens that are not yet big enough to bloom.

 Lately,  I have not done a very good job of meal planning ahead.  I do just fine when we have company but when it is just my husband and me here,  I've lately not  planned ahead much.
So,  yesterday,  I organized my recipes and planned out about 8 meals - all using ingredients we already had or bought yesterday.

There are a couple of quarts of homemade chicken broth in the fridge so I  put chicken and noodles as one of the meals.  Then I made the noodles last night so they could dry.  

Other meals on my plan

crockpot chicken and veggies

pinto beans and cornbread

Barbecue chicken sandwiches with pickled onions on jalapeno cheese buns

salmon patties

rice taco salad

fiesta chicken and rice

catfish and hush puppies

This is probably close to 2 weeks worth of meals for us as most of these recipes make more than 2 servings.  We both like leftovers and will happily eat the extras for both lunches or suppers, however it works out.  

I hear so many people say they don't like leftovers.  

That seems so silly and wasteful to me.  

Most foods that were good the first time they were served,  are just as good the second time.  

There are a few exceptions but for the most part,  we enjoy leftovers.  

I also hope to do some cleaning projects this week - 

like the dusty ceiling fans and all the windows.

I've also got a sewing project involving woodland camouflage fabric - the things we do for our sons!