A white graphic T and black shorts are the last two items for SWAP 2018.

Graphics

The graphic T is based on a photo I had printed from the web and stuck on my pinboard.  It has been sitting up there for a few years now.  Just waiting for me to get around to making a similar graphic.  The design fits in well with my geometric theme for this year’s SWAP.  So……

I fished out my drafting board, T-square and set squares.  A bit of reverse engineering…  and came up with a rough draft that would fit on A3 paper.

Then I put a sheet of tracing paper over the top and did the line work.   That bit took a while.  From there, I scanned it, and played around with some colour schemes.  Then mirrored the image ready for printing.

I only had A4 transfer paper, so I printed out each half  and carefully taped them together on the reverse side.  Then trimmed the excess away.  The join is barely noticeable on the final print.

And then the print ironed on.  I find this easier to do when the board is low to the ground and I can use my weight to apply as much pressure as I can.  Parts of the print hadn’t fully melded into the fabric when I took the transfer paper off so I put a sheet of baking paper over the print and applied more heat and pressure in these areas.  I’ve found using the  transfer paper to do this can cause the print to lift off, but it won’t stick to the baking paper.

I did notice that there was a slight colour shift in the pink colour of the print.  The print-out was a deeper red-pink but the transfer is a lot brighter pink.  I  liked the original colour better, but it is not too bad.  A good match for the pink polar fleece.  With the  print finished, it was just a case of finishing off the T.  It has since been worn and put through the washing machine.  There is no sign that the image has faded, bled or changed colour.

 

 

Pattern: TNT – probably Ottobre Fabric: Cotton jersey Rating: 4/5 – Good basic pattern Difficulty: 2/5 Cost: $10 – mostly for the transfer sheets

30 wears: Easily Quality: Medium Durability: High Fad factor: Low Flexibility: High Expected life: 5 years

 

The shorts

This is from a pattern I made a long time ago based on a Patagonia design.  Probably one of the first knock-offs that I had drafted.  Each summer I make another version.  Sometimes with  minor changes, sometimes more involved.

For this version, I’ve left off the cuffs.  The rest is the same.  The fabric is a ripstop cotton.  Please excuse the dirt in the photos.  We had a pretty hairy dust storm while I was setting up and taking the photos.  I didn’t realise how much dust they collected in such a short time even with all the windows and doors closed.

Pattern: Self Drafted Fabric: cotton ripstop Rating: 4/5 Difficulty: 3/5 – belt loops fiddly Cost: $8

30 wears: Easily Quality: High Durability: High Fad factor: Low Flexibility: High Expected life: 10 years