How to Make a Smocked T-Shirt

Add flair to your ordinary t-shirt by adding a smocked insert.

While a smock is commonly known as clothing worn over clothes to protect them from stains and spills, smocking is tightly stitched embroidery that forms designs on cloth. Smocking adds to the design of a plain shirt, giving it an elegant feel. You do not need to be a professional tailor or seamstress to smock a t-shirt. Add an insert over your t-shirt to transform your plain t-shirt into a smocked t-shirt.

Things You'll Need

• Smocked insert
• Tape measure
• Fabric shears
• Cloth stabilizer
• Iron
• Marker
• Sewing machine or thread and needle

Instructions

1. Measure the dimensions of the smocked insert with a tape measure. For example, the smocked insert is 2-by-5 inches.

2. Cut a cloth stabilzer to the dimenson of 2-by-5 inches with fabric shears.

3. Flip the shirt inside out, and place the stabilizer on the shirt in the desired position. Iron the stabilizer to the shirt for two minutes.

4. Turn the shirt right-side out and use a marker to draw an "X" on the outside of the section of shirt backed with the insert. Make the "X" a half inch smaller than the dimensions of the insert. For example, with a 2-by-5-inch insert, mark an "X" with the dimensions of 1 1/2-by-4 1/2-inches. Cut along the lines of the "X" with fabric shears. Fold and iron the edges of the "X" to make a rectangular shape. Cut along the folded edges to cut out the rectangular shape.

5. Position the insert over the cut-out rectangular section. Stitch the outside edges of the insert to the edges of the rectangular section. Use a sewing machine, or hand-stitch the edges using the whip stitch method.

6. Thread a needle and double knot the ends of the thread. Flip the shirt inside-out. (See Reference 3)

7. Insert the needle through the edge of the t-shirt into the edge of the insert and back out of the edge of the t-shirt. Move the needle a 1/4 inch and insert the needle through the edge of the t-shirt into the edge of the insert and back out of the edge of the t-shirt. Repeat until the border is sewn. Flip the shirt right-side out to show the smocked insert. (See Reference 3)

Tips & Warnings

• Smocked inserts are available at your local fabric or embroidery store.

References

• The Free Dictionary: Smocking Definition
• Cool People Sew: How to Make a Smocked T-Shirt
• Cyberseams: Sewing a Whip Stitch by Hand

Resources

• Abigails Crafts How To: Smocking How To