Cross Stitch on a T-Shirt - A Little Blast from My Past

I grew up watching my Mom cross stitch. She made things for the walls, to display around the holidays and gift to family. After watching her I tried my hand at it off and on over the years, but my problems was finding a project that I really wanted to finish.

Then I stumbled upon this Soluble Canvas. You could say my mind was blown.  

Usually you cross stitch on aida (which is full of squares for easy cross stitching) or linen, etc. But you don't automatically think of clothing. I loved the idea of being able to embelish my daughter's shirt with a cross stitch pattern. This canvas would not only give me a little added stability as I stitched, but would also give me a grid to stitch on.

For this project I chose a childhood favorite that my daughter and I share... My Little Ponies.

I chose the brightest most colorful character I could find and corresponding DMC embroidery floss. I used a sheet of Soluable Canvas, DMC floss, needles,  a hoop to keep my fabric flat and scissors.

Can you see the holes? That makes it as easy to stitch as aida, but with even more versatility.

With a contrasting color I put a simple running stitch all the way around my canvas to hold it in place. Then put it in the hoop and starting my stitch pattern.

I loved My Little Pony at my daughter's age. She is 4 and recently started showing an interest in them as well. Now I just wish I had my old Cotton Candy pony to share with her. I had quite a collection but Cotton Candy was the first horse I was given. She was pink and smelled sweet.

Do you remember how big the scented plastic toys were in the 80's?

My daughter is a big fan of the unicorns, sea horses and pegasus ponies. This just happens to be the fabulous Rainbow Dash - if you are not My Little Pony aware. An original classic that I remember from my childhood. I knew my daughter would love her because of her bright colors.

After finishing up the pattern, I trimmed away the excess canvas. Then soaked the garment in hot, soapy water for 10 minutes.

It dissolved fairly quickly and I ran it under warm water for a few additional minutes to rinse away any more of the soluble canvas.

Then dry as usual and enjoy.

My only regret is that I put the design too low on the T-shirt. Next time I think I will make sure the topmost point is just below her collar. Either way she is thrilled with her new shirt. What do you think?

Have you ever tried cross stitch?

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