Trim The Tee: Ninja Bread Man Shirt Tutorial

I've finally got a holiday tutorial to share!  It's only early December, but the insane volume of seasonal stuff on the internet starting in October makes me feel totally behind the times. Not anymore, thanks to my Ninja Bread Man Shirt Tutorial.

I got the idea for this from a similar shirt I saw in a catalog. They wanted $42 for their ninja bread man appliqued tee. C'mon now, $42 for a Christmas-themed t-shirt for a kid? Get outta here!

So....I grabbed a plain shirt for $5 and used some scrap fabric to make my own for my ninja-loving 10yr old.  It was totally worth it.  He can't help but do some ninja moves while wearing it:

I even did some flocked lettering which makes it look more like something from a store, instead of the usual flimsy, plastic-y iron-on stuff.

Here's how I made the Ninja Bread Man!

Materials:
- Blank long sleeved t-shirt
- Tan, black and white scrap fabric (I used knit & fleece)- White ric-rac
- 2 red buttons- Paper backed fusible
- Iron, press cloth, pins, fabric shears, lighter, hand sewing needle
- Flocked iron-on transfer material
- Cutting machine (I used a Cricut Explore)

I started by freehand drawing my ninja-style gingerbread man on my paper-backed fusible - giving him one arm raised up and a karate kick leg, then cut him out:

I ironed the paper guy onto the wrong side of my tan knit fabric:

Then I cut the ninja bread man out and peeled away the paper.

I ironed him onto the front of the shirt according to the fusible directions.  I top-stitched him into place, with matching thread, using a triple stitch, which is ideal for sewing knits and also gives a nice, thick appearance:

I cut some ric-rac to trim the arms and legs, making sure to run the raw edges near a lighter flame to melt them slightly (so they won't fray) and then pinning them into place.  I stitched them down, close to the wave on each side, rather than just a straight line down the middle so they won't curl upward after a few washes. 

I traced an eye mask on another piece of paper-backed fusible and and did the same, iron onto wrong side, then cut out, except this time with some black fleece.  You can iron fleece, but it needs to be on a low setting.  I used thread scissors to cut out the eyeholes.

Then I cut a piece of white scrap slightly smaller than the mask and layered it under the mask, then ironing - again on low- on top of the the ninja bread man's face.

I also cut a little curved piece for his mouth and topstitched both the mouth and mask around the edges.

I hand sewed two red buttons on his front:

For the lettering, I used the font Last Ninja and cut a mirrored version of my lettering (since it's cut face down), using my Cricut Explore.  I used flocked heat transfer material. 

Despite being thicker than the regular stuff, it cuts easily, seems to hold better onto fabric, looks more like something from a store and has a nice, fuzzy feel.  All that makes me really love it.  I get the best results by ironing the shirt first to warm it, then ironing on the transfer (with plastic sheet still on it) under a press cloth and then when cool, ironing it again from the inside of the shirt.

Now, we've got a fun & festive look that was fairly quick to make and easy on the wallet!

For more winter-themed shirt ideas, check out the rest of my Trim The Tee series.  Easy & festive DIY designs for the winter season and cheap to make so you can save the big bucks for the presents;)

   

Trim The Tee Craft Along Week 3: Rick Rack Snowflake Shirt

Today is the third installment of the Sew Can Do Craft Along: Trim The Tee.  Each week in December I've been sharing a new how-to for holiday decorating a plain t-shirt, using basic supplies & skills.   

Today I'm sharing how to make a super easy snowflake shirt using rick rack.  This is the ideal last minute project!  Get crafty for the season, but without having to spend lots of time - if you can sew a straight line, you can make it!

The trick is using simple rick rack trim. There's no need to worry about hems or edges and its shape gives all the detail you need.  It's fast & fun, so grab the Trim The Tee button off the sidebar and let's get started! 

You'll Need:
- A blank tee
- A package of rick rack (I used some white with sparkle flecks)
- 8.5in x 11in piece of of felt for lettering
- Notions (ball point needle, thread, scissors, disappearing marker/tailor's chalk)
- Options for lettering: Machine Embroidery (embroidery thread+stabilizer), Hand embroidery (embroidery floss), Hand-cut felt letters, Iron-on letters

Start out by cutting four pieces of rick rack for the body of the snowflake.  I did about 6 inches long for my child sized shirt.  Mark the center of each piece so it will be easy to layer them later.

Also cut 8 pieces for the edge details.  For my standard size rick rack mine were about 1 inch wide, so I'd have a nice "W" shape:

Draw lines with tailor's chalk or marker on the center front of the shirt (I use a yard stick to get it nice & straight).  

    

Pin the pieces of rick rack over the markings, overlapping the centers, and stitch into place down the middle.  Either fold the cut edges under or fuse them by running a lighter underneath, before stitching, to prevent fraying.

Place the smaller rick rack pieces horizontally at the edges of main pieces and stitch into place.

I thought "Ready, Set, Snow!" would make some cute wording to go on it.  I chose to machine embroider my lettering, but if you don't have an embroidery machine, you can hand embroider with floss, cut out the letters directly from felt or simply buy some iron-on letters from the craft store.  

I have a how-to on doing machine embroidery HERE.  Embroidering directly onto t-shirts isn't ideal, so I like to do the embroidery onto felt as an applique.  

This is so easy because you can do a word at a time - no need to worry about centering or spacing.  And because the felt is has texture and thickness, it adds nice dimension to the lettering when sewn on.  

Pin the words to the shirt as desired and then stitch all the way around each word, very close to the felt's edge.  Instead of trimming the felt around the letters I left them rectangular - with the font I used they reminded me of label maker lettering, so I went with that look:

Now someone's ready for a winter wonderland!  

Great for some sweet holiday photos or looking festive at parties.  And added bonus - since it's winter-themed it's still wearable long after the Christmas season is over.  

Check out my other Trim The Tee Shirt Tutorials for more easy ideas:

I'm also sharing this with my FAVE LINK PARTIES.

Click HERE to check them out!

Trim The Tee Craft Along #2: One of A Kind Snowflake Shirt

Today is the second installment of the Sew Can Do Craft Along for the month of December: Trim The Tee.  Each week I'll have a new how-to for holiday decorating a plain t-shirt, using basic supplies & skills.   

Today I'm sharing how to make a "One of a Kind" snowflake shirt for someone special.  Use different snowflakes to make unique versions for the whole family!  

And by using felt there's no need to worry about hems or edges.  It's fast & fun, so grab the Trim The Tee button off the sidebar and let's get started! 

You'll Need:
- A blank tee
- 5in x 5in piece of light blue felt for adults & kids (use smaller for baby-sized)
- 8.5in x 11in piece of of felt for lettering
- Notions (ball point needle, thread, scissors, disappearing marker, paper, pencil)
- Options for lettering: Machine Embroidery (embroidery thread+stabilizer), Hand embroidery (embroidery floss), Hand-cut felt letters, Iron-on letters

First draw or trace a snowflake onto paper.  I found a free clip art snowflake that I enlarged, printed & cut out.  Then I folded it in half over a piece of folded felt & cut.  Tip: Using thread scissors really helps when cutting details and tiny corners.

Open snowflake and pin to center front of shirt (I use a yard stick to get it nice & straight).  

    

Stitch down the middle of each of the main lines of the snowflake.  

Then stitch along center of smaller detail lines.  Using disappearing marker helps to keep things nice and even in tight spots.

I chose to machine embroider my lettering, but if you don't have an embroidery machine, you can hand embroider with floss, cut out the letters directly from felt or simply buy some iron-on letters from the craft store.  

I have a how-to on doing machine embroidery HERE.  One thing I've learned is embroidering directly onto t-shirts doesn't work too well, so I opt for doing the embroidery onto felt the same color as the shirt and then trimming the felt close to the edges of the letters.  

This is so easy because you can do a word at a time - no need to worry about centering or spacing.  And because the felt is has texture and thickness, it adds nice dimension to the lettering when sewn on.  

Pin the words to the shirt as desired and then stitch all the way around each word, very close to the felt's edge.

Now someone can show off their One Of A Kind status in a festive way!  Great for baby's first Christmas or some sweet holiday photos.  And since it's winter-themed it's still wearable long after the Christmas & Hannukah season are over.  

Click HERE for last week's Gingerbread Man How-To:

Stop by next week for a new Trim The Tee Craft Along Shirt

with another fun winter theme!

I'm also sharing this with my FAVE LINK PARTIES.

Click HERE to check them out!