I Need More... Sewing for Handsome Him [Ampersand T-shirt]

My crafts tend to lean on the cutesy/girlie/feminine-side.  But I've been wanting to make something for my darling husband (and prove to myself that I am actually hip enough and edgy enough to make something that he would actually wear).  Ta da!


Supplies:
T-shirt (Old Navy $6, on sale.  $8.50, retail)
Print out of your design (or you can freehand it if you think you're just that good)
Freezer paper
Contrast fabric (the size of your design, mine was about 8.5x11-inches)
Sewing machine

1. Print your design as large as you'd like it to appear on your garment.  I used an ampersand, font = Arial, as large as I could fit onto an 8.5x11-inch sheet of paper.


2. Trace (or draw) your design onto the dull side of a sheet of freezer paper and cut out.


3. Place your design, shiny side to right side of fabric, and iron for a few seconds or until the freezer paper has gently adhered to your garment.  (Isn't freezer paper magically delicious?)

4. Underneath your design, on the wrong side of the garment, place your contrasting fabric.  Layers: freezer paper design, then garment, then contrast fabric (right side up).  Stop and think before you make a seam ripper mistake here: the printed side of your contrast fabric is going to show through the design once the garment is cut away.  So place your fabric accordingly!  (Above photo is the t-shirt flipped up so you can see the underbelly.)

5. Stitch around the freezer paper design, but not ON the freezer paper.  I went around twice just for security and I liked the look of several stitches.  Pull off the freezer paper.  Then - very carefully - snip away the t-shirt where the freezer paper once sat.  This will expose your contrast fabric.  Do not snip all the way to the thread line.  Keep some t-shirt fabric "seam allowance" so that all your hard work won't start to unravel!

6.  On the inside of the garment, snip away the excess fabric outside of the design to eliminate bulk.

7.  And there you have it!  Something cool enough for even my fashion-foward husband to wear.