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T-Shirts for 18-inch dolls with Butterfly Applique

In this project, we show how to use the designs from the Buttefly Applique Set to transform a plain T-shirt into a beautiful and unique item. You can use either a store-bought doll T-shirt or sew it by yourself.

We purchased these adorable T-shirts for 18-inch dolls from Amazon.com and decorated them using the butterflies from the set.

Dolls in t-shirts decorated with butterfly applique

You will need

embroidery thread (either polyester or rayon),
water-soluble mesh stabilizer,
a T-shirt of any color, size or shape.
scraps of fabrics for the applique,
Steam-a- Seam 2 Double Stitck Fusible Web (or similar product),
scissors and iron with steam.

Embroidery:

You can read about how to embroider the applique designs from the Buttefly Applique Set on the instructions page.

For our project we used watersoluble stabilizer instead of base fabric. This way the designs are completely free-standing. Be sure to hoop the stabilizer correctly and tighten the hoop.

After the embroidery is done, cut away the excess stabilizer as close to the stitches as possible, wash away the remaining stabilizer and leave your stitch-outs to air-dry.

Press if needed.

On the page we show the stitch-outs of all designs. However, most probably you will need only the smallest ones.

Preparing the Stitch-Outs

Cut a piece of Steam-a-Seam 2 and remove the first protective layer of paper. Place the stitch-outs on the sticky side and press them down with your fingers.

Use scissors to cut out the butterflies.

When you are done, peel off the second layer of paper from the back.

Position the butterflies on the T-shirt. You can rearrange them as often as you like until you're satisfied with the layout. Steam-a-Seam becomes permanent only after heating with an iron.

Use a hot iron to press each butterfly for 15-20 second. Let the applique cool and test the edges. If any edges are loose, press again.

Turn the T-shirt inside- out and press the applique again from the back, for an extra secure hold. Your new T-shirt is done!