My little guy just loves fire trucks! He loves all the big trucks and machines, but fire trucks are his favorite. I guess because they are the loudest! He can hear them coming from down the road and rushes to the window to look, yelling ‘FIRE TRUCK!’ as it roars on by.
I’ve been wanting to do more sewing for a while and recently treated myself to a new machine; one that does all the fancy stitches. It’s also way easier to thread than old ones I’ve used in the past. It’s super quiet, and really nice to use.
I got this one if you want to check it out: BROTHER SEWING MACHINE
I plan to make myself some clothes sometime, since I’m quite picky and hate shopping for clothes.
Anyway, I thought I’d start out with a small project. Inspired by some shop bought kid clothes, I wanted to attempt to create a customized appliqué t-shirt. And, since he loves fire trucks the most, that’s what I chose to do first.
As I got in to the project, I thought I may as well document the process and share with all of you how I went about achieving this.
Being relatively new to sewing I had a lot to learn, including what materials I needed and how to use them.
Here’s the list of things I bought for this project:
Polyester Thread – I had some thread already but wanted some bigger spools in multiple colors to go with my new sewing machine. For this project I used red, black and a little yellow.
Fusible Interfacing – This irons on to the back of the fabric pieces to make them firmer and much easier to work with. I was also able to use it to trace over my template before ironing it to the fabric – made it so much easier to cut the pieces I needed.
Cut-away Stabilizer – I needed cut-away and not tear-away since the t-shirt fabric is stretchy. This goes on the back of the design so the appliqué keeps it’s shape and stays looking fabulous despite endless wearing and washing.
Buttons – Cute little finishing touch. Adding texture and depth to the design.
T-shirt – basic tag-less white t-shirt, comfortable to wear and great for layering.
Plus some fabric remnants I found at Hobby Lobby. Sparkly red for the vehicle body. Blue for the windows, siren and headlight. Grey for the bumper and hose real. Black and white check for the wheels.
Since I had to buy way more than I actually needed for this project, I thought I’d assemble a little kit I can send to you:
PURCHASE YOUR FIRE TRUCK APPLIQUE SEWING KIT
If you already have all these materials handy, grab your free copy of my sewing template here:
Fire Truck Appliqué T-shirt Instructions
Lay fusible interfacing (thin sheet) smooth side up, on top of template sheet, using clips to keep in place.
Trace over all pieces of fire truck and mark dotted lines.
Cut interfacing along dotted lines.
On ironing board, lay pieces of fabric face down. Place fusible interfacing pieces rough side down on corresponding pieces of fabric.
Put damp cloth on top of pieces and, using a medium heat iron, press and hold for 10 seconds until interfacing is secured to back of fabric.
Cut around all firetruck pieces.
Place sheet of cutaway stabilizer inside t-shirt and secure in place.
Pin or tack stitch firetruck body in place on the front of the t shirt (check that it’s in the middle of where the stabilizer is. Position and pin/tack siren with flap (shown in grey on template) under the firetruck body. Position and pin/tack windows in place.
Using zig-zag stitch* on sewing machine (test on scrap fabric first), sew edge of firetruck body to t-shirt and stabilizer backing.
Stitches should be only slightly off the edges of the fabric pieces.
*this can also be hand-sewn or sewn with straight stitch leaving a small seam allowance.
Sew window and siren sections.
Next, position and sew bumper piece on bottom of firetruck body.
Position and sew around remaining pieces.
Use a smaller, tighter zig-zag stitch to sew details, using different color threads (optional).
Sew buttons on wheels.
Pull all threads to back of work and secure. Trim excess cut-away fabric from around design.
Then sit back and admire your work while your little one enjoys wearing it!
If you make this project I’d love to see your little ones wearing their shirts too. Share in the Krazy Kabbage Community Facebook Group.
BUY FIRE TRUCK T-SHIRT SEWING KIT HERE
Great job on the T-shirt. All boys like police cars and firetrucks. My boys would of loved them. I have a great grandson coming this this year, So I my do something like that in fall. Thank you for sharing!
Very cute-It looks great on him. Good. Job!