About

My cup of tea

I often catch myself staring at our super silly and beautiful pup. Her name was Oreo and we decided not to change it, it’s perfect! She was 2 years old when we picked her up at the shelter and she has been 2+ years living with us. She always makes me smile, except when she eats goose poop. She was the inspiration for this whole project.

“I just have to get that pretty face on a t-shirt! I look for a blank t-shirt in my closet. The only thing I can find to draw Oreo is a sharpie, but the ink is permanent, right? Plus, my plan is to outline the design with stitching, using pieces of an old tee as interfacing to prevent puckering. Next, to add some spark in the eyes, I get that little bag of spare sequins – I knew someday they would come in handy. For the nose I will use some leftover chambray. And why stop at the nose? I have enough for the sleeves and even a gusset in the center back to narrow the waist and add a little extra room at the hips. Done: T + Oreo!”

I love my first Oreo t-shirt but I’ve come a long way since then; I use fabric markers, paint and/or crayons, as well as woven backing or water-soluble stabilizer when adding appliqués, sequins and stitching. As for the tee, no sleeve-swap or inserts, I like to keep it simple.