It's my life: Bella Blvd January Fabric Projects

Today I have a Valentine clothing project for you featuring Bella Blvd fabric. Even if you don't sew, you can make this cute shirt. I've used the brand new Summer Breeze fabric by Bella Blvd for Riley Blake Fabrics and it is so precious. There are a couple of ways to make this shirt so let me tell you about them.

The first way and the way I did it is to use an Embroidery machine. I bought the file and let my machine do the work. Easy if you have an embroidery machine but if you don't there is another way to do the same thing. There is this wonderful product on the market called Heat N Bond by Thermo Web. It comes in a couple of different strengths and you will need to be sure that you pick the right one for your project. Heat N Bond, is a two sided iron on adhesive. You iron it on one side of your fabric and then onto the object that you want to place it on. Heat N Bond Lite is used when you will be sewing on your project after application and Heat N Bond Regular is used when you are not going to be sewing on your project later. Note: Please make sure you are using the right type as you could ruin your sewing machine.

The first thing that you will need to do is determine how you are going to cut out your letters. If you have a Silhouette or other cutting machine, you can cut them out using it. Just iron on the appropriate Heat N Bond on the wrong side of the fabric, lay it on your mat, and cut. If you don't then you can use scissors or even a Big Shot if you have dies you need. Just like before, iron on the Heat N Bond and cut away. If you are tracing the letters on fabric to cut out with scissors, use a vanishing pen. You can find those in the quilting section of your fabric store.

After you have cut out your design, peel off the backing paper to reveal the other side of the adhesive. Position it on your shirt, fabric side up, and iron it on. Then if you have used Heat N Bond regular, your project is done, unless you want to add something to each letter like a border using Puffy Paint or some other trim. If you have used Heat N Bond Lite, you can use your sewing machine to sew it on with a straight stitch or a zig zag stitch.

I also made these cute little ruffle pants to match the shirt. If you are new to sewing, ruffle pants are one of the easiest patterns to start with. You'll learn a lot about the basics, such as straight stitching, gathering, inserting elastic and hemming. Hmm, might make a good tutorial someday! :) Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful day!