Tuesday, January 19, 2010

RTT - Easy Butterfly & Flower Tutorial

This is the blog swap tutorial I did with I Make Stuff last week.  It's a quick and easy applique for another one of my dollar shirts.  I'm loving seeing all your ideas for the El Cheap-O Shirt Challenge....you all have AWESOME ideas! 
Keep 'em coming and link 'em up here!
Here's another one to add to the list!




Easy Butterfly and Flower Applique Tee

Supplies: T-shirt, knit scraps (you can use old t-shirts), Wonder Under, 4 buttons, embroidery floss, sewing essentials (machine, thread, scissors, etc)

1.) Iron an 8"x8" piece of Wonder Under onto the back of the scrap of knit fabric for the butterfly wings. You will also need another approximately 8"x8" piece of Wonder Under ironed to either the same knit fabric or a different one for the flower, depending on whether you want the flower the same color as the butterfly or not.

2.) From that fabric, cut two large hearts (approx 2" tall) and two small hearts (approx 1 1/2" tall) for the butterfly wings. You can free-hand it or print out one from on-line to copy.

3.) Also cut out three flower shapes, one small, medium, and large. The large one will be about 3"x3". I just freehanded a little fluffy flower, but you could print one out to copy.

4.) To make the little "loopy trail" from the flower to the butterfly, you will need to do a running stitch with a needle and embroidery floss. Start at the bottom in the middle of where you plan to place your flower. Make sure to have the knot from the floss on the OUTSIDE of the shirt, b/c this will be covered later by the flower. Do a running stitch from the bottom left corner to the upper right side of the shirt. Make sure to put a few loops in there too. When you get to where you want the butterfly to be make sure to stitch a two little antenna for your butterfly. Then end the stitching in the middle of where the butterfly will be with a knot on the outside of the shirt. This is a really long explanation...it's really just simple stitching :)

5.) Peel the paper back off the hearts and iron them on over the knot on the right upper part of the shirt. Put the two larger hearts down first with the two points touching (just below the antenna), then put the small hearts directly over them. Iron them down well.

6.) On your sewing machine, stitch an "X" through the butterfly wings. The wings won't fray b/c they are knit.
7.) Peel the paper back off the flowers and iron them on, larger one first, over the knot at the bottom left part of the shirt. With your sewing machine, stitch around the outline of the 3 flowers.

8.) Sew a button to the middle of the flower. Sew 3 buttons down the middle of the butterfly wings to make the "body". Make sure the antenna are poking up from the top button.

And you're done! Quick and easy and super cute!! Come check out the other El Cheap-O shirts at Get Your Craft On...and remember to link up what you've got!





10 comments:

Michelle @ Delicate Construction said...

ADORABLE!!!How cute, I will have to try that but maybe on a onesie so baby could wear it sooner. =)

Kim -today's creative blog said...

that looks so cute!

onecraftalicousmomma said...

I love your butterfly tank....I definatly need to try this,I have been upcycling alot of my daughters clothes lately and this is a perfect idea...
thanks.

Angie Holden said...

Very cute -- thanks!

Sew Can Do said...

Cute design & looks easy to do - my favorite combo!

Lynette said...

Very cute - I may have mentioned though - I can't sew a stich - nothing, nadda, zero, zilch!

Just popping over to say thanks for the award, I haven't forgotten it, just haven't blogged it yet! Hopefully this week though!

Thanks again -

Andrea said...

I love the idea of the buttons as the body of the butterfly. Very creative. Thanks for the idea!

Fawnda@Fireflies and Jellybeans said...

This is just darling! I love the dashed line to show where the butterfky has gone! So CUTE!

Crystal said...

what blog template are you using that is a 3 column one? I can't find a place to download a free 3 column blog template.

Sheri@childmade.com said...

I need to have a girl. :( Very cute! Thanks for sharing. I've posted a link.