DIY: Happy Ice Cream Face Applique Tee…An Alternative to a Screenprint

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So to break up the monotony of my 30 days of outfits…I thought to share with all of you this cute and easy DIY.

I first saw this on Ramblings from the Sunshine State, where Wendy shared her how-to for a 6 Scoop T-Shirt for her daughter’s ice-cream-themed 6th birthday party.

I loved the idea of adding brightly-colored quilting fabric to a t-shirt!

I’m always dreaming of screenprinting designs into tees…The colors!  The vibrant blacks!  The limitless designs!…But face it, screenprinting ONE t-shirt (even with a Yudu) is a huge time commitment.  There isn’t much point if you’re just going to make one.

Fabric paint I don’t like very much, as even the “soft” fabric paint adds stiffness to the shirt, and you can’t get very crisp lines.

The iron-on transfers they sell at the sewing store also leave a distinct and ugly “sheen” to them…it’s obvious you’ve stuck something on your shirt.  No thanks.

But applique?!  Never thought of that!

Now the world is my oyster…or at least, the design possibilities are limitless when you start to think of re-creating your favorite screened t-shirt design with cutouts of bright fabric and patterns.  The edges to the appliques are crisp, and the applying is so easy!  (Plus it’s a great way to experiment with color and pattern…and use up the scraps of fabric you may have laying around in your scrap bag.)


You Need:

a t-shirt (I originally was going to use the white one above, and changed my mind after I took the photo)  /  brightly-colored fabric for your design (I picked out some quilter’s fat quarters at my local Jo-Ann Fabrics, paying attention to the coordination of the patterns and prints)  /  black fabric for your details (mine is a woven lightweight cotton suiting)

double-sided fusible web for applique  /  (optional) black embroidery thread

Tools
scissors  /  iron & ironing board  /  pen  /  paper to make your pattern


How-To:

1. Make a pattern for your ice cream cones.  I made one that I used for each scoop, one for the cherry, one for the chocolate sauce, one for the ice cream cone, and one for the smile.

2. Place your pattern on your fabric (folded over).  Trace and cut 2 pieces for each part of the ice creams, and one piece for the smile.

3. Follow the instructions for fusing the pieces to the front of your shirt. (Usually sticking the applique onto the sticky front, peeling off the back, pressing to the shirt, and ironing for 15 – 30 seconds, applying pressure and making a few passes.  The instructions said to stick the entire piece of fabric onto the sticky front of the web and cutting through both layers just once…I don’t think it really matters how you do it.)

 

4. (Optional) To make your creation more “polished,” you could go over the edges of each fabric piece in a satin stitch (closely-spaced zigzag stitch on your machine), in black embroidery thread.  (I didn’t because I was feeling lazy.)  This will make your tee look (from a distance) like a cartoony ice cream face, without all the hassle of the screenprinting!

But even without the outlining, it looks pretty cute as is!

Cool down on a hot summer’s day quickly in this…or just have a sweet sense of humor while relaxing at home.

Happy DIY’ing!

xo
Carly

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Ice Cream Shop Nails

Right hand, from thumb to pinky: Maybelline Express Finish in La La Lime (limited edition – I haven’t found it online anywhere), China Glaze Re-fresh Mint, Essie Chinchilly, Essie Ballet Slippers, Sally Hansen XTreme Wear in Wet Cement.

I was messing around at the Ulta store yesterday (with a long list stuffed in my greasy paw that I made after reading the spectacular nail polish blog All Lacquered Up– an hour of so of browsing fueled my desire for some new nail polish).  I tried on this color, I tried on that color – and by the time I was done I had a multi-hued hand in a pleasing variety of sorbet tones.  So rather than take it all off I just painted the other hand to match.

The grey nailpolish I DIY’d last year smells like a chemical explosion when I take off the lid, and the colors continue to separate.  Not to self: next time, only mix the same BRANDS of nail polish!  (I mixed Sally Hansen and Rimmel, which probably accounts for the reeking toxic smell.)  So I had to find a new gray nail polish – and couldn’t decide between Chinchilly and Wet Cement!

Multi-hued nails are in (at least in my corner of the universe) for Summer!

xoxox
Carly

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