Appliqued T-shirt Tutorial

This is it! My first tutorial!!! For my first one, I wanted to make sure it was really exciting! Who doesn't love those adorable initial t-shirts you see everywhere? Well, now you can do it yourself!

Here's what you need:

sewing machine

thread to match your project

t-shirt

fabric scrap for your letter

computer

printer

heat n' bond lite

stabilizer

scissors
pen
pins

Step One:

Open a word document. Go to View - Toolbars - Drawing. A toolbar will pop up. Click Word Art "A". Choose the first box (top left) - select ok. A test box will appear. Type in the letter you want to applique. Next choose your font. Click ok. Click on letter once. Another word art tool bar will open. Select Text wrapping. Choose "in front of text". Now you can drag your letter to the size that you want it. Next, you will want to flip it so it will print out backward. To do this, you will click "draw". This should be on your word art toolbar. Next choose "rotate or flip horizontally". Now you are ready to print!

Step Two:

Lay your printed paper with the letter facing up. When you look at it, it will be backwards. Lay a piece of Heat n Bond, paper side up, on top of your printed paper. Trace. Cut out your letter.

Step Three:

Place bumpy side up on your fabric. Make sure your fabric is wrong side up! Rub your iron over this for 2-3 seconds. Cut out the letter.

Step Four:

Now you should have a fabric letter with the heat n bond paper on the back. Now, peel the paper off. The back of your fabric letter should have a glossy finish on the backside. Place the letter on the t-shirt in the position you would like it. Rub your hot iron over it for about 10 seconds.

Step Five:

Cut out a piece of stabilizer. I use Stitch and Tear. Place stabilizer on the inside of your t-shirt and pin it to the front of the t-shirt.

Step Six:

Time to sew! Choose a zig zag stitch that you would like to use. You may want to get a scrap piece of fabric out to test the stitch length, width, and thread tension. I always do a test strip just to remind myself where the stitch begins so I will know where to line up my t-shirt when I begin.

Once you feel confident in your stitch, place your t-shirt under the needle and go! Oh, and be sure you don't stitch the front and back of the t-shirt together!

That's it! You're done!