kidsmemorialdayts.pdf

I love the three summer holidays for more reasons than the weather that goes with them.  I love them because when you make a craft for Memorial Day, it can be used on the 4th of July and Labor Day as well.  Keep with the red, white and blue theme and your good to go!

These red, white and blue T’s are perfect for the big day and the kid’s can even help you make them.  They go pretty quickly, especially the cut out contrasting stars.  The fireworks take a bit of patience, and the ribbon flag is probably the toughest.  These are just ideas to get you inspired though because I’ve seen red and white striped ribbon used to outline stars, I’ve seen bleach pens used to draw stars, stripes, fireworks, you name it!  Just visit your local craft store and check out all the options available for painting or crafting on inexpensive T-shirts!  Have fun!

Materials List:

• Appropriate sizes of T-shirts
• Craft materials like cotton fabric for stars
• Embroidery floss for fireworks
• Ribbon and rick rack for flag motif
• Scissors
• Needle and matching threads
• Pins
• Sewing machine

Contrasting Stars T Instructions:

1. For the contrasting star T you will need to select your shirt color and several cotton fabrics for the contrasting stars.  Then, either draw a star as your template or use a star cookie cutters as your template.

2. Using your template trace the star design onto the contrasting fabrics.  When I did this, I left about a ½ inch extra fabric around the star because I wanted to cut it out a little bit larger than the cookie cutter I had.

3. Turn the shirt inside out, place the stars into position, (remember to place them in a mirror image of your final design) and pin them in place.  Make sure you don’t catch the back of the shirt in your pins!

4. Use the sewing machine to stitch the stars onto the inside front of the T shirt.  Make sure to use at least a ¼” seam allowance.

5. Turn the shirt right side out and use your two hands to separate the T shirt from the contrasting fabric in the back.  Make a slit in the middle of the star, ONLY in the T shirt fabric.  Insert the scissors into the slit and cut around your stitching to remove the T shirt fabric.  Leave at least 1/8” of T shirt fabric beyond the stitching. 

The finished shirt looks fabulous.  Keep in mind that if you don’t want your stitches to show on the T shirt, use matching thread instead of contrasting like I did.

Fireworks T Instructions:

The fireworks T shirt requires a pencil for drawing, a couple different colors of embroidery floss and an embroidery hoop to make the stitching a little easier.

1. Start by drawing on the fireworks patterns with a pencil and positioning your patterns inside the embroidery hoop.

2. Use a simple running stitch and cover the pencil lines you created.

When the fireworks T shirt is finished, wear it with pride and have a blast!  Heehee.

Flag T Instructions:

The flag T shirt was the toughest because it is difficult to keep the rick rack in place using a pin.  I ended up pinning one end and simply holding the rick rack in place with my fingers as much as possible.  Thus, in some cases, the rick rack isn’t perfectly straight.

1. Start the flag by folding under the raw edges of the “blue and stars” ribbon.  Pin the ribbon in place and blind stitch it onto the T shirt.

Just take your time and I wish you much good luck as you sew in the rick rack.  I'm sure you can do better than I did!Might be easier just to stitch on one of those small flags meant to be waved at parades!!  In any case, the kid’s won’t care.

So, this Memorial Day, wear your red, white and blue proudly, wash it and keep it for both the 4th of July and Labor Day!!

Shari

 
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