Now that our summer break is over, it’s time to catch everyone up on the Iron Craft challenges we did this summer! Today we’re looking at the May challenges – we crafted T-shirts, looked to our past and went on picnics. How did you spend your May?

Challenge 20 – To A Tee

We look at the catalogs that parade into the house with fancy T-shirts, and some of us can’t help but be inspired to try to make some of those ourselves. We could always freezer paper stencil, or iron on transfer. Paint. Embroider. Cut. Sew on. … the possibilities are endless. [See all the submissions from Iron Craft]

Melinda Hileman’s Submission: Garnet-Hill Inspired Shirt

Melinda's TshirtMelinda used a medium t-shirt from Michaels (they had a big sale, so she got 4 shirts – this project uses 2 of them), and cut up an XL to create the cap sleeves and ruffles down the front.

Melinda knows what she wanted it to look like, and where she might have gone wrong (her pattern for the ruffles wasn’t quite right) , but considering this is the first garment she’s sewn without a pattern (and the only garment she’s sewn since middle school), she thinks it turned out pretty good.

She’s at a brick wall with her sewing skills, and it took two full days, so she may take it to an alterations person to finish off the neckline.  Melinda also thought about ombre dying it so that it’s darker at the bottom, and the color it is now at the top. She’d love any suggestions on how she can make it look better without ripping the whole thing apart!


Challenge 21: Where We Come From

This week’s challenge was to create something based on our family’s heritage. We could go back one generation, or ten – whatever inspired us! [See all the submissions from Iron Craft]

Melinda Hileman’s Submission: Grandpa’s Tie Quilt Pillow

Melinda's Tie PillowMelinda’s grandmother saved a bunch of her grandpa’s ties after he died. Her grandmother wanted to make a quilt from them, but since her Parkinson’s only got worse after his death, they have been hanging in her closet.

Melinda decided to use a dresden template to create a quilt square using her grandpa’s ties. It uses 6 ties (two sets are from one tie) and printable fabric with their family tartan on it (her dad scanned his tie and emailed it to her!). The middle has Melinda’s grandfather’s name, date of birth and date of death. It wasn’t until she typed that part that she realized it had been 10 years, this Christmas.

Melinda even added a tag on the side – the front says “Made by Melinda 2011” and the back says “Dry Clean Only; Do Not Get Wet.” This is important since pieces of the pillow are printed on fabric, and getting it wet will make all the ink run!

Note: Melinda’s grandmother died in late July, and this pillow was at her bedside through the whole process.


Challenge 22: Al Fresco

It was Memorial Day weekend in the States and to a lot of people (especially those of us in colder climates) it is the unofficial kick-off of summer. People everywhere were getting out in their backyards and local parks, firing up the barbecue and having a picnic. Our Iron Craft challenge for this week was to create something that can be used at a picnic, bbq or cookout. [See all the submissions from Iron Craft]

Melinda Hileman’s Submission: Beach Picnic Collage

Melinda's Picnic CollageMelinda and her husband husband had recently gone on a romantic weekend which included a picnic on the beach. She embellished a Dollar Tree frame with shells and rocks from the beach and put in a couple pictures from that day. They tried putting up a tent to keep the sun off, but as you can see, the top isn’t on the tent because it was windy and it tried to fly away! So, they just took the top off and kept on going in true Hileman fashion!

Did you submit a craft for these Iron Craft challenges? Share yours in the comments section!