Convention Countdown: 10 Days - Sorority Letter Summer Tank

Let's create this colorful summer tank to show off your tan and your sorority pride!

1. Using your Heat n Bond fusible interfacing, cut a piece the size of your desired fabric, for both the patterned layer and solid layer fabric, and iron on. Make sure to match up the "wrong side" or rough side to the back of the fabric you are using. If not, the bonding agent will burn all over your iron. this step makes the letters more durable. 

2. After bonding the interfacing to the back of your fabric, cut a piece of the fusible web to match your two pieces of fabric, and iron to the back. Same as before, make sure the "wrong side" or rough side is matched up to the back of the fabric.

3. To create your letter stencil, use an ipad or your computer screen and trace the desired sized letters onto a thicker paper. The thicker the paper, the more likely you will have an even trace and your pencil won't wander. Using a knife or exacto knife, cut small slits along the lines you have traced to make a dotted line pattern. 

4. Trace the inner letter on the patterned fabric in a light pencil. 

5. Trace the outer letter on the solid fabric in a light pencil. 

6. Following the dotted line, cut out each letter as close to even as possible. This will not be perfect. If you want perfection, you should spend $40 on a tank online. This will be your own original design, so don't be hard on yourself if its not 100% even. There's beauty in errors.

7. Iron the top, patterned letters to the background, solid letters. Remove the paper from the back of the patterned letters ONLY, and iron to fuse them to the background. Do not remove the paper from the back of the background solid letters or you will fuse them to the ironing board or table. 

8. Remove the paper from the back of the background letters, and place them in the desired location on the shirt. Feel free to get creative with your placement. Maybe stack them down the side of the shirt, or on the back for fun! Iron until fused with the shirt. This part is very important so your letters stay even and don't shift while sewing.

9. Set your sewing machine to the zigzag stitch for the more traditional look.

10. Carefully, sew each letter to the shirt, minding each layer.  Don't forget to sew the inner letter AND the outer letter. 

11. Now that the shirt is sewn, snip any long threads without pulling them. 

12. Using your Fray Check, follow each seam and fabric edge and stitch with a dab of Fray Check. This will help with the longevity of the shirt. Let dry.

Great work! Now you have your very own shirt to arrive at Convention in style!