Applique T-Shirts

While I’ve been on maternity leave, mostly I’ve been soaking up time with Taylor, but I’ve also managed to squeeze in a few craft projects.  I shared the burp cloths I made for Miss Taylor, but I also made a set for my good friend Lauren’s little girl Ellie… and even embroidered them with her name/monogram (Because who doesn’t love a good monogram)!

But because I believe that older siblings shouldn’t be left out during the new baby process, I decided her older sister Kate needed her own shirt.  So I got onto Etsy and found a few Applique designs I liked and settled on a Ladybug for Miss Kate. (I used this one from Rivermill Embroidery… and so far all my purchases from this shop have been awesome!)  Next week I’ll post about how I do the applique on my embroidery machine, but I wanted to go ahead and show you my results! (Update: I blogged about my tips and tricks here)

And because I was having so much fun I texted another good friend with a daughter around the same age to ask what her favorite animal was, her answer (as every awesomely imaginative 2 year old is…) was a moose cow.  Well, I couldn’t find any of those on Etsy, but since her mom told me she also loves dinosaurs, I found a super cute brontosaurus to applique for her! (That one is from Applique Cafe Designs on Etsy).

My niece also loves Myrtle the Turtle, so I decided she needed a Sea Turtle on her shirt! This SUPER cute design is also from Rivermill Embroidery and you can find it here.

For the shirts, I bought long sleeve playtime favorite tees from Gap Kids when I had a 40% off coupon.  The shirts are a great thickness and when they are 40% they are pretty affordable.  And the great thing about applique is that it is a great use for small pieces of fabric! I got a great video of Juliette opening her present saying… Myrtle Turtle! Right there!!  I love being able to make things for friends and it makes me sort of ridiculously excited to have a project come out this cute!! That feeling? When I see a project come out like it looks in my head? That is why I love to craft and make things!