I’m working on a series of posts about adjusting clothing to fit. To see all of them click here – How to Sew.
Adding to a store bought t-shirt is a simple way to dress it up for a holiday. For instance, I made these Christmas tie shirts for my boys a couple years ago. Several years ago, I came across this tutorial. I couldn’t wait to try it out, except it was winter and short sleeve shirts and flowers weren’t really on my mind. So, I modified it a bit and made it into a poinsettia. Perfect for a Christmas shirt! You can use a store bought shirt, or if you’re inclined, make your own. For the flower, all you need are a few scraps of Christmas material and a button.
I looked at several poinsettia pictures online and drew a petal pattern. The size of your pattern will depend on how big you want the poinsettia and how big the shirt is. For reference, my model wears a size 10.
I used two different materials. I cut 8 petals from one material and 7 slightly smaller ones from another. You could use the same material or all different materials. It’s totally up to you – customize it to your daughter’s (or your) taste.
Lay them out to make sure you like the look. Depending on the material and size of your flower, you may want more or fewer petals. Once you’re satisfied, pin the first layer down (actually, I sew four down and then lay the next four down). Sew around the edges using your favorite decorative stitch. I used a feather stitch and matching thread. If you’re using plain material you can use a contrasting thread for a little extra touch. If you don’t have a machine that can do different stitches, a straight stitch will work just fine. If you’re really ambitious, you can hand sew them on using a blanket stitch (there are lots of tutorials and videos on google).
Once the first layer is sewn down, lay out the second layer and pin them down. Sew them down the same way.
Tack a button down to the middle.
Make your daughter try it on and admire your handiwork.
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