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5 ways to embellish a shirt pattern

One of my favorite things to sew is a good T-shirt. My kids dress really casual, so T-shirts and Sweatshirts are always in heavy rotation around here. When it comes to creating a versatile wardrobe for my girls I like to use cute prints and different colors, but I also like to have fun adding different details to the same pattern. And that got me thinking that I could share with you guys my favorite ways to embellish any shirt pattern. As well as small tutorials showing the way I made each of the details. From shirring, to ruching, to yokes and gathers…these are my top 5.

Ready?

5 ways to embellish a shirt pattern.


theruche_feature


 

1. Shirred sleeve detail

ShirredSleeve_001

I took this idea from a store-bought tee my daughter has. It’s so easy and perfect for that extra girlyness factor. And here’s how you can make it:

ShirredSleeve

2. Back ruffle

Backruffle_003

Backruffle_005

 

This version happened because I didn’t have enough fabric to cut the back pattern piece of a Rowan Tee and had to get creative. 🙂 I think it can work great  to add some color blocking or a cute print.

Backruffle_001 Backruffle_002

3. “The Ruche”

I used this detail on a Ziggy Top as part of a fun event Madeit patterns put together in the beginning of the year called “Just add Detail”.

theruche_007

theruche_005

theruche_006

To make this you’ll need two strips of the same fabric you’re using for your Tee (you can use contrasting fabric if you prefer) and T-shirt yarn.

theruche_001 theruche_002 theruche_003 theruche_004

4. Yoke and gathers

This is another way to have some fun either keeping the same fabric or mixing prints or solid colors.

yokeandgathers_004

yokeandgathers_006

yokeandgathers_005

Here’s a quick how to:

yokeandgathers_001 yokeandgathers_002 yokeandgathers_003

5. Embroidered outline

Lately I’ve been obsessing on simple embroidered details. Particularly a Japanese technique called Sashiko. I haven’t quite managed to try Sashiko properly, but it gave me the idea to make a simple embroidered outline on a sweatshirt. I decided to use the rabbit from the Rabbit rug template, I shared here a few months ago and I love the result.

Rabbit_001

To make it I just printed the rabbit, scaled to the size I wanted, and cut the outline. Then placed it centered on the front of the sweater and traced the outline with some tailors chalk. With  embroidery floss I sewed long stitches along the outline, until the rabbit was complete. You can do this with the rabbit template (get it here) or you can use it with the design of your choice, the possibilities are infinite. 😀

Rabbit_002


 

There are so many good things one can make with a good basic pattern, hope you feel inspired to try some of these.

I just reviewed a great free shirt pattern from NOSH, including instructions in english since the pattern is in Finnish, you can check it out here.

As you may know “Good is in Detail” (quoting the brilliant Architect Mies Van Der Rohe), so go on and do it to make your sewing even more special. 😉

Thanks for stopping by.

Happy sewing!

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diy// girl// technique// women5 Comments

About Jess

When I was a young girl, my nickname was Jessica Rabbit. Fast forward 20 years, and I am married to the love of my life who, as fate would have it, has the last name Abbott. That's me! Jessica R. Abbott - aka, Jess Rabbit. Simply living a happy, yet crazy, love-filled life in Virginia Beach with 3 kids and 1 puppy in tow. Read More…

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Comments

  1. Mie @ Sewing Like Mad says

    November 18, 2015 at 9:03 am

    Ah, so many great ideas here and an even greater idea to gather it all in one post. Pinning this for sure!

    Reply
  2. Andreia Salgueiro says

    November 18, 2015 at 11:01 am

    All great ideas! The gathered back and the yoke are my favourites! <3

    Reply
  3. Olga Becker says

    November 18, 2015 at 11:17 am

    Such cute ideas! Quick and perfect way to add interest to t-shirts!

    Reply
  4. Teresa says

    November 18, 2015 at 11:57 am

    Óptimas ideias, vou guardar! 🙂

    Reply
  5. Emily says

    November 18, 2015 at 12:25 pm

    Fabulous ideas! Must try soon!

    Reply

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Hello, it’s me.

When I was a young girl, my nickname was Jessica Rabbit. Fast forward 20 years, and I am married to the love of my life who, as fate would have it, has the last name Abbott. That's me! Jessica R Abbott - aka, Jess Rabbit. Read More…

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