Origami Shirt--A Saturday Workshop Experience

Origami shirts completed in the workshop

Last Saturday, one our Clark County Quilters guild members, Su S, taught us via Zoom how to fold origami shirts. I'll admit, I wasn't confident that I'd be able to grasp the technique within the three hour class.

Fortunately, I was WRONG! Su had prepared a great handout. We started folding dollar bills to practice the folding techniques. I think these will be fun to tuck into my granddaughters' Easter cards. Su talked about folding one and leaving it as an extra special tip when you've had a great server.

Next, we began folding a piece of paper. I drew lines on my piece of paper so that I could remember which was the right side of the paper! Sue said the paper example could be attached to a gift bag or used as a gift tag. 

The folding technique for the gift tag varied a bit from the dollar bill folding technique. I had a tough time figuring out the sleeve part of the fold; but, with Su re-demonstrating the fold, I got it. The last folding exercise she led was making a shirt using fabric. She suggested that we make three at a time so the fabric had time to cool. 

Because you press the fold into the fabric and need the the fold to stay, the fabric needs to cool.These shirts are made with a 10 inch by seven inch scrap of fabric. It was supposed to be 11 inches; but, I miss measured. I had three in process and was surprised to have finished them with 20 minutes to spare in the class!

Su also covered what fabrics would work better for the technique and which fabrics to avoid. She shared a few examples of what she did with the fabric shirts. She even talked about how to attach the buttons and where to apply the hand tack stitches. I will look through my button options and add some. Although, I may wait until after I decide what they are going to be because quilting a project with buttons might not be a smart move! 

It was a fun couple of hours. I'll need to fold a few more to be ensure that I don't forget how to make the shirts!