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Once you have selected the applique design you want to use, there are several ways to make your design workable for your particular project. Here are a few considerations that I keep in mind to make sure my applique placement will look perfect.
For me the size of the applique is very important in relationship to the item that it is going to be displayed upon. A simple rule of thumb to help you keep your applique design in proportion to your project is to create your own grid. For example, if you are placing your design on your favorite T-shirt, fold the shirt in half (top to bottom) to find center. Press it lightly with an iron so you have a crease line. Now, fold the top down to that crease line and fold the bottom up to the center crease line and lightly press again. You will now have three crease lines on the front of your T-shirt basically running east and west.
Do the same thing again folding from the sides of your T-shirt. Fold in half and press lightly to form a vertical center line, now bring the left side to the center crease and press lightly, then bring the right side of the shirt to the center crease line and press lightly. You will now have three creased lines running north and south. Now you have a T-shirt grid to help you center your applique and visually see how it will fit.
I like to have my applique design extend from the center up to the top crease line nearest the neck and touching the lower crease line towards the bottom of the T-shirt. I also like it to extend from the center towards each left/right side crease line.
If using a design from a coloring book page, place the paper pattern on your shirt and see how it fits between your grid lines. Need to change the size – fold in your paper pattern from center the same amount vertically and horizontally to decrease the size or cut your pattern through the center vertically and horizontally and spread it apart the same amount. You want to be careful not to distort your design too much so you probably don’t want to decrease or increase by more than 1/2″ inch. If the design you want to use really needs more than that to fit your item, it’s probably best to take it to a print shop and have it reprinted to the size you need.
Of course, if you have used a design from the web, see if can be resized at the site or maybe copy and paste it to a program you have so you can do resizing that way. Or if all else fails, print it out and resize like a coloring book page.
You can always trace a design you have found maybe from a magazine using a light box or taping the page to a large window and use the sun as light for tracing purposes and resize it to fit your T-shirt during this process. Also, using a light box gives you the ability to redraw your design a little smaller or bigger to fit your grid area.
Making your own grid system works great for many applique projects (towels, pillow cases, tablecloths, napkins, pockets) and really insures your placement is exactly how you want it. If placing an applique design onto a small area, like a collar or cuff, I basically eyeball my placement spot.
HAPPY CREATING!!
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There are a lot of things you can do with a simple applique whether it is a purchased design or one created by yourself. It is a quick way to update a piece of clothing to give it your own personal look and feel.
Making your own applique design doesn’t have to be labor intensive. There are many ways to help you create that very special look you want. Flipping through a basic coloring book is a quick resource idea for animals, trucks, planes, flowers, hearts, etc.
When searching for an applique design for your T-shirt, keep in mind proportions and details. You don’t want your applique to be too big or too small for your shirt and you will find it an easier process if the design is more simple.
Of course, you can’t beat searching through internet sites either for that perfect design. Twistynoodle is a wonderful site with 100’s of free coloring pages for kids which can be turned into an applique design too.
Fonts are another great source to get that unique alphabet letter you might want. Of course, the internet offers a lot of free selections like Dafont or 1001 Free Fonts to help you make that perfect design selection.
Again, select a coloring book page with that special character your little one might love. Or search the web for their favorite character and see if you can draw a simple likeness to use as an applique design. Free applique, planet applique or laughing lizards are sites specializing in designs too.
Have your child help you in the design process, especially if you are making it for them. It really will be more special to him or her if they played an active role in creating their unique look.
HAPPY CREATING!!
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You know when you are sewing or quilting, you sometimes have to mark your fabric so that you can stitch an accurate line. There are many different tools available for you to use that can be found at your local sewing store. However, I have found that the best thing to use to mark your fabric is a bar of soap.
You know how you always end up with those little remnants of soap pieces!! Well, they are perfect to use for marking on your fabric. The soap makes a nice, white line which is simple to follow and easy on your needle and sewing machine too. And best of all, once you have completed the stitching along your soap line, all you have to do is steam is out of your fabric.
I would not recommend using a soap that has lotion within its contents but just about everything else works get. When the edge of the soap gets rounded, just go wash your hands with it to give yourself a sharper edge to work with.
A perfect use for all those little “hotel” soaps that you collect too. This is truly a sewing notion that you will always want to keep within your sewing basket!
HAPPY CREATING!!
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Taking items that have outlived their usefulness and putting them to work for you in another fashion is always fun, creative and beneficial at the same time. Children can have a lot of fun too with updating those recycling items to make them attractive for their new purpose.
Shoe boxes are one of my favorite things to reuse and they always have to be updated to look fashionable in my sewing/craft room. Letting a child cut out fabric squares and glue them onto the outside of the box and then trim with some rickrack is so cute and so much fun. Or if they are learning crochet, let them create some square motifs and glue them onto the outside of the shoe box and add buttons to give it a festive look. I love to use these boxes to store packages of bias tape, ribbons, hem tape, etc. Also, a great storage item to organize my crochet threads by colors and thread size.
Reuse the cardboard tube from a roll of paper towels. I like to cut them in half and glue several together. Then you or your child can crochet just chain stitches to make a nice decorative trim to tie around the tubes. Crochet maybe three different colored chain ties and secure them around the tubes close to the top, middle and bottom for a fun look. These are a good way to store crochet hooks by sizes. Or some of those sewing items, like turning tools, pencils and/or markers, rulers, etc.
Also, plastic butter tubs or sour cream like containers and their lids are great ways to store pins, beads, machine needle packages or to use with some of your small to go type projects. You can cut a small opening in the lid, place a ball of yarn inside, pull your yarn through the opening in the lid, close it up and off you go to dance practice, little league practice, etc. Now you can crochet away and not lose your skein of yarn or have it fall on the floor and get dirty.
Have a recycling party and discover new and fun ways to reuse everyday items!!
HAPPY CREATING!!
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