Nerd shirt

I spent the last 5 days in Austin, TX, accompanying my husband, who was there for SXSW Interactive. It was a welcome break from the snow and a chance for some grown-up time away from the kids. It was the perfect time to make myself a nerd shirt, based on this one I saw on Polyvore.

I had this yard sale shirt in my stash. Though it was a bit big and boxy, it had the right sporty vibe.

I started by taking in the sides from the hem all the way up along the underside of the sleeves to make it more fitted. Then I marked where I wanted the bottom hem to fall (the pin in the next shot) and used a white pencil to mark one inch below the high-low hem all the way around. I sewed a zigzag stitch all the way around on this line, then cut the excess off below the stitching.

I folded in one inch from the new finished edge all the way around the shirt, carefully following the curve in the back. I pressed it in place then sewed the hem with two rows of stretch stitches. The final step was a freezer paper stencil of the word NERD on the front, painted with white fabric paint. I modeled it two ways - with and without glasses - for more or less of a nerd effect.

I did get some compliments from fellow nerds attending the conference. It's a fun little shirt.

Thanks for reading!

-Amy