Seamingly Smitten: TUTORIAL from So Sew Boutique

Today kicks off the first day of Sew Crafty Christmas! Consider this a holiday sewing extravaganza! Do you ever think about making gifts for people for the holidays, but in the end can't decide on what to make? Well this event is for YOU!

We want you to have a Sew Crafty Christmas! From December 5th-16th we have guest posters GALORE!

Today's Guest Poster is Casey from So Sew Boutique
Enter her $50 GIFT CARD GIVEAWAY HERE!

Casey speciallizes in SUPER CUTE and STYLISH hand-cut APPLIQUES!

Yes, you read that right...ALL of these designs are one of a kind and drawn by Casey...can you say TALENTED?

A little background about Casey. If you think she has been sewing forever, think again! Talk about an inspiring story. Her grandmother randomly gave her a sewing machine and it SAT IN THE BOX for 12 years!! 12 years!! One day last year she asked me to show her the most basic steps: how to thread the bobbin and machine and how to do a straight stitch and a zigzag stitch! Well after 30 minutes her creative wheels were spinning! She took one class after that and suddenly became an overnight HIT!! Casey's appliques have been in boutiques around town, she has taught sewing classes to beginners AND she even had a booth at one of the largest Holiday crafting events in Baton Rouge called Hollydays.

If you LOVE handmade - not machine made - YOU will LOVE her shop!!

TUTORIAL:

How to Applique a Reindeer (How cute is this? My little boy and girl HAVE to have one!)

Take it away, Casey...

Today I'm going to show you how to make your own appliqued reindeer! In no time at all you can turn any plain shirt or turtleneck into a one-of-a-kind boutique shirt!

Gather Materials:

*Heat n Bond Lite

*Fabric (1/4yd of each is PLENTY…I just use scraps that are big enough for my design)

*Scissors

*Iron

*Thread

*Sewing machine that will do a ZigZag stitch

*Pen or Marker

Steps:

1. Sketch your design. Cut a piece of Heat n Bond that’s big enough to draw your design on.

2. Lay fabric on ironing board right side down, wrong side up. Iron Heat n Bond to fabric with paper side up.

3. Continue ironing heat an bond onto your fabric pieces that make up your reindeer (or other applique).

4. Cut out your design. Peel the paper off the fabric. The back of your fabric should have a shine to it. That means you peeled the paper off correctly.

5. Place your pieces on your shirt and arrange them EXACTLY in the place you want them.

6. Iron them on your shirt. Don’t move the iron around too much in a back and forth motion, sometimes the pieces can shift if you do this. Continue placing pieces and ironing them on (nose, eyes, mouth...etc).

**Note: You shouldn't have to pin anything in place, the Heat n Bond holds the fabric to your garment, UNLESS you are using a fabric, like Chenille, that is not very easy to work with. This fabric is too thick for the heat to go through all the way,so I use pins as back up in case the design starts to shift while stitching.**

7. Select your stitch. My go to is the Zig Zag with a with of 3.5 and a length of 1.4. (I use 4.0 and 1.6 for large applique's). Stitch with a zigzag around your design. Making sure to stay on the edge of the fabric. Stitch in an on the fabric off the fabric pattern. You can use as many different color threads as you like.

8. Cut all threads that may be left, making sure to turn your shirt inside out and cut those too.

9. Iron your shirt.

10. Voila! You have a precious, one of a kind creation for your child or as a gift!!

Check out some recent designs that are in her SHOP. CLICK HERE to purchase!!

Enter THE $50 GIFT CARD GIVEAWAY HERE!

We hope you have a Sew Crafty Christmas!

One more giveaway announced today...check back soon!

And this event could not happen without our

AMAZING SPONSORS!!

These ladies are artists and sewers who have shops that we CANNOT wait to show YOU! Especially just in time for Christmas! If you need any last minute hand-made gifts or artwork, check out their shops for INCREDIBLE gifts that anyone would LOVE to receive!

Each day Monday - Thursday of each week we will feature 1 or 2 GIVEAWAYS!!

These ladies have donated their time and talents and have come up with a GIVEAWAY just for YOU!

And, because they want to show their LOVE to YOU even more, most of them offer COUPON codes and discounts exclusive to Seamingly Smitten readers!

Check back daily to enter to WIN!

Here are our LOVELY and TALENTED SPONSORS!

Click on their shop names to check out all they offer!!

Each of these ladies have one EXCLUSE giveaway just for YOU!