t-shirt tutorial

Posted by marne on August 12, 2008 in stitch | 22 comments

UPDATE: Hi Whip up visitors! If you haven’t been here before, there are a couple more posts about the t-shirt, here and here. Enjoy!

Okay, here it is, and there’s lots of pictures, so I hope it doesn’t take too long to load.

First, get a couple t-shirts, a needle and matching thread. I like the look of using the same color t-shirts, but it might be interesting to try a different color too. Cut out a heart shaped pattern piece, about 3 inches wide, by about 3 1/2 inches long.

Cut the t-shirt you’re using for the flower pieces apart-back, front and sleeves. I used the whole front piece for my t-shirt, so if you wanted to make two shirts, you would only need three total.

Pin the paper pattern to the cut up t-shirt.

And cut it out:

You’ll need six hearts for each flower, plus a few extra to scatter around like leaves.

Now, thread a needle, tie a knot in one end, and sew a running stitch down the middle of the heart, ending on the same side as the knot:

Pull up the stitches so that the heart is lightly gathered. It might make it easier to handle if you tie off the thread at this point, but don’t cut it off. Place it on the t-shirt, and follow the gathering stitches, sew it in place, tie off and cut your thread:

As you add petals, lift up the adjacent petal so they overlap a little. Keep in mind that you’ll be sewing six hearts in the a circle, like a pie, so space them accordingly.

Keep adding heart-petals until you like the result, or you get tired of cutting and sewing them.

Hold up your t-shirt, and where ever a petal droops down, tack it up with a tiny little stitch.

Now put it on and wear it proudly, and be ready for lots of compliments!

Thanks to my sister for doing all the hard work while I just snapped pictures.

Oh, and several people asked how it would stand up to washing. I washed mine in the hand wash cycle on my machine and hung it up to dry. The flowers were all bunched up, so I tried smoothing them out with my fingers. That didn’t really work. When it was just barely damp I threw it in the dryer for few minutes. Still scrunched. So I laid it flat on my ironing board, and just pumped each petal full of steam from my iron and smoothed them out, and it looks great. The edges have a tiny bit of fraying, more from wearing than washing, I think. It gives them a nice, soft look that I, personally, like. It also hides any jagged cuts. That t-shirt fabric is a little tricky to cut smoothly, but just cut steadily, and you’ll be fine.

Please let me know if anything is unclear! And I’d love to see finished shirts if anyone else makes one!

PS: Off topic, my brother has been posting a photo a day for the last week or so, you should go look and see how lovely his photographs are. There might also be a picture of moi over there. I’m just saying. We are thinking of inviting him to be an honorary member of Photoshop Sisters, since we need to start posting there again sometime soon, and he’s pretty smart about that photography stuff.