Stripe tee addition: Bows! Tutorial

Stripe tee addition: Bows! Tutorial

• 11.24.2010

Brr!  After that snowfall yesterday it's still chilly but no new layer this morning (phew! I feel much safer leaving the house).  I really enjoyed hearing your comments and seeings pics of snow where you are, in places like Alaska and Finland!  Let's all keep warm and safe this winter.

Anyway, on to a fun project.  A while ago I saw (somewhere) a super cute black and white striped top with a biiiig black satin bow on one side of the neckline.  I thought, what a cute way to embellish a tee!

I couldn't find the original inspiration picture, but I found lots of other cute striped tees with embellishments for us to look at before this tutorial.  Here they are:

Ruche

ModCloth

(Not striped, but with decoration in the same shape as the original).

Anthropologie

So, how to replicate such a thing yourself?  Follow this tutorial!!

• Start with a striped tee!  This one is from Target via Goodwill.  (It's funny how poorly stripes photograph).

• Get your contrast fabric.  I'm using some satin coat lining, nylon or poly, that I had in my linings drawer.  Cut pieces for your bows, as big as you want them--mine were about 5" by 10".

• Sew your bow pieces right sides together down the long seams only.

• Press seams open.

• Turn right side out.  Hide your seam down the center.

• Sew your ends together so you have a loop.  This isn't completely necessary, but it'll make thing easier.

• Do the same with some smaller pieces of the same fabric--mine were too long at 3" by 6".  I only used half of what I made.

• Make your "bows" by gathering the center of the loop, closed up.

• Pull the gathering thread tight and tie it off with a knot.  Cover the gathering stitches with your little piece.

• Sew the little piece on with hand sewing, closing the ends on the back.

• Do the same with as many bows as you want.  I went for two!
• Position your bows on the top.  Pin in many places, as knits move around a lot and you'll want to keep yours as still as possible.

• Tack down your bows, using big stitches on the back side to cover lots of area and small or invisible stitches on the front of the bow (you don't have to go through all the layers of the bows, as long as you do most).

• Wear proudly!  How ModCloth stylish are you?!