the sew weekly "embellishment": the "moon nouveau" tank top

image from alabama studio website

The Facts:

Fabric: “art nouveau”-style sailor moon t-shirt from teefury.
Pattern: alabama studio tank pattern (available in alabama studio style)
Year: 2012
Notions: embroidery floss
Time to Complete: 1 hour, for preliminary work.  embellishment & handstitching 5-6 hours.
First Worn: july 8, 2012
Wear Again: yes
Total Price: priceless.
Challenge Theme:  “embellishment”

i’ve found myself consumed and obsessed by my first sewing love, refashioning t-shirts.  so i hope you will bear with me while i work through the impulse and keep cutting and re-sewing t-shirts.

this week i bring you another alabama studio pattern, the fitted tank top with princess seams from alabama studio style.  i was inspired by the version in the book with the circles appliqued on one panel of the princess pieces and wanted to create my own, geek-worthy version.  do you ever have a piece of fabric and are looking at a picture and suddenly, it is like the fabric and the pattern have communicated with each other without even consulting you?  this top was like that.  i knew immediately which piece of fabric (or in this case, XXL t-shirt) wanted to be this top.

the intricate design of the graphic demanded the full alabama studio treatment of hand-stitching, open seams and embroidered embellishments.  i opened the panel seams around the t-shirt and stitched them back down using a catch-stitch.  i attached the neck and arm binding the same way.

but wait, there’s more.

you recall how i said i was inspired by the applique on this top?  i changed it up a bit and decided to use a back panel as my base.  i started out with a few yellow circles, and decided to make crescent moons, a la luna.

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