This project was such a massive hit on platforms like Flickr and Pinterest, garnering countless views, favorites, and repins. It was so impressive that I reached out to Carrie to ask if she'd be willing to share her idea with us. She's going to demonstrate how to add an embroidered cat to a pocket, allowing everyone to create their own version. It's incredibly cute—cats are undeniably adorable, perhaps that's why they're so popular online? Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful tutorial, Carrie!
Hi! I’m Carrie, and I'm thrilled to be here with all the Oliver + S enthusiasts today! While I don't run my own blog, you can find me as "thesimpson5" in the Oliver + S discussion forums and as Carrie S12345 in the Flickr group. I have three daughters: Olivia, who’s 15, Kate, who’s 11, and Ellie, who’s 9. I started sewing just three years ago and began making clothes for my girls two years back. Discovering Oliver + S patterns completely transformed my sewing skills, and there's nothing quite like seeing my kids adore something I've made for them.
That’s precisely what happened when I crafted the Lunch Box Tee for my youngest, Ellie, and added embroidery for Christmas. It’s an amazing pattern, naturally, and I finished sewing it just as I came across Johanna’s guest post about customizing the Lunch Box Tee by adding a pocket toy. That idea was brilliant! Ellie, though a bit older for a pocket toy, inspired me to think of something unique for her pocket. Since Ellie adores cats but is allergic to them, I decided it would be sweet to have a little embroidered cat peeking out of her Lunch Box Tee pocket. After some Google searching, I stumbled upon the Kollabora website where I found a free pattern I used. It was simple yet charming, just what I needed given the limited time before Christmas!
Here’s how it turned out:
Typically, I’d embroider before assembling the tee, but this was an afterthought, and it wasn’t challenging to do the embroidery afterward. For Ellie’s tee, I used a medium-weight sweatshirt fleece (recycled from a $2.75 XL men’s sweatshirt from last season’s clearance rack!), which has a slight stretch but not as much as jersey. Due to the pocket layers, I couldn’t use a hoop, so the thicker, less stretchy fleece worked well. I’ll walk you through the process step-by-step, starting with embroidering before constructing the tee, using a stabilizer and hoop. I’ll be working with some cotton jersey (another recycled XL men’s tee). Even if you’ve already sewn one and want to add embroidery later, it’s still doable!
Let’s dive into the details!
First, gather your embroidery supplies. You’ll need a 5†embroidery hoop, an embroidery needle, threads in your chosen colors, small scissors, and stabilizer. The stabilizer I swear by is Sulky’s Sticky Fabri-Solvy. If you’re new to embroidery, this product will revolutionize your experience! I learned about it through Wendi Gratz and her Shiny Happy World website. Her site is packed with fantastic tips and instructional videos. She even sells the stabilizer in her shop and has a detailed video on how to use it. I’ve found it at Wal-Mart and Amazon but haven’t spotted it in any local fabric or hobby stores.
Next, download the free kitty pattern from the Kollabora website. You may need to create an account first. Print the pattern on regular copy paper. You’ll also need the Lunch Box Tee pattern. Specifically, you’ll need pattern piece 1 (the shirt front) and pattern piece 3 (the lower front panel).
Take note of the faint gray line on the kitty pattern—it represents the pocket outline. This line isn’t embroidered; it’s just a guide to align the kitty and its paws with the pocket’s top edge. Depending on the size tee you’re making, you might want to adjust the size of the kitty pattern. Draw a dashed line between the two dots on your Lunch Box Tee pattern to measure the pocket’s length. Compare this measurement to the faint gray line above the kitty’s paws on the embroidery pattern. If there’s a significant difference, scale the pattern up or down accordingly. My printer is also a copier, so I scaled the kitty pattern up slightly and made a copy—this is purely personal preference.
Once your pattern is the desired size, transfer it to the Sulky stabilizer. One cool feature of this stabilizer is its 8 1/2†x 11†sheets. One side feels rough, while the other side is smooth paper that peels away. The rough side is where you transfer the pattern. You can print directly to it, copy to it, or trace it manually. If you trace without a light box, simply tape your pattern to a window, place the stabilizer over it, and trace the design. Trace the kitty head separately from the paws, leaving a couple of inches of extra stabilizer around each piece. Also trace the faint gray line between the head and paws (you won’t be embroidering this line).
Using your Lunch Box Tee pattern pieces, cut out your fabric. Transfer the two dots used to line up the pockets to the right side of your fabric with a fabric-safe pen (I used a Frixion pen). Draw a line between the dots and mark the center.
Peel away the Sticky Fabri-Solvy from the smooth paper backing on the piece with the kitty head you traced. Align the kitty using the lines on the embroidery pattern and fabric. You can see through the Fabri-Solvy enough to line everything up. Use the center mark on your fabric to ensure the kitty head is centered along the pocket top. Stick the Fabri-Solvy to the fabric and press lightly to secure it. Repeat the process for the paws.
You’re now ready to start embroidering! Place the fabric with the pattern stuck to it in the hoop and tighten it—not too tight, as the stabilizer provides the necessary tension. If you’re new to embroidery, check out Wendi’s Shiny Happy World videos for tutorials on various stitches, including how to tie a knot to start. I used a simple backstitch for the kitty head, whiskers, mouth, and paws, and a French knot for the nose. The eyes were done using a stitch I learned from one of Wendi’s videos—I’m not sure if it has a specific name. Once you finish embroidering the kitty head, hoop the paws and embroider those too.
When you’ve completed embroidering both pieces, remove the hoop and prepare for some magic!
You’ll need a bowl of room-temperature water. Dunk the embroidered fabric pieces one at a time, gently swirling them around. The Fabri-Solvy will start to dissolve. Most of the paper should come off easily, but rinse the fabric under running water to remove any leftover bits around the stitches. Do the same for the paw piece in a fresh bowl of water.
Gently squeeze out the excess water and either lay the fabric flat to dry or toss it in the dryer for a few minutes. Once dry, press the fabric, avoiding direct contact with the iron on the embroidery.
Now you can proceed with finishing your embroidered Lunch Box Tee. Mark the back of your fabric according to the pattern. This was tricky for me since the jersey kept curling on the edges. I took my time, holding the pattern firmly against the fabric to make the marks. I didn’t encounter any issues applying knit interfacing to the back of the embroidered pieces; I ironed it on as usual, and it adheres well to the embroidery thread.
I hope you enjoyed this tutorial and found it helpful for creating your own embroidered tee. I’m excited to see what ideas you all come up with! Maybe you'll try puppies, flowers, or baby kittens in the other pocket? Have fun experimenting!
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Related posts:
- [DIY Embroidery Techniques for Beginners](#)
- [Customizing Patterns for Unique Looks](#)
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