Disclaimer: this post is late because of the Little People in my life. And, yes, there were times I was tempted to say, “Hey! Mama’s trying to write a blog post about how much she loves you! Can you be quiet and quit climbing on me, already?”

………………………………………………………………………………………

For last week’s Wardrobe Wednesday, I showed you the end result of an idea that I’ve had in the back of my mind for a while now.

I started with a long-sleeved tee from Old Navy, which I found on the clearance rack for $1.

t shirt

It’s nothing fancy. In fact, it was practically begging to be fancied up a bit.

A little while ago, we had a fun discussion on Facebook about what we would put on a t-shirt as the answers for the (often comical and wildly inappropriate) FAQs we get asked as mothers of small children.

Mine were:

1. Yes, they’re twins. Girl, girl. Yes, they’re identical. Yes, we have twins in our family, but with identical twins, that doesn’t matter. They are a happy and unique blessing from the Lord. (Remember, this is what the t-shirt would say—not what I always manage to get out of my mouth).
2. Yes, they’re all mine.
3. Yes, I know how this keeps happening.

But as I read all your responses, the idea of a TRULY preemptive t-shirt began to take shape in my mind—one that would, in a perfect world, head all of those pesky (if, at times, hilarious) questions off at the pass by a simple declaration of my love for my (many) children.

And this is what I came up with:

i heart little people

It’s a super simple project that can be customized however you choose and could definitely be a no-sew job if you wanted.

Here’s what you’ll need to get started:

supplies

  • A t-shirt
  • Various fabric scraps
  • Sequin fabric (mine came from a tank top that I never wear)
  • Decorative ribbon (at least 1”—preferably wider)
  • Scissors
  • Pins
  • Glue gun (not pictured)
  • Sewing Machine (optional)
  • Heart template (I just did a Google search for “heart outline”)

And here’s what you’ll do:

::STEP 1::

Fold your various scraps of fabric in half (you may have to press them to get them to stay folded) and trace a half outline of a “little person” silhouette, just like you used to do in kindergarten when you made paper doll chains. I am no artist, folks, so I just eye-balled and played around with various shapes until I got one I liked.

paper doll

Since I wanted 4 different sizes (yes, I have 5 children, but the twins are the same, obviously), I started with the biggest version and then used it as a guide to scaling each little figure down a little. I didn’t worry about perfect proportions—just an overall impression.

{Don’t forget to press them flat again after you cut them out}

::STEP 2::

Cut out the sequined heart.

heartheart 1

::STEP 3::

Cut ribbon for the letter “I” and play with various layouts. This part is important because, as you can see from the pic of the finished product, I didn’t end up with this layout you see below.

set up

::STEP 4::

Glue the very centers of your little people figures with a dab or two of hot glue. This will keep them from sliding around as you stitch them in place.

{Alternatively, if you’re doing a no-sew version, you could anchor everything in place with hot glue or fabric glue}

glue  

It’s very important to keep the hot glue away from the edges if you’re planning on stitching the outline. Dried, hard hot glue + sewing machine needles = broken needles.

(Or so I’ve heard).

::STEP 5::

Pin everything else in place and stitch around the outline of the letter “I,” the heart, and the little people figures. Yes, this project can be no-sew, but I’m not going to lie: the stitching contrast definitely classes it up a bit.

IMG_9488

::STEP 6::

Pin more ribbon along the hem of the shirt and around the cuffs of the sleeves, and then stitch that in place as well. This was an especially nice touch to my tee because I found it in the little girls’ section, and it was just a smidge short in the torso and the sleeves.

IMG_9491 

Note: You will either need to allow for more ribbon than you think is absolutely necessary at the hem of the shirt or, as I did, cut little vents at the sides, since ribbon does not stretch, and you don’t want the hem of your cute new shirt stuck somewhere around your love handles lower waist instead of resting at your hips.

::STEP 7::

Put your “I ♥ Little People” tee on and wear it proudly on your next grocery run. Then, when that well-meaning little old lady comes up and says something like, “Oh my goodness, honey. Look at all those children! Don’t you have a TV in your home?”…you can just smile, point to your t-shirt, and keep on walking (okay, so maybe not the walking off part; that would be rude).

IMG_9504    

Of course, the best part is that we all love our little people, no matter how many we have at home, so an “I ♥ my Little Person” tee would be an awesome way of letting the world know how happy you are to be a mama too!

I guarantee your kid(s) will notice. My 5-year-old is still a beginning reader, but he knows exactly what my shirt says, and he and Ezra (the 6 1/2-year-old) kept saying over and over, “Look, Mama! Your shirt says you love US!” and then pointing to each little figure and saying, “That’s Ezra, that’s Simon, that’s Della…”

Oh, and if you’re looking for a fantastic new blog to read, you should totally head on over to Five in Tow. I stumbled across Kristen’s blog when someone shared her “How to Get Your Toddler to Eat Anything” post (HILARIOUS!), and I’ve since gotten completely hooked—and not just because she has 5 children too (with the 4th and the 5th being twins boys!).

I mention her because she’s worth adding to your daily blog-roll but also because she has a t-shirt list of her own, which made me laugh out loud. (#10 was my favorite—“I think they’re crying because we’ve stopped moving”—classic).

So, what do you think? Would you be willing to sport a “I ♥ Little People” t-shirt in public?

Or, perhaps, you’d prefer this version:

t-shirt fodder

{I’m fighting the urge to correct the grammar}

And, if you’d rather go the most direct route (since gentle sarcasm is lost on some), what top 3 answers would your t-shirt have to the most common questions you’re asked when you are (or were in the past) out with small child(ren)?

My friend, Angela, (who guest-posted this hilarious story for me a while a back) gave the most priceless response I’ve heard yet:  “Yes, they are a very happy handful. (Which, when you think about it would make a pretty darn funny T-shirt!)”

(Just think about it for a minute outside the context of children and imagine the jaws dropping as you bee-bop your way through the fresh produce section)

Happy Tuesday, folks! Don’t forget to hug on your little people today!

8 Comments

  1. What a darling shirt! I love the pops of color. Very creative! What would I put on a t-shirt? Well, I have three boys, ages 6, 3, and 1. I typically hear, “Well, you have your hands full, don’t you?” My first response is “Why don’t you offer to hold the door for us then?!”, but since I don’t say that out loud, I almost always respond with, “My heart is more full than my hands.” Also, I would make a shirt that says, “No, we aren’t going to try again just to have a girl.” I remember someone asking me two days after my third son was born if we would try again for a girl. TWO DAYS!!

  2. Cute shirt and don’t worry, you get crazy comments from people when you only have 1 child too! My t-shirts would say something like, “No, he’s not lonely,” or “Yes, I am able to have more kids and my reproductive organs are working properly (but if they weren’t it wouldn’t be any of your business).” It’s funny how personal strangers get when it comes to your children!

    Visiting from https://musingsinmass.blogspot.com/.

  3. Yay, thanks for the recommendation of another twin-momma blog! I have lots of responses for the silly questions I get asked about our children. “Are you sure they’re twin?” is by far my favorite. Yes, they are a boy and a girl, yes they are very different in size, but I pushed them both out within 30 minutes, after carrying them for 9 months….I’m sure they’re twins. 🙂 And no, by 5 and 2 year olds are not twins. *facepalm*

  4. What a cute idea for a shirt! I LOVE it!

    I am bummed that you cut up that cute sequin tank, though. I think you should have given it a chance to come live w/ me first….LOL! Just kidding! I heart sequins 🙂
    Loved the idea about adding the ribbon to the sleeves & bottom. Such a cute accent. And the “dot” of hot glue to stabilize is genius. I have used iron-on heat-n-bond, but it is a longer process since you have to cut it out too.

    What would I put on a shirt…..Hmmmm……”On the verge of crazy…..and lovin’ it!” or maybe “Yes, we know what causes this”……just a few off the top of my head!

  5. Very creative and I love the contrasting fabrics! What a polished touch to add the ribbon to the ends of the openings, almost looks like a layered two-piece shirt. Rock on, I might just try this, but mine would say something to the effect like “I love nursing” or after I pass my boards “I’m an RN”…heheehe:-)

  6. As the oldest child of an even larger family, I often had several tinies with me in my teens and could answer truthfully that they were not MINE (not exactly anyway). A couple of years ago, I put together a little video compiling all my favorite and oft-repeated conversational tidbits from when people learn that I have a dozen siblings: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gSrRZ4uGCDw

    Thought you might enjoy. 🙂

I love hearing from you guys!