Activities / Kutch Embroidery / Embroidered T-Shirt

Embroidered T-Shirt

Kutch-Inspired Embroidered T-Shirt: Chain and Herringbone Stitches on a Pocket Panel

Level

Intermediate

Duration

4 - 8 hours (over a few sessions)

Budget

₹952 – ₹1,290

Age

14+

State

Gujarat

Craft

Kutch Embroidery

Materials

• Plain cotton T-shirt
• Stranded cotton embroidery thread in assorted colours
• Embroidery or hand sewing needles
• Wooden or bamboo embroidery hoop, 15 cm (6 in)
• Water-erasable fabric marker pen
• Scrap thin cotton cloth for backing, 15 cm square
• Scissors, paper, black pen, pins and an iron
• Thimble or leather finger protector (optional)

Steps

1. Wash, dry and iron a plain cotton T-shirt before you start
   Choose a plain 100 percent cotton T-shirt in a light or mid colour, because thick, stretchy synthetic fabric puckers under stitching. Wash it in warm water and dry it so it shrinks now and not after you have embroidered it. Iron it flat. Common mistake: skipping the wash. The shirt shrinks later and the stitches pucker the fabric.
2. Draw a 10 cm flower panel on paper first
   On a sheet of paper, draw a circle about 10 cm wide. Inside it draw a flower in the middle with 6 petals, about 4 cm across, a ring of 8 leaves around it, each about 2 cm long and 8 mm wide, and a ring about 6 mm wide at the very edge for the border. Use a black pen with firm lines. Keep the shapes simple, because every curve must be stitched. Common mistake: tiny details that are hard to stitch.
   Tip: Trace round a cup or a bottle cap for a perfect circle.
3. Transfer the design onto the shirt with a water-erasable pen
   Tape your drawing to a bright window with the lines facing you. Lay the shirt over it so the chest or pocket area sits on the circle, smooth it flat and tape the edges. Trace the lines onto the fabric with the water-erasable fabric pen, using light, steady strokes. Test the pen on a scrap of the shirt first. Common mistake: pressing hard on stretchy knit, which warps the lines.
   Tip: Trace in short strokes and keep the fabric from stretching.
4. Back the panel with scrap cotton and fix the shirt in the hoop
   Cut a 15 cm square of thin cotton fabric from an old shirt and place it inside the T-shirt behind the design. Tack it in place with a few large running stitches just outside the circle. Slide the inner ring of the hoop inside the shirt, between the front and the back, put the outer ring over the front and tighten the screw gently. The fabric should be firm but not stretched like a drum. Make sure the back of the shirt is free and not caught in the hoop.
5. Thread the needle with 3 strands and tie a small knot
   Cut an arm's length of thread, about 45 cm. Embroidery thread has 6 thin strands twisted together. Pull out 3 strands one at a time, then put them back together side by side, which stops tangles. Thread the needle and tie a small knot at the end. Common mistake: a longer thread, which tangles and frays as you stitch.
   Tip: Wet the thread tip a little and push it through the eye, not the other way round.
6. Stitch the petal outlines in chain stitch
   Come up from the back at the start of a petal line, then go back down in the same hole, leaving a small loop of thread on top. Come up about 4 mm along the line, inside the loop, and pull gently so the loop lies flat. Repeat all along the petal and finish with a tiny stitch over the last loop. Keep every stitch about 4 mm long. Common mistake: pulling too tight, which gathers the shirt, when the stitches should lie flat and the fabric stay smooth.
   Tip: Hold the loop down with your thumb until the needle is through.
7. Fill the petals with rows of chain stitch in a second colour
   Change to a second colour and work another row of chain stitch about 3 mm inside the first row, following its curve. Keep adding rows towards the middle until the petal is filled. Finish each row by pushing the needle down over the last loop. Work the flower centre as a small spiral of chain stitch, about 1 cm wide. Close, even rows look like thick, rich colour.
8. Stitch the leaves in herringbone stitch
   Mark two lines 6 mm apart down the middle of a leaf and use green thread. Come up on the lower line at the left, slant up to the upper line, go in about 4 mm further right and come out about 2 mm back to the left. Slant down to the lower line, go in 4 mm further right and come out 2 mm back again. Keep repeating, and the crossed stitches form a woven ladder. Common mistake: uneven stitch lengths.
   Tip: Mark both guide lines with the pen so every cross starts and ends on a line.
9. Stitch a herringbone border ring around the panel
   Using a contrast colour, work herringbone stitch around the outer ring you drew, keeping the band about 6 mm wide. Move the hoop if the ring runs off its edge, then loosen and re-tighten it. Do not press down on finished stitches when you refit the hoop. Join the end to the start with a small overlapping cross, so it looks continuous.
10. Finish every thread end neatly on the back
    At the end of each colour, turn the shirt inside and weave the needle under 4 or 5 stitches on the back. Cut the thread close to the fabric. Do not leave loose strands longer than 1 cm, because they catch and pull. Never carry thread between far apart areas, since knit fabric will pucker. Check the front once more for gaps and fill them with a small stitch.
11. Remove the hoop, clean off the marks and press it
    Loosen the screw and take off the hoop, then snip off the tacking stitches and the scrap backing at the edges if you can. Dab the pen lines with a damp cloth until they vanish. Turn the shirt inside out, lay it on a towel with the embroidery face down and press from the back with a warm iron for a few seconds. Wash the shirt inside out in cold water later, on a gentle cycle, and dry it flat.

Sustainability

High - refreshes an old T-shirt instead of buying new; wash it gently so the stitches last

Safety

Needle pricks; avoid sewing through both layers of the shirt; eye strain, so stitch in good light and rest often