Friday Favorite: Frugal Rosette Shirts

I am in love with the current trend of putting cute rosettes on shirts, sweaters, etc. I love everything except the price tag that is usually attached to these beauties. So I found a solution...remember my idea post with an idea on how to make this cute shirt by Hope Studios?

Well while we were in Colorado my Mom and I had a day together and we tried our hand at creating them! It was definitely an quick, easy, and fun project that even someone who doesn't really know much about sewing {like me!} can perform. The best part about the project is that my mom was able to find cute shirts in several colors on the clearance rack of Target for $4! So I made 3 cute shirts for about $8 a piece! {Sure beats the $50 + price tag I've been seeing!}

Here's how we made them based on these instructions: - Unfortunately I didn't take step-by step pictures, but hopefully you'll still get the idea.

*Buy 2 shirts of the same color or mix and match colors {Look on clearance racks - the second size doesn't matter since you will just be cutting it up}

*Take a piece of scrap paper and cut out templates for your circles. {I folded the piece several times and then traced the bottom of a pop can [or soda can for my east coast friends] to get my large circle. Once you cut out that circle(s) you will have several templates the same size. You will need at least three. I then decreased one of the large circles to be a medium circle and another to be a small circle. These don't have to be exact, but I found it nice to have at least a template for cutting}

*Take the second shirt {cut up shirt} and begin to cut out your circles. {I found it best to cut out squares of the fabric and pin the template on the square before cutting. My fabric was rather stretchy and when I cut directly from the shirt the result looked nothing like a circle! Again the circle doesn't have to be exact to look good on the final product, but you probably want something in a general shape of a circle. = ) }

*After cutting out 7 sets of circles,  begin sewing them by hand to first shirt {wearing shirt}. {I found it easiest to create a rosette by bunching it together before beginning the sewing. You'll still need to bunch and try to catch more after that initial stitch, but I found it helped. This was definitely a trial and error for me...i.e. don't look at the undersides of my shirts, but at least the final product looked good!}

*Try different methods with your circle sets - close bunch, single rosettes. My guess is no two will be alike! {With the single rosettes I started with the middle template and just created a smaller template so my rosettes were not quite as big.}

Here's our results:

{All necklace created by Cindy with Feathered Nest Creations [my mom]. We are still working on creating an etsy shop after I attempt to sell some of her beautiful creations at the show in November. I'm having a hard time not keeping them all, but I don't need 60+ necklaces and bracelets! Plus I don't have my ears pierced and can't enjoy all her beautiful earnings that come with the sets} 

Such a fun project and I still have lots of leftover shirt in all three colors to make more! Let me know if you decide to try out the project. I'd love to see your pictures!!!