Sunday, September 21, 2008

Little Boy's Applique T-shirt - the easy way! Loads of Pictures. Free Tutorial

Here is the project we are going to be learning about today. You can use this same method for applying just about anything to a t-shirt, onesie, burp clothe, or what ever else you can fit under your sewing machine. In this case, I am making a baseball t-shirt for a friend of my daughter's for his 5th birthday.
Here we go.......!
Here's what you need:
Blank T-shirt
Wonder Under
Scrap Fabric
Embroidery Floss
Print Out of your design

Here is the picture I want to apply to the t-shirt. You can find great, simple pictures from children's coloring books. Obviously, you can also just draw your own picture.

Take your picture and trace it onto the smooth side of the Wonder Under. (the rough side will become the adhesive that sticks to the fabric)Cut out each shape. You'll want to decide beforehand what fabrics to use for each element of your picture. You'll cut out each shape that has a different fabric. Lay your shape onto the wrong side of the fabric you'll be using. Following the directions on the Wonder Under, iron each shape onto your fabric. Make sure you use a damp pressing clothe. This makes the process of peeling off the paper much easier. In the past I've tried to skip this step thinking I was saving time, but it's a pain the butt to get that paper off if you don't!Cut around each shape (now applied) to the fabric, close to the lines you drew.Peel the backing off.Place the fabric pieces (sticky side down) onto your t-shirt. Being sure they are placed exactly where you want them. Iron them down according to the instructions on the Wonder Under.Now it's time to stitch around all of the shapes you just ironed onto the t-shirt. I have used a zig zag stitch in the past, but lately I've liked using a straight stitch. I also use a pretty short stitch since I tend to be stitching around some tight places. Use the hand wheel on your machine if you have to in order to get into the tight spots. A straight stitch will give your final design a frayed look over time.

Now you'll want to take a disappearing ink pen and draw in the line where you want to hand embroider, or machine stitch the details. (*I had an "oh duh" moment while writing this tutorial. If you want to avoid having the stitching from the hand embroidery show on the back side of your work, do this step before you iron it onto the shirt. I think this would also help secure the threads. I wish I had done that on this project)
Using embroidery floss, stitch in the lines. I used the machine to stitch in the details on the baseball cap and embroidery floss on the baseball.If you want, you can take Fray Stop and apply it to the edges. There you have it! Hope you enjoy! You can do so many things with this. I've even used iron-on letters which I purchased from Michaels to add wording.

Let me know if you have any questions! I've been trying to type this as my two monkeys are jumping on the bed - something they've been told a million times not to do. I'm booting them outside now.

I'd love to hear how your projects turn out!

3 comments:

Lacie said...

Thanks you!!! I am still having trouble understanding how to use the embroidrey floss...do you tie a knot on the end and then start underneath? I have a frog smile I am trying to put on and I am having a bit of a hmmmmm.... moment! I have nothing to go by with the smile! Help!

Lacie said...

Oh...what is a hand wheel???

RetroLeeTX said...

Hey Lacie -
Yes, you tie a knot in your embroidery floss - I would use all 6 strands - then come up to the right side of your fabric. From there, it's just a straight stitch.
The "hand wheel" is the wheel on your machine - on the right hand side. If you turn it, it makes your needle go up and down. Using this just enables you to stitch much slower. Good if you're stitching in a small, tight area.
Hope that helps - good luck with your Froggy!

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