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Dressed Up Sweat Shirt

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Embellished Sweat Shirt
Debbie Colgrove

Here's a project that will convert a plain sweat shirt to something special. Also a great way to eliminate a stain with out eliminating the sweat shirt.

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Materials Needed

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  • A purchased sweat shirt
  • Pre printed pillow panel or quilt style print fabric
  • Stabilizer if the fabric you are using is flimsy or doesn't have enough body
  • Thread
  • Trimming or applique scissors
  • Pins

Directions
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neckline

Find the center front of the sweat shirt.

Decide on the basic outline shape you want to use. One of my favorite applique template stashes are cookie cutters. To get a different size, trace the shape and use your computer or a copy machine to increase the size. Or Check the Applique library for a shape you can use.

For this feature I used a heart shape cookie cutter and arranged four hearts around the front neckline of the sweat shirt.

If your pillow panel or fashion fabric is loosely woven, serge or zig zag the edges of the design before pinning in to place.

Center a pillow panel on the inside of the sweat shirt front.

Pin your back cut out fashion fabric in to place on the inside of the sweat shirt. Stitch around the outer edge of your fabric. Make another row of stitching 1/8" from the first row.

stitching

Use the print on the fabric to create your quilting effect. Always make a second row of stitches 1/8" from your first row of stitches.

Turn shirt right sides out.

Use a seam ripper to pull up the layer of sweat shirt fabric. Make a small whole in the center of each quilted section.

Trim away the center of each quilted section leaving 1/4" of sweat shirt fabric near all stitching lines. When this is laundered the sweat shirt fabric curls up and hides your stitching lines.

trim
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