The Mondrian

OK, that sounds like the name of a mid-priced Washington, D.C. hotel, but it's actually the realization of my vision of a Mondrian-influenced color block shirt, which I will now describe in semi-excruciating detail.

Step 1: Design

I had a very clear view of what I wanted the completed shirt to look like, so I quickly drew it up in crayon.



Step 2: Selecting materials

I had two freebie t-shirts to incorporate: a black one from a grad school that accepted me but which I chose not to attend (and pay for) and a white one from a previous employer, which was very large and only had a small logo on the front. The red and blue were harder to find. I decided to use a long-sleeved red shirt made from a very soft red knit that I rarely wear and another soft blue knit shirt that came with a pajama set but that always felt a little bit too short for my taste anyway. I washed and dried them all to ensure that they had already done whatever shrinking they had in them. So yeah, I intended to turn four shirts into one with this project. Since I already own too many shirts, this was arguably a good thing.

Initially, I had thought to only do the block design on the front and have a solid black back; however, I didn't have nearly enough fabric for this, so I decided to do the same design on the back only mirror-image flipped so the red pieces touched, etc.



Step 3: Making the pattern

On a piece of newspaper, I traced around my model tank. I then put on the model and experimented with folding and placing a vertical band of dark fabric against myself to select the desired width and positioning of the vertical black stripe. I liked the 1.5" width and marked the position on the model with pins. I transferred the positioning onto the pattern, then drew in the top stripe to divide the shirt in half and the bottom stripe to divide it 3/4 to 1/4. I took measurements of the length of the various stripes.

Step 4: Cutting the pieces and making the design

I intentionally cut all the fabric pieces (14 total) larger than I needed to give me room for error. Then I sewed them together to create two large patchwork pieces. This was fairly time-consuming but not too challenging. I started by sewing together the blue and black for the top of the shirt. I then measured the black to 1.5" and ironed in a crease. I marked the crease with a white quilter's crayon (that doesn't show up as easily as tailor's chalk, but is less messy) then sewed the white piece to it.



I did the same on the bottom, then added both pieces to the middle black stripe, creating a single large "piece." I made two of these large pieces to be the new fabric from which to cut out the pattern.



Step 5: Cutting the pattern and sewing the shirt

I lined up the two pieces of fabric so the design matched perfectly, then traced and cut around the model tank, making sure the stripe corresponded to the area marked with pins on the model. Because my model shirt is at least one generation removed from the original storebought shirt it is based on, I had noticed last time I used it that it was slightly different on one side from the other. So this time, I folded the fabric and the model in half and cut through four layers of fabric so that there would be lateral symmetry.

Then it was a reasonably simple matter of sewing the shirt as usual, but with one problem that arose from my decision that I needed to do a foldover hem to maintain the purity of the design. (In other words, it wouldn't do to add a separate band of fabric at the neck, arms, or bottom.) I chose to do these hems all in white thread.

I alluded earlier to the two "t-shirt" knits and the two "soft" knits. I have previously been using t-shirt knits of the typical Hefty T fabric, which is tighter and sturdier than these soft knits. Thankfully, I was sensible enough to realize this might pose difficulties. When I tested stitching on a piece of the soft blue knit, mimicking a hem job, using the normal "stretch stitch" caused the fabric to become wavy. Using a normal stitch was better, but the fabric was still not sturdy enough to avoid the waviness problem.

However, I pretty quickly had an idea - using a piece of very sturdy woven fabric "inside" the hem. I cut a narrow strip so that it would go between the two layers of knit fabric on the inside; sewing on this caused much less waviness, though it was still a bit different from the look of the stitches on the t-shirt fabric. It looked good enough, so I proceeded to use the woven fabric for the blue section of the neckline and the blue arm. I was less concerned about the red knit since the only hemline would be hanging down.

Once the shirt was made up, I tried it on and was disappointed that I had made it too wide in places; the folding of the fabric made it so thick I was not able to get as close to the model as I would have liked. So I laid out the shirt inside out, put the model on top, and drew in stitch lines along the sides with a blue quilter's pen. This is really the first time I have made use of the crayon and pen, and god, it's so useful. I was able to bring in the sides of the shirt by stitching right along the line I'd drawn instead of having to remember / fake it. I admit, I had been sort of scared of the pen, but the ink washed out immediately on contact with water, as the packaging promised it would.

Step 6: Modeling the Mondrian

So, here we have it. The front view:



Also side views, where you can see that I was successful in lining up the front and back to match almost perfectly:





I have to admit that I am basically insanely proud of this project, and not just because it demonstrated that I was able to design something I think is very attractive and execute it with a reasonable level of accuracy and competence. (I don't think anyone would mistake this for couture, but neither does it look obviously homemade by an utterly unskilled 8th grade home ec student.) I am learning patience, care (measure twice, cut once), how to use my tools, and an ability to anticipate and solve problems without freaking out.

And the shirt looks damn smart. If it weren't already mine, I would want it, bad. The shape might look purer on someone with a Twiggier figure than mine, but I don't care. This is probably the last t-shirt refashion I'll be making for a while.