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Hello! I'm Suzannah, a serious DIYer and mom of two little ones. Follow along with my DIY fixer upper house renovations, sewing and crafty projects, real food recipes, and de-stressing goals.
I believe you can love your home just the way it is, AND have the power to design and make big changes to make it better.
I'm also the author of DIY Wardrobe Makeovers!

DIY anchor appliqué on stripes tutorial

Had this one in the to-do pile for a long time now… excited to share this fun embellishment with you! I had planned to do a heart appliqué sweater with this great hot pink knit leftover fabric I had from a vintage skirt… I imagined doing one of those J.Crew heart sweater looks, big, asymmetrical heart appliqué on a nice crewneck sweater. And out of hot pink? Perfect, and a cute Valentine’s Day craft. But I wanted to do something a little different when it really came down to it. I thought about doing a big bow shape out of the fabric, laid flat, but I already did a DIY bow appliqué tee once, and… nah. My mom suggested an anchor. Great idea, Mom!

DIY Anchor applique tee tutorial-026

There are lots of inspirations for anchor sweaters, turns out! Here are some to get you warmed up ;)…




Even a couple tees and sweatshirts like mine!
Delia's

Anchor Tee Tutorial


Okay, so here goes the anchor tee or sweater tutorial… this one’s pretty simple, and no fancy interfacing required. (You can use double-sided fusible web interfacing if you’re doing this on a thicker sweater or sweatshirt, you might want to use it on the appliqué piece.) You will need:
  • Tee, sweatshirt, or sweater
  • Any fabric you want to appliqué—I used a knit wool scrap
  • Anchor pattern! Or any pattern you want. I found this anchor template and printed it out, scale up big to fit an 8.5”x11” page. You could do any size!
  • Spray adhesive
  • Optional: Fusible interfacing to put on the inside of your tee, if it’s very stretchy, or on the underside of your appliqué fabric if it’s very thin. I didn't use it this time!
DIY Anchor applique tee tutorial-005

1. Print and cut out your anchor pattern and spray some spray adhesive to the back of it. Stick the sticky side to the back/underside of your appliqué fabric, keeping your fabric on the grain--that is, don't put the pattern down any which-way, and let the center line be straight along the grain/weave of the fabric. This will keep it from pulling and getting distorted as you stick and sew.
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2. Watching the center line of your tee (see the pins that mark mine?), press your sticky appliqué down. This was easy on the stripes, since they act as guides to keep it straight!
DIY Anchor applique tee tutorial-006

 3. At your machine, zigzag alllllllll the way around the anchor. This part takes a while. Don't pull on your tee  or sweater at all during this process--since it's a knit, it'll get puckery with all that non-stretchy sewing on it! Watch out! (This is where the interfacing helps if it's a super stretchy garment.)DIY Anchor applique tee tutorial-009 DIY Anchor applique tee tutorial-012  
Done!
DIY Anchor applique tee tutorial-024

Super easy! That was only 3 steps! This was by far the most successful and easy project of my weekend! ;) Now, for some springy weather so I can wear it out... ;)

12 comments

  1. Sooo cool! I absolutely love it!

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  2. Awesome! I have a ton of striped garments that I need to refashion.

    There's a great men's sweater I picked up for $1, that I can't quite decide how to handle. It has the greatest pattern though!

    Do you think I could ask you in a reader question about this in the sewing circle? I know it's not figuring out a pattern from a dress, but it's a question that I can't answer by myself!
    Thanks!

    Http://vintagezest.blogspot.com/

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  3. Really cute, the anchor was a great idea. Way to go mom!

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  4. Anonymous2/04/2013

    This is great!! I want to do this next weekend!

    Thank you for sharing!

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  5. Janine W.2/04/2013

    This turned out great Suzanne! I love graphics on stripes, and did you know Ann Taylor Loft is featuring bold color sets in their spring line, and one of their sets is navy and white stripes with hot pink!

    It is so hard to avoid puckering in applique projects. I highly recommend using a tear away stabilizer. You just iron it to the inside of your shirt where the design is and after appliqueing you tear it off. Also, if you have an adjustable presser foot on your sewing machine, loosen it before zig zagging on the applique.

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  6. Anonymous2/04/2013

    oh this is super cute! It has me wishing for spring and summer!

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  7. Oh my goodness gracious. I'm sort of drooling over this upcycle. My best friend is absolutely in love with anchors... It looks like I know what I'll be making for her birthday. Thanks for the tutorial :)

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  8. Anonymous2/04/2013

    Very cute! Makes me feel spring is nearly here!

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  9. SUPER cute! -Marci @ Stone Cottage Adventures

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  10. Anonymous2/08/2013

    That is really cute!

    Also, I love that mirror, may I ask where you bought it?

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  11. Thanks! It's from Target but I got it at Goodwill.

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  12. Ok, I know I'm late to the party. I'm catching up on a bad year... Lol. As its catchup I'm not commenting much but just had to take the time to say I think yours is the best anchor sweater. See you in 2014...

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