embroidered t-shirt tutorial

My best friend Jen has walked with me through every major craft phase I’ve gone through… as a result, she has received scrapbooks, cards, personalized stationary, and a handmade book as gifts over the last ten years. Since my presents for her tend to be a little paper heavy, for her birthday this year I wanted to design something different (and paper-free). The result? This screen-printed-then-embroidered t-shirt. Though a little time intensive, this project is super easy. Ready to make one for your best friend?

You’ll need:
-a screenprinted t-shirt (I used a basic gray J Crew tee and screenprinted this peony onto it)
-embroidery needles and thread
-seed pearls
-webbed embroidery backing
1. Pin the embroidery backing behind the screenprinted portion of the t-shirt (the part you’re wanting to embroider).

2. If your print is a flower, sew seed pearls to the center of the floral design.

3. Using a basic back stitch (instructions by craftown here), embroider around the screenprinted image. I used three different colors of thread, but use your creative license here… two colors would look good, even one color for all of the stitching would look good, too.

Done! A gorgeous, tree-free, wearable birthday present for your longsuffering best friend. 🙂

Happy stitching!