DIY Chevron Stripes Applique

Monday, January 30, 2012
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.

40 comments:

Kati said...

Great idea, thanks for sharing, it doesn't look that difficult to make.

Grace said...

Thank you, Kati! You should give it a try. If you get stuck anywhere in the process, let me know and I'll help you out.

Anonymous said...

Love these! I have a new little niece and I've been looking for a project to make for her. This might be it! Thanks for sharing!

Grace said...

They make the perfect gift, seaflower! Congratulations on your new little niece. So fun!

Kim said...

These are darling! Pinning right away :)

Grace said...

Thanks for stopping by, Kim!

Merilee said...

Love this Kim! Found this on Pinterest and I can't wait to get started!~ Is it bad that I don't have babies anymore and I desperately want to make the onesies? Haha.. My youngest is 5.. I'm going to make her some with a matching skirt! Thanks for the Tut!
-Merilee

Kimberly said...

This is so adorable! I have a baby shower coming up and that would be perfect. I may even need to make myself something like that :) Thank you for the inspiration!

Linds said...

LOVE this! Thank you for sharing. There are so many baby showers happening right now and I've been looking for a new, fun idea and this is definately it!

Grace said...

I'm so glad you all like it! Let me know if you have any questions.

Aubrey Jordan of How Sweet Treats said...

These are so precious! I love the colors, and of course, the chevron!

La said...

Love, love, LOVE these!!! You are oh-so-talented, my friend! So generous to share the tutorial, too!! xoxo

Aleah @ HeyBaklenko.com said...

Thank you for posting! I found this on Pinterest and LOOOOVE it! Am thinking of future baby gifts already!

Grace said...

Thanks, all! These really make the best little gifts and the color combinations are endless! I've made some for my little guys with some pretty outrageous combinations that I love.

Patty said...

Lovely! I just featured your project on my blog www.mycraftspotlight.com.

Ninali said...

Fabulous Grace!!

Grace said...

Thank you, Patty!

And thanks, Neens! xo

Katie Jackson said...

I love this! Where can I find the felt you suggest using?

Grace said...

Hi Katie! I buy it at my local Joann's - it's about $0.30 per sheet. If you aren't near a Joann's you can order it online from www.createforless.com.

Anonymous said...

I love the Charlie Brown shirt.. Great name also.

Katie Jackson said...

oh perfect! There's a jonanne's going in right up the road from me:) Thanks for sharing!

Morgan said...

OMG. Those are adorable! My new pattern crush is chevron!! I might have to incorporate this idea somewhere. Thanks for the tutorial!

melissa said...

Grace~
so super cute! LOVE the little pennant flag with heart!
xxoo

Grace said...

Thanks so much, Melissa! xo

Katie, let me know how it turns out! :)

Louisa said...

Thanks for sharing your tutorial. I gave it a try and am very pleased with the results!

Grace said...

Great job, Louisa!! Thanks for stopping by to let me know. :)

Katie Lee said...

I love this idea! So personal and fun!

Zoe said...

I love this so much! I am building up a collection for my soon to be niece. These will be perfect! ♥

Erin said...

I'm so glad I found this site! I've been wanting to try applique with wool felt on some clothes for my little gal -- named Finley! This makes that a less intimidating task (and gives me hope that my stack of wool felt will go to good use)

Grace said...

Yay!! Glad you all find this tutorial useful!

@Erin, you have fabulous taste in names! ;) The wool felt will be gorgeous - just be careful how you wash it. Best of luck!

http://www.artfire.com/users/auntiechrisquiltfabric said...

Cutie patootie!

Katie Jackson said...

Turned out AMAZING! I just whipped up a few for a friend who is expecting:) Thanks again! Also, have you tried the hand stitching with embroidery floss and washed it after? if so does it hold up as well as machine stitching? hand stiching looks soooo cute but I want the onsie to hold up :)

Grace said...

Awesome, Katie!! I've hand stitched hundreds of tees with embroidery floss and it holds up amazingly well in the wash. I actually prefer to hand stitch because I like the look too.

Emma Green said...

I love these! I saw them on pinterest and right away knew that I had to add these adorable onesies to my to-do list! I can't wait to get started.. I think I will make them to match a chevron baby quilt that I made a few months ago :)

AshleyB said...

Like you, I also have a love affair with felt:) I sometime have a hard time getting the heat n bond lite to adhere to my shirt after I've attached it to the felt. Do you ever have this problem? Maybe I don't have the iron hot enough or for long enough...I use felt from hobby lobby (they have such pretty patterns and sparkly felt too) and am wondering if maybe it has a sizing that interferes with adhesion. Thanks for your advice!

Grace said...

@Emma, a matching quilt? Adorable!

@AshleyB, Heat n Bond lite doesn't adhere quite as well as Heat n Bond ultra but it does a good job as long as it is stitched for extra durability. Occasionally, I'll have a side lift up that didn't adhere but once I've sewn it, it's fine. I prefer the ultra hold but use lite when I'm using my sewing machine so the needle doesn't get gunked up. I'm not too sure about the felt from Hobby Lobby. I generally only use eco-fi felt just because it holds up so well in the wash. I hope this helps. Thanks for stopping by!

Anonymous said...

what a great idea! Thanks for sharing!!!! :)

Anonymous said...

I've been searching for this kind of tutorial! I didn't know we can sew when using hear n bond ultra, so I thought of not sewing it at all. But would the appliqué just peel off? And does the felt look the same after so many washes?? Emily

Grace said...

@emily, when I applique using my sewing machine, I use heat and bond lite (heat and bond ultra gunks up my needle). If I applique by hand, I use heat and bond ultra. I've never tried using heat and bond ultra without sewing it down - it's pretty durable but I imagine it would eventually peel off after many washes if it wasn't sewn. As for the felt, if you use eco-fi, it holds up really great. Eventually you may get some pilling but I find that my kiddos long outgrow the garment before that happens. Good luck! :)

Christina at I Gotta Create! said...

These are darling! I just had to pin them.

<3 Christina @ I Gotta Create!
Wildly Original link party is open.

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