There are several projects I’ve completed over the last couple months that I’d like to showcase. So I’ve decided to write about one every day for the rest of the week until they’re all up.

Back in Boulder, I think it was sometime during the school year of 05-06, I was seized with this plan to get a back tattoo, but when I did the design, it was so huge I knew I was never actually going to get it. But to satisfy the urge, I went and bought a white cotton long sleeve shirt and fabric markers. I drew the design on the shirt in pale blue. The only problem was, I loved the design, but the shirt was never quite the fit I wanted.

Earlier this year, I was going through my clothes and realized that this shirt had become very stretched out and bedraggled looking, the white cotton becoming gray along the hems. But I still loved the design. So I went hunting for a long sleeve shirt that matched the blue of the design and this time was actually a fit I liked. I found the perfect shirt at a thrift store in the Mission. I then cut out the design from the old shirt and using light blue embroidery thread, cross stitched the design onto the new shirt. It took about a month in between other projects and moving, but I finished it and am incredibly pleased with it. It’s now one of my favorite pieces of clothing.

I really love fabric painting and dye work and I want to do more. Plus the cross stitching adds a really cool affect. Adding designs like this to other pieces of clothing or accessories would be a really easy way to customize and up-cycle items. I’d really like to customize a messenger bag or tote in this style.

Pictures!