How to Applique on Knit T-Shirts

Personalize a knit T-shirt for baby with an applique.

Spice up your plain knit T-shirt by sewing an applique onto it. An applique is a piece of fabric sewn onto another piece of fabric for a decorative purpose. Children’s T-shirts are often appliqued with initials or shapes. Scraps of printed fabric can find a new home on a plain T-shirt when you cut out part of the design and sew it down. Appliqueing a T-shirt is also a way to cover a stain that you can’t get out. Sewing on knits is a little more challenging than a regular cotton fabric. Using the correct stabilizer is the key to a successful applique on a knit T-shirt.

Things You'll Need

• Knit T-shirt
• Water-soluble fabric marker
• Fusible, tear-away stabilizer
• Iron
• Fusible webbing
• Scissors
• Sewing machine
• Thread

Instructions

1. Select the spot you would like for your applique to be sewn. The most common place is the on the middle of the chest of the T-shirt. You can also place them at the hip of the T-shirt, near the hem. Mark the spot with the water-soluble fabric marker.

2. Flip the shirt inside out. Iron a piece of fusible, tear-away stabilizer to the inside of the shirt where your design will be stitched. Flip the shirt right side out.

3. Trace or your design onto the paper backing on the fusible webbing. Trim the shape out by cutting about 1/4 inch outside your pencil line.

4. Place the shape glue-side down onto your applique fabric. Iron the shape onto your applique fabric, applying pressure as you iron.

5. Cut the shape out of the fabric. Trim the shape along the pencil line you drew on the paper.

6. Peel the paper off of the shape and position onto your knit T-shirt using the mark you made in Step 1. Iron over the shape.

7. Remove the platform of your sewing machine so you have a free arm. Slide the T-shirt onto the sewing machine so the arm goes inside the T-shirt and the needle is positioned over the applique shape.

8. Set your machine to a satin or a zigzag stitch. Stitch around the edge of the applique. You need to have half of the stitch on the T-shirt and the other half on the applique fabric. The entire edge of the applique will be covered in stitches. When you come to a corner, leave the needle down in the fabric, lift the presser foot and then turn the fabric. Put the presser foot down and resume stitching.

9. Back stitch when you are finished. Remove the T-shirt from the sewing machine and clip any loose threads.

10. Turn the shirt inside out. Tear off the excess stabilizer. Flip the shirt right side out.

Tips & Warnings

• If your machine is having difficulties sewing through the layers of fabric, use a few drops of a silicone sewing drops to the needle.

• Use the light variety of fusible webbing.

• The knit will lose its stretch after you sew the applique onto it. Keep this in mind when placing the design. Avoid areas that do not lay flat or that hug the curves of the body.