How To: Sew Your Own Greek Letter Shirt- A Step By Step Tutorial (Part II&III)

Part II: Sewing!

Now that the letters are adhered to the shirt (heat n’ bond is an easier alternative to pinning), you are ready to begin sewing!

1. Decide which stitching you want to use on the letters. I typically use a large zig zag stitch (left photo), but a small zig zag stitch also works (right photo). See the photos below for their distinctions. Don’t be afraid to experiment to see what works for you!

2. Stitch the bigger letter to the shirt and the smaller letter to the bigger letter. Don’t forget to stitch the WHOLE letter (ex. the opening inside the letter Alpha)

If you are new to sewing, check out the blogs below for tutorials on applique stitching:

Applique Tutorial: Curves

http://sewsara.blogspot.com/2011/11/how-i-make-my-applique-letters.html

3. Be patient! Stitch slowly-especially around curves! The stitching is what makes the shirt-so make sure it’s neat (and secure!)

Part III: Finishing Touches!

This step is optional, but really improves the appearance and quality of the shirt. It makes the letters more “stiff” and prevents them from flopping over while being worn. In addition, the backing hides the stitches on the inside of the shirt to prevent unraveling and skin irritation from the thread.

1. Adhere the Heat n’ Bold ULTRA to solid cotton fabric (I prefer to use the same color as the shirt)

2. Use the same stencils that you used for the bigger letters. This time, you will place them right side up, NOT backwards.

3. Once you have cut your letters out, remove the paper and repeat the same process shown in Part I. Iron the letters on the inside of the shirt, covering the stitching.

And you’re finally finished! Don’t get discouraged if your finished product isn’t perfect! Visit the Pretty Little Letters Etsy Shop to check out more fabric combinations and stitching styles!

Finished Product!

Washing Instructions: Machine wash inside-out in code water, hang to dry.

How To: Sew Your Own Greek Letter Shirt-A Step By Step Tutorial (Part I)

Follow this step by step guide to make you own, custom Greek letter shirt! The tutorial is divided into 3 parts: Part I: The Prep, Part II: Sewing, and Part III: Finishing Touches.

What you’ll need:

– Heat n’ Bond Lite (Sewable)
-Iron/Ironing Board
– Cotton Solid Colored Fabric
– Matching thread
– Cotton Patterned Fabric
– Sewing Machine
– T-shirt/sweatshirt/whatever you want to sew your letters on
– Posterboard (or cardstock)
– Heat n’ Bond Ultra (optional)

Part I: The Prep

1. First, make a copy of a letter shirt you already have. Make sure you align the shirt in the copy machine so that the letters do not get distorted or cut off. We’ll use this as the basis for our stencils.

2. Carefully cut out each letter at its fullest point . After cutting, trace each letter on to a piece of poster board to use as a stencil. Once you have created a stencil for the “bigger,” background letter, cut your copied letters again around the smaller, front letter. Again, trace these on to poster board to use as a stencil.

3. Next, you will need your iron and the heat n’ bond. Once the iron is ready, cut out enough heat and bond for your “big” letters (usually about 6 in squares). Place the squares on to your fabric with the textured side down. Iron quickly, but enough to adhere the heat n’ bond to the fabric. Repeat these steps for your smaller, patterned letters. However, MAKE SURE you adhere the heat n’ bond to the “wrong”/back side of the fabric (otherwise the letters will be backwards!)

4. Now we will use the stencils we created earlier. When tracing the stencils on to the heat n’ bond/fabric square MAKE SURE you trace the letter backwards. After tracing each letter, cut them out carefully with sharp scissors.

5. Remove the backing from the smaller letters and center them on to the bigger letters. Once they are in place, peel the the heat and bond off and iron them to activate the heat n’ bond, making them stick together.

6. Now we are ready to adhere the big letters (with the letter letters on top) to your t-shirt (or whatever you are making). Once again, peel the backing off of each letter. Place them evenly on your t-shirt. Make sure the letters are centered and not crooked (use a ruler to make sure they are straight). When you’re ready, iron the letters on to the t-shirt.

Ready to sew?  Look out for Part II of this tutorial to get started!