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    Home » Sewing

    Sparkly Lucky T-shirt; a Kids DIY Kentucky Derby T-Shirt

    Updated: Apr 20, 2021 by Melissa Mortenson · This post may contain affiliate links · This blog generates income via ads · 5 Comments

    It’s Spring here in Kentucky… which means one thing… Derby!! This also means it’s time to make my kids their own Kentucky Derby T-Shirt!

    DIY Kids Kentucky Derby Applique Shirt

    Anyone who has seen the movie Secretariat this year probably has heard a little bit about the “most exciting 2 minutes in sports.”  Well, it’s a pretty big deal here!  The Kentucky Derby is the first Saturday in May, and every year the city rolls out the welcome mat for all of our out-of-town visitors.  Locals celebrate, too, with lots of fun events in the weeks leading up to Derby.

    DIY Girls Kentucky Derby T-Shirts

    Last year I made a jockey silks table runner celebrate Derby (you can see it here)… This year I decided to take the same jockey silks applique that I drew for the runner and put it on a t-shirt for my daughter.

    If you want to make a similar t-shirt, you can download the applique pattern here; print it out at 75% of full size.

    But it still needed a little somethin’

    So I added some rhinestones to the jockey’s shirt and the word LUCKY- in pink rhinestones!

    How to Make the T-Shirts

    Supplies

    • T-Shirt
    • Jockey Applique Pattern (download here)
    • Fabric for Applique
    • Heat N Bond Lite

    If you want to add rhinestones need:

    • Rhinestone Kit
    • Magic Flock Stencil Template
    • Cricut EasyPress
    • An E-Cutting machine – like a Cricut or Silhouette

    Instructions

    Note: The product I used to create my original t-shirt is no longer available. I’m revising the orginal tutorial to include directions to create the shirts using readily available products.

    Step One: Create the Applique

    Download the Jockey Silks template and trace it onto the paper side of Heat n bond lite.

    Note: you may want to resize the template smaller or larger depending on the size t-shirt you are making. You can easily do this in Adobe Acrobat; change your “page scaling” up or down a percentage.

    DIY Pocket Tee for the 4th of July - includes templates for the pocket and outline of the USA

    (photos are from another project, the steps are exactly the same)

    Cut it out loosely. Iron it onto the wrong side of your fabric. Cut it out precisely.

    DIY Pocket Tee for the 4th of July - includes templates for the pocket and outline of the USA

    If you need help adding fabric appliques to a t-shirt, be sure to check out this post which has more precise directions.

    Peel off the paper backing and iron onto your thsirt in the desired location. On you sewing machine stitch around the outisde of the applique with a striaght stitch.

    Step Two: Add the Rhinestones

    You do not need to add the rhinestones.

    Using your Cricut machine, cut out the template for the rhinestones. There is a FULL tutorial on YouTube which outlines all the steps in this process. This video will walk you through the steps to create the word templates for the rhinestones.

    This video will walk you through the steps to actually adhere the rhinestones.

    You just cut out your template and, using the tools provided, attach the rhinestones to your item.  You then use an iron to adhere them down. I was even able to attach some extra rhinestones to the jockey silks.

    That’s it!

    More Fun Derby Craft Ideas

    How to Make Pillow Wraps

    Paper Flower Derby Wreath

    Horse Applique Pillow Pattern

    More Projects You May Enjoy

    • girl throwing giant pillow outdoors
      DIY Giant Floor Pillow Pattern
    • two brightly colored pillows with jockey silk applique on gray chair
      DIY Derby Jockey Silks Pillows
    • collage image with minky fabric and baby blanket
      How to Sew with Minky Fabric: Easy Tips for a Beginner
    • pink patchwork pincushion on gingham paper with sewing notions
      Charming Patchwork Pincushion Tutorial

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    About Author

    Melissa Mortenson

    Melissa Mortenson is a blogger, designer, and content creator. She is the Polka Dot Chair blog founder and has been sharing fresh and creative ideas with readers since 2008. She is the author of “Project Teen, Handmade Gifts your Teen will Actually Love.” Her work and designs have been featured on HuffPost, TODAY, Pioneer Woman, HGTV, BuzzFeed, Better Homes & Gardens, and many other established publications. Her first fabric line, “Derby Style,” debuted in January 2015 through Riley Blake Designs.  Additional fabric collections have followed it in subsequent years. A mom of 3, she considers herself lucky to be living in Kentucky.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Lori says

      April 21, 2011 at 5:34 pm

      Really cute Melissa! Love it! I love Derby and miss it!

      Reply
    2. Brenda says

      April 21, 2011 at 8:48 pm

      what fun! Super cute! I love that movie! Have fun!

      Reply
    3. CBH says

      April 22, 2011 at 9:42 am

      Thank you so much for this post. I want to let you know that I posted a link to your blog in CBH Digital Scrapbooking Freebies, under the Page 5 post on Apr. 22, 2011. Thanks again.

      Reply
    4. Rachel says

      April 22, 2011 at 10:06 am

      I love the silks shirt! I think I’m going to have to make some for my kids.

      Reply
    5. Brandi says

      April 22, 2011 at 10:08 am

      I love this shirt! So adorable~

      Reply

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    I’m Melissa. I like to design things, like fabric, printables, and projects.

    I’m also a Mom and a Maker. I am like most of you, just trying to do my best every day. Some days I succeed, many days I fail.  I find joy in creating, if you do too, then I hope that you find something here bring a little “happy” to your life.  Find out more about me here.

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