How to Decorate a Kid's Shirt With Buttons and Ribbons

Store leftover crafting ribbon on a single spool.

Decorating a shirt for your child lets you unleash your crating powers and gives her a uniquely artistic piece of clothing. Unlike other fabric-decorating mediums, such as glitter-glue or fabric paint, buttons and ribbons are inexpensive and won't stain or smear. Create a scenic image, such as the ocean, and let your child choose the ribbons and button colors while you perform the necessary sewing and gluing.

Things You'll Need

• 10-by-19-inch cardboard square
• Fabric pen
• 8-inch strip turquoise satin ribbon
• Sewing needle
• Thread
• 2-inch diameter yellow button
• Fabric glue
• 4 strips of grosgrain (any colors), 4-inch
• 4 buttons (any colors), 1/4-inch diameter

Instructions

1. Slide the cardboard square inside the torso of the shirt before laying it flat on the table. The stiff cardboard stabilizes the fabric, making it easier to mark and decorate.

2. Sketch a wavy horizontal line across the center of the shirt to mark where you'll sew the turquoise ribbon ocean. Marking the shirt before sewing ensures consistency between the peaks and valleys of the ribbon.

3. Bend your strip of turquoise satin ribbon so it covers the wavy line. Secure the ribbon by sewing a cluster of four stitches at the top and bottom of each wave peak. The softness and flexibility of satin lets you bend the ribbon into a wave more easily than grosgrain.

4. Adhere the yellow button 3 to 4 inches above the ocean line using fabric glue. Press the button firmly into the shirt for 30 seconds or until it dries.

5. Bend each 4-inch strip of grosgrain into a loop so it forms a fish body and tail. Sew a cluster of three stitches where the ribbon overlaps, just before splaying into a tail. Let your child choose the colors of ribbon for the fish.

6. Attach a 1/4-inch button to the apex of each loop of ribbon to create the fish's eye. Let your child choose the color for each fish eye.

7. Position the fish with your child beneath the wavy strip of turquoise ribbon. Sew the ribbon fish to the shirt with a cluster of five stitches at each of the following points: where the ribbon overlaps, above the button eye and on the underside of the ribbon loop.

Tips & Warnings

• Add an underwater treasure chest by gluing a few small adhesive gemstones inside a 1-inch rectangle of brown grosgrain before gluing it beneath the fish.

• Wash the shirt on the gentle cycle to avoid loosening the fabric glue.

References

• Girl Scout of America: Goal T-Shirt Activity
• Family Fun: Button Blossoms