Thanksgiving t-shirt Projects

These projects are for different ages and different skill levels.  The first one is more of a Fall t-shirt to do.  The last ones require a sewing machine to make and some sewing skills.  Unfortunately, my sewing machine broke again the other day when working on a new sewing project; which, I hope to get finished with and share in a future blog. Now, I have to hope to make money at my ioffer site; so, I can get it fixed.

Leaf T-shirt

Notice:  Bleach Products need to be done by adults and when buy them you have to be 18 yrs. or older.  It is the law.

Materials Needed:  bleach in a spray bottle, leaves, dark colored T-shirt, large bucket of cool water, and newspaper.

Directions:

Put the newspaper in between the layers of the T-shirt. Spread your leaves out on the front of the T-shirt.  Spray the front of the t-shirt with bleach. Try and spray as evenly as possible, covering both the leaves and the empty areas.  Allow the bleach to stay on for about 5 minutes. You will start to see the color of the shirt fade.  Rinse the shirt in the bucket of cool water. Rinse it well to get out the bleach. You're all done!

Turkey Tee

 

Materials: a t-shirt or onesie, patterned fabric, scissors, paper, pins, button, felt, needle and thread

Directions: Trace your hand print onto the t-shirt and cut it out. With the right side of the patterned fabric facing through your cut out, pin the fabric to the inside of the shirt. Sew around the edge of the cutout. Next, cut around the patterned fabric, along the sewn line. Stitch on some legs, sew a button for the eye, and add red felt for the wattle.

Turkey t-shirt

Materials: Fabric in various patterns, Fusible web (I use Heat and Bond Lite), Light- or medium-weight fusible interfacing, Washable ink pen, Basic sewing supplies: Coordinating thread, machine, shears, etc.

Optional: Ribbon, pinking shears

Directions:
Create your turkey templates by sketching a bowling pin shape, an oval for the tummy section, and a cone shape for the beak. (The size of these templates will depend on your personal preference.) Cut pieces of your chosen fabric just larger than your templates, as shown. Adhere fusible web to the back of each fabric piece, and then trace each of your templates onto the paper backing of its respective fabric piece. Cut your shapes out (You can use pinking shears to cut out the tummy piece for added interest), and set the tummy and beak pieces aside.

Using your machine’s scallop stitch, use a scrap piece of fabric until you find a scallop size that you can use for your turkey’s eyelashes. Measure the width of this scallop, and then use a washable ink pen to mark the width of your scallop on your main body piece for each of your turkey’s eyes, as shown. Use these marks as guides to stitch a scallop for each eye. (You should start precisely at the rightmost mark for each eye, and end at the left mark.)

Position your tummy and beak pieces on your main body piece. Remove the paper backing, and iron them into place according to the fusible web package instructions.

For your tail, sketch a template for your individual tail pieces that is narrower at the bottom than it is at the top. Round the top and bottom edges slightly. Your template should be about one and a half times as long as your main body piece. (The pieces will be the shape of a megaphone.) See diagram below.

Cut your template out; trace onto the back of your turkey tail fabric with a washable ink marker, and cut the pieces out. (I used pinking shears to keep the pieces from unraveling excessively during washing.) You will need 7 tail pieces total. Using the ruffling method linked above, ruffle each of your tail pieces, starting at the narrow end and working to the top.

Arrange your ruffled pieces as shown on your piece of interfacing. (They will come together to look like a fan.) Trim the interfacing so it is just larger than the perimeter of your fan.

Starting with the outermost tail pieces, pin them into place as shown. Starting at the wide end of one of your pieces, stitch directly over your ruffling stitches to affix the ruffle to your interfacing. When you reach the point formed by the two pieces, pivot, and then continue stitching up the center of the next tail piece to secure it as well.

 Pin your next ruffle pieces in the same manner, overlapping the edges slightly with the preceding tail pieces, as shown. Stitch as you did in step 6. Continue pinning and stitching in this manner until all of your tail pieces are secured. (Your final piece should fall directly at the center of your tail and be straight up and down, as shown.)

Stitch all the way around your tail in a fan shape, about 1/8″ from the outer edge. Carefully trim just outside of this stitching, taking care not to snip any of the threads as you go.

Iron your tail piece onto your top, positioning it as desired. Stitch a scant 1/8″ inside of the stitching you did in step 8 to secure your tail to your top. Position your turkey body on top of your tail, and iron it into place. Stitch to secure the body to your top, making sure to stitch around the body, tummy and beak pieces so they don’t lift up later on. If desired, accessorize your turkey with a bow.

Share your ideas on this or anything here on the blog either here or e-mail me at stipple@verizon.net  I look forward to hearing from you!