Sewing: T-Shirt Embellishment

FINISHED

I was at Old Navy the other day and I saw this cute little cardigan with these almost origami like fabric squares sewn on. I immediately decided I could do that only better. So today I succeeded in completing a similar (but better) project. I used an Old Navy v-neck t-shirt and dipped into my fabric stash and this is what I came up with:

I also photographed the process:

I used a square quilting template that was 3"x3". I used two different fabrics and a piece of fusible applique to join the two fabrics together.

Once I had my little fabric sandwich I used my iron to press the square in half and then in half again so I could easily find the center point.

Since I wanted the pink fabric to be the inside color I started with the pink side up. Just like folding origami (but with an iron) I pressed all the corners up to the center.

Then I opened the piece back up and flipped it over so I could trim off just the slightest bit of fabric from the triangle pieces I just created by folding. That way the pink can show through a little more.

Flipping the square back over to the pink side I had to refold the pieces I just unfolded to trim and gave them one more quick press. I flipped the fabric over so my print/grey side was facing up and once again folded in the corners to the center and pressed them down.

I repeated those steps two more times so I had three squares. And then because I will take any excuse to use my dress form:

I put the shirt on my dress form (or Duct Tape Lisa as I like to call her) and pinned on my fabric origami squares (finished they are 1 3/4").

Final step was to sew them to my shirt. I didn't use interfacing on the inside I just made sure the shirt was flat and not pulled too tight to stretch the fabric and sewed them down. I used a pink thread and just sewed backward/forward a few times down each spot where the pink was peaking through. This not only attached them to the shirt but it held down the folds I made.

And the finished piece you obviously saw pictured above. I am going to fabric origami everything!! It will be my new obsession... I can never have too many craft obsessions! Right? Luckily this one isn't expensive like some of my most recent obsessions... metalsmithing... quilting.