I'm not going to lie, I live in my letters. And since I only have a few months left as an active member, I think I'm going to wear them even more often. The issue is that they are just incredibly expensive to buy. When I first joined my sorority 3 years ago, I thought I was extremely lucky to have a greek store on campus. What I didn't realize at the time was that letters are not cheap, and it was time to say goodbye to my money.
There had to be a better way.
I recently bought a shirt from Target
($6) that I did an appliqué monogram on that I LOVE. I love it so much that I went back this weekend and bought another one. It's actually from the men's section so I bought my normal size in unisex clothing and it's the perfect baggy long sleeve shirt. It's going to be great with jeans or leggings, casual or light working out.
I decided to make my own lettered shirt today with materials that I had, including two different fabrics and fusible interfacing
(approximately $1 worth of materials). I couldn't quite find exactly what I wanted in terms of font online so I just kind of made on up myself.
For a grand total of about $7 and an hour of my time, I'm now the proud owner of a new lettered shirt!
I'm in love with how they turned out. My process was relatively simple:
Specs: Letters measure approximately 8" X 3.5" spaced 1/4" apart
1. Cut out desired inner letters. You can easily find block letters online and simply print them out to use as a pattern. I freehanded because I like to live on the edge.
2. Place inner pattern on backing fabric. Using a roll of Heat 'n Bond, I fused the inner fabric onto a rectangle of the mint green fabric. Ultimately, you could skip this step and simply pin.
3. Fuse interfacing to wrong side of backing fabric. The trick with lettered shirts is that the letters are sturdy as to not wrinkle when washed. Do not skip this step.
4. Sew the inner fabric to the backing fabric. If necessary, run a thin amount of Fray glue along the edges so the fabric doesn't fray when sewn. I recommend a standard zig zag stitch to attach.
5. Cut out letter shape from backing fabric. Again, because I have no patience, I simply cut an outline around the inner pattern in an approximately even fashion. If you want to be extra precise I would recommend drawing on the fabric for perfectly straight lines.
6. Fuse the letters to the shirt. With strips of Heat n' Bond, attach the letters to the shirt. Before you do the fusing, be sure to try the shirt on with the letters pinned so you have accurate placement. I recommend the letters come up to about 4 inches from the top of the neckline. If you don't want to fuse, pinning is always an option.
7. Sew the letters to the shirt. Pretty self explanatory. You can also run some fray glue along the edges beforehand for that extra crispness.
Like I said, I'm incredibly happy with the result! If you're a part of Greek Life and are interested in various greek products, please visit my Etsy Shop (in the top bar!) and we can talk custom orders. I'm currently offering Pocket Tees (embroidered and non-embroidered), hair bows, and key fobs!
Until next time, my fellow crafters.
