When a beloved shirt gets an unwashable stain, it often ends up forgotten at the back of the wardrobe. That’s exactly what happened to my friend’s favourite shirt—a small, stubborn dot that just wouldn’t budge kept her from wearing it. Rather than letting the shirt go to waste, I decided to give it a second life by embroidering a cluster of small flowers over the mark.
What started as a simple cover-up turned into a floral pattern, and now, her cherished shirt is back in action, looking better than ever!
Tools and Materials
Just the basic embroidery kit is all you need for this project as well.
You will need the following:
- Shirt (non-stretchy fabric)
- Embroidery floss (different shades of blue for this design)
- Needles
- Water-soluble marker or other pattern transfer method
- Embroidery hoop
- Additional back-facing stabiliser if the shirt is made of light fabric
Instructions
1. Transfer the pattern
- For this design, I drew lazy daisies, that gradually become less dense.
- Use some kind of stabilizer if the shirt fabric is too thin.
- Secure the fabric in an embroidery hoop, but don’t tighten it too much.
2. Stitching
- For this just basic lazy daisy stitches.
- The center of the flowers are french knots.
- Since this garment will be worn and used, make sure to tie the threads instead of tucking them under each other.
3. Wash away the marker of the stabilizer
- Immerse the embroidered fabric in water.
- Make sure to wash away the ink thoroughly.
