DIY Chevron Stripes Applique

A couple of months back, my friend Kim from The TomKat Studio asked me if I could create some little chevron one pieces for a shower she was working on for a friend. I love being able to contribute to Kim's amazing projects so I was stoked to help her out with this.

I created a fun little trio to coordinate with her darling collection (available in her shop soon!) and thought I'd document the process so you all can make your own. If you've already tried some of my applique tutorials, this one will be a breeze!

What you'll need:

• Blank one piece, t-shirt, tank, etc. (pre-washed for shrinkage)
• Sheet of felt in the color(s) of your choice - for kids' projects, I strongly recommend eco-fi felt by Kunin. It's made from recycled bottles and holds up really well in the wash.
• Heat n Bond Lite or other fusible webbing
• Scissors
• Sewing machine *or* embroidery floss and needle
• Chevron template (available here)

Getting Started:

Since I use Heat n Bond, my instructions will follow Heat n Bond's instructions. If you are using a different fusible web, simply change out my instructions with the instructions on the package.

Print out your template and place it under your fusible webbing. Trace the pattern with a pencil. You can make the pattern as wide as you like. Since this is a small one piece, I traced the pattern twice (putting it side by side). See below:

Next you'll want to iron your chevron webbing onto your felt or fabric. For Heat n Bond, set it on the "wool" setting (NO STEAM). Iron the design onto the felt or fabric for about 3 or so seconds so it looks like this: 

Carefully cut out your chevron stripes.

Take the stripes and peel off the wax paper layer from the back. Place the stripes exactly where you want them on the t-shirt with the glossy/fusible webbing side face down. Iron the appliques on to the t-shirt pressing for about 10 seconds. I like to place a scrap piece of fabric over the appliques while pressing just to be safe. Again be sure to use the wool setting with no steam. Check to be sure that the appliques are firmly adhered to the shirt.

At this point, you can either hand stitch the stripes using a basic straight stitch (great tutorial here) or you can use a sewing machine. I usually prefer to hand stitch but for this project I used my machine. If you use your machine, you'll do a running stitch about 1/8th of an inch inside the border of each chevron stripe.

Once you've finished sewing the stripes, you're finished! You can sew up a sweet trio of these for a really cute gift or make some fun little pieces for your own kiddos. The little one piece below also coordinates with the The TomKat Studio's collection coming out soon. I simply drew the design with a ruler right onto the fusible webbing and appliqued a heart on top.

I loved how these turned out so much that I decided to make some for my little guys. Oliver calls this his Charlie Brown shirt.

As always, if you get stuck or have any questions, don't hesitate to comment here or send me a message at finleyandoliver@gmail.com and be sure to check back in with The TomKat Studio soon for the debut of the shower and the new collection.