Tag: handmade

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Your New Favorite Shirt

Better photos are coming soon, but I really wanted to show this one off and answer a few questions about my poncho shirts.



Sizing. My goal with these shirts is to make them so drapey and roomy that they will fit the most body types through just about everything. If you gain 15 pounds because hormones or pizza, this shirt has your back. If you get pregnant and gain 50+ pounds like I did every single time, it’s still going to be loose and drapey, although probably a little shorter. If you have that baby and choose to nurse them, it’s got you covered. Literally. If you like a little coverage while feeding your baby, this shirt will provide.

I list the measurements of these shirts flat on my website. This one is 42 inches from side seam to side seam flat. That means it has an 84 inch circumference.



The length is determined by the length of the original T-shirt and scarves. While they look adorable layered over a cami or with a little belly showing, I know not everyone likes that. I can totally add a coordinating piece of T-shirt to lengthen the middle front and back of one if you’d like.

Or, let me know your preferred length and colors and I will scour the thrift stores for a suitable shirt and scarf combo for you.

Or, and this option does make me a bit nervous, I can make a poncho shirt out of a t-shirt you send me. It only makes me nervous because WHAT IF MY WELL BEHAVED SEWING MACHINE DECIDES TO EAT SOMEONE’S SHIRT!!! I’m probably being a little paranoid. Also, I can do customs just because, not only for sizing issues.



Those custom options will only cost more if the material costs are significantly higher. That’s really only going to happen if I have to buy a brand new T-shirt or a fancy-pants brand T-shirt.

Finally, as I’ve previously mentioned, I do source my materials from local thrift stores. That makes every shirt unique and keeps clothing out of landfills. If that’s not your thing, you do you. 😘

Find all my upcycled clothing here: https://subearthancottage.com/product-category/upcycled-clothing/

If you’re interested in something like this shirt that I haven’t listed yet, please contact me about it.

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Holiday Shipping Deadlines, Bulk Soap Discount and a Coupon

Handmade soap

Holiday Shipping Deadlines

If you’re like me and still doing your holiday shopping, you’ll want to keep the shipping guidelines in mind. I currently only ship USPS. You can find the full USPS shipping deadline info here. https://www.usps.com/holiday/holiday-shipping-dates.htm

Here are the USPS shipping deadlines to arrive by December 25 for the lower 48 states:

  • USPS Ground Advantage® Service Dec. 17
  • First-Class Mail® Service Dec. 17
  • Priority Mail® Service Dec. 18
  • Priority Mail Express® Service2 Dec. 20

Alaska and Hawaii are mostly the same, but USPS Ground Advantage needs to ship a day earlier on December 16th. 

Anything overseas requires Priority Mail Express International® Service and needs shipped by December 16th. 

While I will pretty much ship until the last minute and do my best to get orders out by the next day, I can’t guarantee delivery by a certain date, so please order ASAP.

 

Stock up on my Handmade Soap

My five bars for $30 deal is back! To get that price, use this listing and tell me the five you would like in the notes at checkout. If you don’t let me know, or a variety is sold out, I’ll try to contact you first. If I don’t hear back within a day, I’ll send you an assortment of my favorites or substitute the sold out one with a different fabulous bar. 

Handmade Soap 5 bars for $30 USD

 

Coupon

Now through December 19, if you use the coupon code CHRISTMAS25 at checkout, you’ll get 25% off your order, including clearance, sale and the bulk soap listing. 

 

 

Come See Me!

Sunday, December 21 I will be at V’z Vintage Holiday Market from 10am-6pm. It’s located at the American Legion Post 655, 2817 Carson St., Haltom City, TX 76117. If you’re local, you should totally come check it out. SubEarthan Cottage will be inside this time because it’s December in Texas and you never know what you’ll get weather-wise. 

 

This is my third month at this market. There’s always a ton of unique handmade booths, food vendors and some vintage finds. If you’re looking for some last minute gifts, come support some local small businesses!

 
 
 
Posted on by — Leave a comment

Today’s Words of Wisdom from Sylvester the Cat

Today’s words of wisdom, brought to you by Sylvester the Cat and my favorite Yogi tea. (not sponsored) “Love is the highest of all virtues.”

Right on, Sylvester.

I’m prepping for my first market since my oldest was an only child. 😬 If you’re local, come check it out. All the details are in the second photo. I’ll have all my handmade goodies from my shop out there.

Have a wonderful day!

#looneytunes #yogitea #sylvesterthecat #wordsofwisdom #smallbusiness #FortWorthTexas

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Awkwardly Modeling My Upcycled Shirts

I’ve gotten a lot of questions about my upcycled kaftan or poncho shirts. I thought many of them could be best answered by seeing them on a real person. I didn’t have a model readily available, so you get me with my camera and tripod.

I want to do a product Q&A soon, so if you have any questions, please write them in the comments or send me a message.

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Sneak Peek at New Handmade Poncho-style Boho Shirts

Here’s a quick peek at some boho upcycled shirts I’ve made. They’re flowy and oversized to be one size fits most.

I’ll have them in the shop soon with all the dimensions and details listed. In the meantime, if you see one you like, feel free to contact me about it now. They’re $60+ $45+ shipping. If you’re local to Fort Worth, we can arrange pickup as well. Oh, and I’ve already claimed the first one for myself.

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Summer Sewing anyone?

buttons

I’ve been spending a lot of time reorganizing my craft room lately, and I’ve come to the conclusion I have way too much stuff. So, I’m destashing some of my supplies. Today I listed four different fabrics that all would be cute for summer, picnic or, if you’re in the USA, July 4th decor.

Let me know if you have any questions, are looking for a particular vintage quilting cotton, or need buttons. I have a lot of quilting cotton, but it’s nothing compared to my button stash. I’ll get them all listed eventually, but if you don’t see what you need, please ask. I just may have it. Especially if it’s buttons. Seriously. I have ALL. THE. BUTTONS.

buttons

That’s just the vintage, multicolor loose buttons, so maybe 1/4 of my button collection. 😀

Posted on by — 1 Comment

How to Prewash Your Fabric for Beautiful Sewing

pile of cloth

In order to have high quality finished products, it’s best to prewash your fabric. Without this step, your finished product can shrink and look uneven or lumpy when it is eventually washed. It’s not a good idea to just toss your fabric into the wash, though, as it comes out a stringy, tangled mess. Luckily, there’s a few different ways to make prewashing your fabric painless.

Overlock the cut edges

If you have a serger or overlock machine, serge the cut edges before washing. You shouldn’t have to worry about the selvedges as they won’t unravel. This is my favorite method. I usually just leave the thread tails long and they don’t unravel enough to be annoying.

close up photo of sewing machine
Photo by cottonbro studio on Pexels.com

Use your Sewing Machine

With a sewing machine, you can sew a quick zig-zag or similar stitch along the cut edges to prevent fraying. Even a straight stitch would probably work, although I haven’t tried it. You will probably need to back-tack or knot the ends to keep it secure through the wash.

Pink the edges for a painless prewash

If you have pinking shears, cut the fabric with the pinking shears along the cut edges. The edges will still get fuzzy, but shouldn’t unravel.

pile of cloth for prewash
Photo by Digital Buggu on Pexels.com

One bonus of using one of these methods is it’s easy to know at a glance which fabric from my stash was prewashed.

I know probably 90% of the people reading this are thinking “Duh!” because it’s such an obvious fix. The other 10% are wondering why they didn’t think of that, much like myself when I first learned the trick.

To make sure you never miss a post, please sign up for my newsletter.