Tail feathers are the pride of every tom turkey, and with this fun applique ribbon-tailed turkey, you'll create your own bright and festive turkey tail feathers!
Colorful ribbons and fabric of your choice make this applique turkey a whimsical decoration for T-shirts, bibs, table linens, towels, and wall hangings.
Read on for free instructions to make this fabulous holiday project!
Supplies
Supplies Needed:
**A variety of ribbon, different colors, patterns, and widths
**Piece of fabric for the turkey's head (I used faux suede)
**Piece of fabric for the turkey's body (I used faux suede)
**A child's T-shirt
**Medium weight cutaway stabilizer
**Temporary spray adhesive
**Air-erase pen
**Fabric glue (optional)
Designs Used:
I used the small size of the Whimsical Turkey (Applique) (Add Feathers). Choose your design size based on your project needs.
Finished Size: 7" wide by 6" high -- your finished turkey size will depend on the size of the design and the ribbons you use.
Special Project Notes:
If you are adding the ribbon-tailed turkey to a bib or child's garment, be sure the ribbons are sized so that small fingers or hands do not get stuck in them!
Designs Used
The first step is to precut the fabric pieces for the design. I used faux suede for the applique piece for the turkey's body, but you can choose any fabric you like.
When you download an applique design you will find two files. One will start with a "Y" followed by 4 numbers, and that's the embroidery file. The other file ends with "_DL" which stands for "dieline."
Print a copy of the dieline file at full size with your embroidery software. If you do not have embroidery software or you are unable to print from it, you can embroider the dieline file onto a sheet of paper.
After the dielines are printed or stitched, it's time to use those as "templates" to cut the fabric.
Begin by making a "sandwich" of stabilizer, applique fabric, and the paper template.
Spray a piece of cutaway stabilizer with a little temporary adhesive (I use KK100). Smooth the applique fabric on top of the stabilizer. Lay the paper template on top of the fabric and cut out the shape.
You may spray the back of the paper template with a bit of adhesive to keep it in place while you cut.
Repeat this process for both applique shapes.
Next, create a paper template of the design by printing it at full size using embroidery software. Cut out the shape of the design, and position it on the shirt where you want it. Remember to allow room for the ribbons, especially at the top of the turkey's head. You want to leave some space between the tops of the ribbons and the collar, for the sake of appearance and the comfort of the T-shirt wearer.
Poke a hole in the center of the template and align it with the center point on the fabric. Using an air-erase pen or other marking tool, mark the center of the template and the horizontal and vertical axis points.
Choose the ribbon you will use on your applique turkey. Using fabric glue or temporary spray adhesive (I used fabric glue), make loops with the ribbons. The average length of my longer ribbons was around 8" (then folded in half and adhered to the fabric, so they extend about 3 1/2" outside the applique fabric). My shorter ribbons are around 5" long.
For the patterned ribbons, I glued the front of one end of the ribbon to the front of the other end, so that the pattern was visible on both sides. You can see an example of this in the photo on the left.
After you have made your loops, position them behind the full-sized template so you can see how they will look on the turkey. Move them around until you like the way they look.
Spray the back side of the applique fabric shape with a bit of adhesive and attach your ribbon loops. You can also attach the ribbons with fabric glue (I used fabric glue). Use adhesive sparingly -- so that they are attached, but not so much that you can't remove the ribbons and rearrange them as you go.
Keep flipping the shape over to see how the ribbons are lining up. Repeat this process for the other applique fabric shape.
Hoop the fabric or garment to be embroidered. If you're embroidering a T-shirt, turn the shirt inside out. Spray a piece of cutaway stabilizer with temporary spray adhesive, and smooth it over the design area.
Turn the shirt right-side out again, and slide the bottom hoop inside the shirt. Move the shirt around until the marks on the shirt line up with the marks on the hoop. Once the bottom hoop is lined up, put on the top hoop and tighten the screw. (For more information on hooping these stretchy garments, see the Embroidering on T-Shirts article.)
Attach the hoop to the machine and embroider the design. The first thing that sews is the turkey's feet. Next, the dieline for the turkey's body will stitch. After the turkey's body dieline has sewn, stop the machine.
Spray the back side of the body piece and the backs of the ribbons where they attach with another bit of adhesive, and place the fabric with the ribbons within the outline of the dieline.
You can use masking tape to hold the ribbons down, to make sure the embroidery foot does not get caught on them while the design is stitching.
Continue embroidering the design. The next thing that will sew is a zig-zag tack down. This will bind the applique fabric to the garment.
Once the turkey's body has finished stitching, and the head dieline is stitched, spray the back of the head piece with a bit of temporary adhesive. Place the head with the ribbons attached onto the T-shirt within the outline of the dieline. Again, use masking tape to hold the ribbons out of the way. Continue embroidering the design.
Once the design has finished stitching, unhoop the T-shirt and remove the masking tape. Turn the shirt inside out and trim the stabilizer. I usually leave about an inch of stabilizer around the design.
Turn the shirt right-side out again, and your ribbon-tailed applique turkey is complete!
Dress up your holidays with an applique ribbon-tailed turkey! T-shirts, towels, and placemats will all be bright and festive with this fun decoration.
