Valentine Heart Shirt

Let me preface this post by telling you that this tutorial contains a whole lotta “Don’t do what I did.” Because I messed up a few times in a big way. But I thought I’d share it anyway so you could learn from my mistakes. So pay close attention. I don’t want anyone cussin’ like I did. 😉

I wanted to make Rachel a special outfit for Valentine’s Day. Hello–first girl? I couldn’t dress up any of my boys in hearts and ruffles, so she’s getting something every year baby! I actually found a skirt in my “adoption hope chest” that I made way before she was born. It was exactly the right size. Woohoo! All I needed was a shirt to match. I had a plain white shirt onesie thingy that I decided to heart-ify.
Ruffled Heart Shirt Tutorial (Do what I say, not what I did.)

Supplies:
-white shirt or onesie
-Fabric scrap
-Wonder Under (Heat & Bond) and an iron
-Ribbon
-Needle, thread, scissors, pins

-Cut a heart pattern the size you want it. I use the fold the paper in half and cut a heart method. Trace the heart onto the wonder under and iron it to the back side of your fabric. Note: I cut the heart the size that looked good on the shirt, forgetting that the ruffle would make it bigger. Duh. Keep that in mind and make your heart smaller than I did.
Then cut out your heart. (If you need more detailed instructions, you can find them on my Felt Valentine Banner tutorial. Didn’t want to post the same thing twice.)
To determine the length of your ribbon, you need to measure the outside of your heart. I took a piece of string and placed it around the edge, then took it off and measured it.
You want your ribbon to be 2 1/2-3 times the length of the string. My string was 14″ long,  so I cut my ribbon 35″ long.

-Now it’s time to gather your ribbon to make the ruffle. Before you start, mark the center of the ribbon with a pin.
-Tie a good knot in the end of your thread and sew a running stitch along the very edge of the ribbon, pulling the thread as you go. When you get to the pin in the middle, just stitch over it.
-Now it’s time to iron the heart onto the shirt. I put a book inside the shirt so I would have a flat surface to iron on (my shirt has snaps on the back). But I made a HUGE mistake that I don’t want you to repeat, so pay attention! It’s hard to center the heart once the book is inside the shirt, so do this first:
-Place the shirt flat on your surface and place the heart where you want it. Then take your iron and iron down the bottom corner. That will hold the heart in place while you slip the book inside.
My mistake–I didn’t hold the iron in place long enough. So I thought the heart was secure, but it wasn’t. It moved when I put the book inside, and I didn’t notice till I ironed it on. So not only is my heart not centered, it’s too far up on the shirt. And there’s not a darn thing I can do about it. DON’T BE DUMB LIKE ME!

To attach the ruffle, use that pin you placed in the center of your ribbon as a guide. That part goes at the very bottom tip of the  heart. Place the ribbon there and then pin up and around one side, evening out the gathers as you go. Repeat on the other side.
Now sew the ribbon in place. I hand-stitched it, but you can use a sewing machine if you prefer.
Now grab the cutest girl you can find and put it on her.

It might be good if you combed her hair first instead of just slapping a clip on the side. Ahem. Then stand back and think to yourself, “Wow, that heart is HUGE. I shoulda cut it a little smaller.”
Oh well, she’s stinkin’ adorable anyway! 🙂