Embroider Kids Names on a Sleeve: DIY Gift Idea for Mom & Grandma
Have you seen the adorable mom and grandma sweatshirts with the kids’ names on the sleeve? Personalized sweatshirts are so adorable and make a heartfelt gift for moms and grandmas to cherish.
Today, I am going to teach you how to make one of these special sweatshirt keepsakes by hand with only two beginner embroidery stitches.
Supplies Guide:
- Plain sweatshirt in the size and color of your choice (Visit my Amazon Storefront for my favorite adult sweatshirts)
- DMC embroidery thread
- Embroidery needle (Size 5)
- Personalized water-soluble embroidery pattern (available in my shop)
- Scissors
Step 1: Preparing Your Project
First, you will need to get a personalized pattern or draw/print your own on self-adhesive water-soluble stabilizer. This will help you transfer the design onto your sweatshirt accurately and stabilize your stitches along the way.
Once you have your patterns, you are going to decide where you’d like to place the collar pattern and the kids’ names on the sleeve.
For this project, you are going to place the name of the recipient on the right side of the sweatshirt collar. For the kids names and heart, you will place the pattern on the side of the right or left sleeve of the sweatshirt.
Step 2: Stitching the Collar
Before you start stitching, you will thread your needle and tied a knot at the end of one side of the strand of thread.
Then, you will start stitching the collar of the sweatshirt in Chain Stitch with 6 strands of DMC embroidery thread in your chosen color.
Step 3: Stitching the Kids’ Names on the Sleeve
For the kids names you will embroider in chain stitch using only 3 strands of DMC embroidery thread. This is because the kids names will be smaller than the collar.
Start from the top of the sleeve and continue down the sleeve, embroidering each name using the chain stitch. After each name, make sure to tie off your thread before you move to the next name and then start your chain stitch again. This gives a delicate and detailed finish.
Step 4: Adding the Heart
To add a special finish to the sleeve, you will first outline the heart with chain stitch using 3 strands of thread. Once the heart is outlined, you will use long and short stitch to fill in the heart.
Step 5: Washing Off the Pattern
Rinse the sweatshirt under running water for 3-5 minutes using a mild dish soap. Carefully work your fingers over the embroidery to remove any stabilizer stuck underneath the embroidery stitches. Make sure every part of the embroidery is thoroughly rinsed to remove all traces of the stabilizer.
You can either air dry the sweater or run it through your normal laundry cycle. My personal preference is laundry because clothing will be washed anyways.
For a more detailed PDF Pattern with step-by-step pictures for this project, visit my Etsy shop here.
A YouTube tutorial for stitching a collar of clothing can be found here.
TAG ME on social media at Stitchin With Samantha if you try this project!
This personalized sweatshirt makes a wonderful gift for Christmas, Mother’s Day, birthdays, or just because! The love and effort put into each stitch will make it a treasured piece in any mom or grandma’s wardrobe.
Don’t forget to check out my personalized patterns and other embroidery supplies available at Stitchin With Samantha on Etsy to make your project easier.
Happy stitching!