Applique the Awesome way

Moms with girls get to do cute applique crafts all the live long day. I won't sit back and let them have all of the fun. Jonas was playing a game on Boowa and Kwala (which I highly recommend for the pre-reading set) and found Mike riding a bike with Spike. Mike had a green shirt on it with an "M" on it. Jonas said he HAD to have a blue one with a J on it. Sadly, most of the best ideas we come up with around here really come from the kids. I'd like to take credit for being a super active and creative mom, but I don't. If it were up to me, I'd be on the couch right now watching DVR'd Gossip Girl. So this is how we figured out how to make a super cool initial shirt.


Materials: From my local fabric store I purchased a t-shirt, solid colored fabric, which I washed, matching thread, Wonder-Under transfer web by Pellon, and Stitch and Tear (ask at the cutting counter for these items, they can help you find it).

1. I made my letters in Adobe Illustrator. You can make yours in Microsoft Word, choose your favorite font, size 500 or more. Print out 2 in greyscale or another light font, use a marker and straight edge to get the double "stroke". Cut the letters out.

2. Put rough side of Wonder-Under against the wrong side of your fabric squares about the size of your letters. Press with a dry, hot iron for 5-10 seconds. Pin the letters to the fabric. Cut around the letters carefully.


3. Gently peel off the paper backing from the letters, being careful not to fray the fabric of the letters themselves. One layer at a time, center your letter on the t-shirt, web side down, cover with a damp towel or press cloth and iron firmly for 15 seconds or so. Repeat on all sections until all fabric is fused. Repeat with second layer. Remove towel and iron again to remove moisture.

4. When you applique on knits, like a t-shirt, you need a stabilizer, like Stitch and Tear. Cut your Stitch and Tear in a square larger than your letter, pin it to the inside of your t-shirt, where you will be sewing. This will keep your shirt from moving around too much or bunching up in your sewing machine.

5. Using a satin stitch or a close together and short zigzag stitch on your sewing machine, sew around your letters using a careful and straight stitch. (Mine aren't perfect either) Clip your strings carefully.

6. Turn the shirt inside out, clip your strings, tear away your Stitch and Tear, inside and outside your seams (it doesn't wash well).


7. Try to have kid as cute as mine.