Weekend 6 - Upcyclying thrift store shirts ~ honeycomb heart tank ~ make something, anything, every weekend challenge

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Journey of the Honeycomb Heart








Well, it was another beautiful weekend.  And with my daughter's starring role in her school musical as our pinnacle activity of the weekend, my heart is bursting with gratitude for my sweet family and our home.  For all our dear friends and for all the happiness in our life.

A year ago, we pulled up our roots and moved to Lawrence, KS ~ it was a wonderful decision and we have received so many gifts in our new home, our new town.  Life is good and as my heart swells I am inspired by spring and all the burgeoning life, all the buzz and sweetness of what I call the "honeycomb heart".

To celebrate this gratitude, and seize the moment I decided to create a tank top using this theme and Avery stretchable fabric transfers.  Sometimes fast is good, this was a quick project in a weekend full of other fun activities ~ no matter how busy we are, though, we always have time to make something.  

Make art, be happy and enjoy all the beauty around you!

And this week's music is dedicated to my wonderful husband, because when I told him I was busy making my honeycomb heart, he asked, "How can I help you?"









1.  Pinterest is my friend, and it could be your friend as well.  I spend small moments (and sometimes large chunks of weekend mornings :)  pinning bits and pieces of inspiration.  Then go through my boards and cook up ideas for creative projects.  This is one of my all time favorite pins:



So beautiful! and the idea of the "honeycomb heart" is an concept I play around a lot when I am writing:

Mariposa Medicine

So into dark places,
Slide, like night sky
Into universe drink ~

Prayers, flags on
The wind, shadows
Catching whispers
Of light ~

Tiny phrases, my rose
Petal offering, 
Candle flaming
Heart.

Moon catching sun, 
Ancient stories
Twinkling above me.

All these things, 
Caught with luminescent
Filament on grey matter.

Then stored away
Inside your honeycomb Heart.



2.  Then in walks a plain, grey tank:


Goodwill, $1.99

3.  I used PowerPoint (to my husband's horror, but it works for me :) to manipulate the image to the size I wanted and then printed it out on regular paper to make sure it looked right.


Yep, I love it.  Make sure to horizontally flip your pic or words, or it will be backwards on your finished tank.

4.  Then I printed the image along with some vintage honey bees onto Avery's 8 1/2" x 11" Stretchable Fabric Transfer paper:



5.  The most time-consuming part of this project was cutting out the heart and the bees ~ I am a semi-expert as I have been cutting out pictures for collages for many, many years.  I use reading glasses (as a cheap replacement for a magnifier) and tiny, very sharp scissors:



6.  TIP:  cut out your shapes first, kinda messy but close to the lines.  Then go back and clean up with your finer cuts.  If you aren't great at detailed cutting, choose images that are large and won't require tiny, picky cuts (like my bees did, the heart though was easy):


Above: Example of the quick cuts, then go back in and trim as closely as you can for a good end result.

7.  Okay, get your placement worked out:


8.  You will want to iron on a hard surface, not an ironing board.  Use an old pillow case to protect your surface (I am lucky to have an old Navy mess hall table that is already pretty hashed so I don't have to worry about ruining my surface).  

9.  Empty any water that is in your iron.  NO STEAM (if there was water in your iron, let it heat and discharge any remaining water before you begin).   Set your iron to the cotton setting.

10.  Place the transfer with the printed image facing down onto the garment.  Iron transfer in sections using very firm pressure.  Evenly iron transfer to make sure ALL areas are covered.  I pressed down very firmly for 30 seconds in each area, then repeated 2 additional times to make sure my transfer had transferred.  The Avery packaging also contains instructions for you.

11.  Let the transfer cool for about 2-3 minutes.

12.  Then gently, carefully, peel the backing paper from the tank:




13.  YAY and TA-DA:














back of tank


lower left of tank


We have all kinds of exciting projects in store soon here at Cicada Moon Workshop ~ Ella and I will be making some dresses out of vintage sheets, a group of friends and I will be creating our own inspiring quote canvases, and Trey and I will be putting in an apple tree guild and herb path in our back yard.  

'Til next time, use your moments to create the life you want!