Yep, that pretty much explains me. Oh, I try SO. VERY. HARD! But, usually I end up with something ugly. My favorite part about it is definitely the shopping. I can spend a good part of the day in the craft store. I start, then stop, start again, get distracted or busy, and if I am very lucky I finish. This nearly sums up my crafting abilities. I "wannabe" good at it. I adore pretty things and almost anything handmade. But...I can't quite get the hang of it.
Whether I am good at it or not, I have come to enjoy applique. And lucky for me I have 2 precious girls to experiment on that always think anything I make for them is gorgeous! For anyone that does not know, applique is simply applying (or sewing) fabric onto another piece of fabric. In my case, I cutout fabric into cute designs and sew them onto t-shirts.
Today, I am proud to have finished two shirts that had been pushed into the back of a closet for months (along with my sewing machine) and were begging me to finish them. So without further ado...Ta-Da!
I have done some of these shirts for friends and some have asked how it is done. So, here are some simple instructions:
1. Pick out the appropriate size t-shirt (duh). I like to go with the brand American Apparel because they are made in the great US of A and they aren't made in sweat-shops. They are also just really cool looking.
2. Pick out a fabric to be applied to the shirt. I usually like to use something with vibrant colors, such as Amy Butler fabric and cut it into shapes of birds, dogs, etc. It can be found in specialty fabric stores, but not usually the big box craft stores. In the case above, however, I used a cute picture of kitty cats and little girls from In The Beginnings Fabric.
3. I then use a fusible web called Steam-A-Seam 2 to permanently fuse the fabric onto the shirt. This is by far the best I have found. It is very easy to work with, doesn't gum up sewing needles, and is washable so that if your stitches come apart the design stays put. Just follow the directions on the package.
4. Sew it on! If the design is small and intricate, I will hand stitch it using decorative thread. In the case above, I used my sewing machine because it was a simple square.
That's it! Don't ask me why it took me several months to finish it...that's just how I roll I guess. It really is simple. OK...now I am inspired again. I can think of a few babies out there that need some cute t-shirts. (Sorry friends. Just humor me and put them on your babes. They won't know the difference!)
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