Batman Applique-using a regular sewing machine.

Yes, this is my first tutorial on my blog. I was inspired by my friend Elisabeth over at Growing Home and Jenna at House of Curls. I usually get so caught up in our adoption and documenting our family life, I don't have time for tutorials. I saved these pictures on my computer from about a month and half ago. What a perfect time to do a tutorial...while we wait to go pick up Charles Tucker...gives me something else to think about than checking my email 10 times a day or jumping every time the phone rings, thinking it might be our social worker.

So...Henry has informed me, all he wants to wear is Super Hero t-shirts...so instead of entering into the commercially made super hero t-shirts...I thought I would try to make one myself. I was amazed how easy this bat symbol was to make.

Supplies:
-Garanimals White T-shirts at Walmart
-black and yellow cotton material
-black and yellow thread
-Wonder Under


First, I washed my white t-shirt. Then I went to Google and typed in...batman symbol. I found one I liked and I "copied" it to Microsoft Word. Once I pasted it on Word, I formatted and increased the size of the symbol to my desired size. Print the symbol and cut it out.

Trace the whole symbol onto yellow material first, then you can cut out the black part of the symbol.

Then you will be ready to trace the black bat symbol onto black material. I used chalk to trace this one, but usually a washable sewing marker is fine. I just knew it would not show up on the black material.

Next I cut the yellow oval and the black bat symbol out with sewing scissors.

 

Now its time to place the pieces of material onto the Wonder Under. Iron your material onto the part that will become the fuse that will be ironed onto the shirt. I usually place a towel down, because the fuse part will stick to my ironing board. More directions for Wonder Under are located here.

Iron the bat symbol onto the t-shirt...this takes five seconds! This is the most rewarding part of the whole project!

The last part of this project is to sew the outer edges of the each piece of fabric onto the white t-shirt. This definitely takes a while to learn, but once you do it is so simple. It is important to keep the sewing foot in the right place and to go at a consistent speed the whole time. It is probably best to play around on a scrap piece of fabric before you try it on your white t-shirt. Use black thread for the bat symbol and yellow thread for the yellow oval.

 I think our Batman shirt turned out great!! Henry doesn't want to take it off!

I have made several t-shirts for Henry over the past six months and I was so please to discover I don't have to have an appliqueing machine to make cute creations! Oh and I get most of my t-shirts at Walmart, Garanimals shirts are the best quality for the price. I think I payed 3.00-5.00 dollars for the short sleeved and 7.00 for the long sleeved shirts.

Please let me know if you have any questions about appliqueing with a regular sewing machine.
Happy sewing!