Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Double Dino Applique Tutorial - Basic Knit Applique

I'd been planning to do some applique with dinosaurs for Boy for a while.  I'd even gone so far as to trace one off the computer onto some Heat'n Bond, but then never got farther in my project.  Then I saw a dinosaur applique on Little Lizard King and fell in love with the dino shape she used.  I emailed her and asked if it would be okay to copy her design, and she graciously said we could.  Since this was originally her dino shape, we've made the printable for this available on her blog. (Update as of Nov. 2011...Scribd is now requiring you to pay to download material, so for the free link to the double dinosaur applique pattern, please click here.)


If you haven't done much applique before, this is a great one to start with, especially if you use knits because you don't have to worry about fraying.  If this is your first time appliquing, you could make it even simpler by just using one dinosaur.  I like how having the double dino makes is jump out from the shirt a bit more.

Materials: T-shirt or other clothes you want to applique, T-shirt scraps to make into applique, Heat'n Bond Lite or other similar product, thread, scissors sewing machine or needle for hand sewing.  This is what I used for this project and the patch project that will be coming soon:

I got the striped shirt and red shirt at Goodwill for half off (about 60 cents each) a while ago because I knew they would be awesome for appliques.  The navy shirt is one of Hubby's many shirts with acid holes in it...being a chemist is hard on your clothes.  The pants with holes were hand-me-downs, and the denim for the patches came from scraps from this project.

Directions:
Go here to view and print your double dino applique pattern.  The two larger dinosaurs are for the T-shirt applique.

Trace the dinosaur shapes onto the papery side of some Heat'n Bond Lite.  (Note: Your final shape will be a mirror image of the direction you trace it. 
(Note: Your dinos should be facing the SAME direction. Because I was making the second pattern myself, I goofed tracing it. If they're facing different directions you'll end up with something like this:)
Cut your dino shapes out.  Iron your dino shapes (adhesive side toward your fabric) onto T-shirt scraps.  (You can use other kinds of fabric, but then you'll need to either plan on a frayed look, use Fray Check, or use different stitch to finish your edges.) 
Peel the backing off the smaller dinosaur. 
Center it on your larger one.  (Don't take the backing off the large one yet.)  Iron well. 
Use a straight stitch to sew about 1/8 to 1/4 inch from the edge of the smaller one to secure.  I left the ends long, so I could pull them through the back and tie a knot.
Peel off the backing from the large dinosaur.  It will probably come off in several pieces since you stitched through it to sew your smaller dino on.  Center your double dino on your T-shirt.  I strongly recommend measuring to make sure it's really centered.  When you're happy with the placement iron it well.  Then iron it again from inside the T-shirt.  Stitch around the edges of the larger dino...
Tie the ends in a knot on the back again.
...And you're done!
Put it on your boy...
...and send him out to play.
If you'd like to enter for a chance to win a set of these (applique and two knee patches) click here for my giveaway.  All you need to do is leave a comment to enter!
And it's been so fun to see all the Hand-Me-Down REHAB projects you've been entering!  Keep them coming and I'll be doing a highlights post soon!
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4 comments:

  1. Great idea and cool tutorial~
    I hear you about chemist and clothes!!!
    I never thought about using them to make cool applique! (and I make a lot of applique, mostly on quilts!) I see a new life for a few of my shirts! Thanks!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Cute dino! I'm trying out little projects like this myself. Can you please help me spread the word about Mad Skills Monday over at SSB? Thanks bunches!

    http://superstinkyboys.blogspot.com

    Blessings,
    Ginger

    ReplyDelete
  3. Just wanted to let you know that I included a link to this post on my blog. You can find it here
    http://www.sewhappy.me/quilt-blogs/test-2/
    I made a bib with your dino applique pattern and entered it into a bib challenge. (You are very welcome to vote, too, if you like! The link is in my post as well.) Totally love that cute dinosaur!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I am so sorry - I think I posted the wrong link in my last comment! If you want to you can delete the last comment.
    The post where I put a link to your applique pattern is here
    http://muffinsnmore.blogspot.com/2010/06/bib-challenge.html

    ReplyDelete

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