Porcelain Flowers T-Shirt

Please note: If you’re not the pedantic type you can embroider cross stitch, flat stitch and back stitch freehand, but the t-shirt will end up with a more “unique” look.
 
Technique: free blackwork
Supplies:
• DMC white mouliné
• a T-shirt in a suitable size
• evenweave linen, or Aida

Draw the pattern using a white marker pen, but don’t push too hard because the fabric breaks through a fair amount with this pattern, and you don’t want to see traces of the pen through the embroidery.

Next, cut pieces of evenweave linen, or Aida, to cover the shape of the pattern, in this case approximately 5 x 5 cm/ 2" x 2". Sew whipstitch around all edges to prevent the weave from fraying.

Pin and baste the weave over the pattern so that it ends up right on top. Now draw the shapes again, on the weave.

Embroider through both the weave and the T-shirt with two threads mouliné floss. Fill the shape you’ve drawn with cross stitch and/or flat stitch. Make sure that you bring the needle through between the threads in the supporting weave, or you will have a hard time removing it.

To remove the hemmed edge, use embroidery scissors to cut the weave around the embroidery. Carefully pull the threads that are now loose. Remove one at a time, first horizontally, then vertically. The actual embroidery now remains on the T-shirt, aligned and neat.

Continue with the rest of the patterns and shapes. The stem that ties the flowers together is sewn using back stitch and doesn’t need supporting weave.

This how-to is excerpted with permission from "Scandinavian Stitch Craft: Unique Projects and Patterns for Inspired Embroidery" by Karin Holmberg (Running Press).