Creative Tutorial: How To Embroider A Side Split Shirt – 87

The newest trend in machine embroidery definitely has to be these adorable side split designs that I am seeing everywhere 😍. It started with an applique bow side split and now I am seeing all kinds of cute designs available as side splits now. My friends at Applique Alley have some of the cutest designs around and lots of side split designs to offer now. One of my favorites is the Christmas Lights Side Split.

In this tutorial I will be showing you how to create this split effect from start to finish on a sweatshirt using a 5×7 hoop on my Brother Stellaire XJ2 but this project can be done on any machine including a PE800/PE900.

Supplies Needed for the Project

Here’s what you’ll need for this project:

• Christmas Lights Side Split Design
• Sweatshirt
• Wash away Stabilizer 
• Water Soluble Topper 
• Temporary Spray Adhesive 
• Pins or clips
• Applique Scissors 
• Organ 75/11 BP Needles 
• Precision Tweezers 
• Embroidery Thread 
• Thread Stand 
• Pre-wound Bobbin

Preparing the Design and Hooping

Now that we have our supplies ready, let’s prepare our design and hoop the sweatshirt.

Printing and Aligning the Design

Start by printing your design template, and make sure it shows the crosshairs. Lay your sweatshirt flat and line the template up with the side seam and the bottom edge of the shirt. Pin it in place so it doesn’t move.

Hooping the Sweatshirt

Fold your wash-away stabilizer in half so you have two layers. Lay it over the outer hoop, then press the inner hoop in with the arrows lined up. Tighten the hoop so the stabilizer is nice and tight.

Spraying and Pinning the Sweatshirt

Since we’re floating the sweatshirt on top of the hoop, spray the stabilizer with temporary spray adhesive. Don’t be shy, especially around the edges. This keeps the shirt from shifting while it stitches.

Now lay the sweatshirt on the hoop, using your printed template and the grid to line it up. Pin around the edges for extra hold.

Setting Up the Machine for Stitching

Load the design into your machine and attach the hoop. Before you stitch, check underneath that none of the sweatshirt is bunched up under the hoop. It’s really easy to stitch the back of the shirt to the front by accident.

Use your machine’s layout screen to move the needle until it lines up with the crosshairs on your template. If your machine has a laser guide, turn it on to make this easier. Take your time here. If the placement is off, the whole design will be off.

Stitching the Design

Now we can finally stitch! Thread your machine for the first step, which is a placement stitch. This line shows you where to cut the sweatshirt for the split.

Trimming the Sweatshirt

When the placement stitch is done, take the hoop off the machine (making sure to leave the shirt secure on the hoop) so you can cut the split.

Using your applique scissors, cut the sweatshirt close to the stitching line, being careful not to snip the stitches. Curved applique scissors make this so much easier because they let you get right up next to the stitches.

Tip: If you find the trimming process challenging, consider using a small pair of scissors with a curved blade for better precision. I love my tweezer applique snips!

Adding Water Soluble Topper

Before you stitch the satin, add a water-soluble topper. Sweatshirts have a lot of texture, and the topper keeps your stitches from sinking down into the fleece.

Placing the Topper

Cut a piece of topper a little bigger than your design and lay it over the hoop. Hold it in place with a few pins or a light spray of temporary adhesive.

Starting the Satin Stitch

Before you start the satin, take one more look at your cut edge. If anything sticks out past the stitching line, snip it now so the satin stitch covers it.

Then thread your satin stitch color and start stitching. The satin stitch covers the raw edge of the sweatshirt.

Decorative Bean Stitch and Fill Stitch

Next is a bean stitch that runs down the middle of the satin column. I used a contrasting color so it really stands out.

The last steps of the design are the colored light bulbs done in a fill stitch. You can alternate colors in any pattern you would like.

When the design is done stitching, gently tear away the extra topper. Any little bits left behind will dissolve the first time you wash it.

Final Steps: Cleanup and Finishing Touches

Take the sweatshirt out of the hoop and trim the wash-away stabilizer as close to the embroidery as you can without cutting any stitches.

Final Thread Trimming

Look over the front and back for any loose threads and trim them. For extra security, apply a small amount of fray check to the ends of the threads.

Removing the Wash Away Stabilizer from side split shirt

Soak the embroidered area in water to dissolve the stabilizer on the back. If you leave some behind, the embroidery can feel stiff, so I like to run the sweatshirt through a gentle wash too. Then dry it like you normally would.

Side Split Shirt With Embroidery is now ready

That’s it! Your side split sweatshirt is ready to wear or gift. If you are looking for other Christmas related tutorial you might want to know how we created these Christmas Tea Light Covers or these In the Hoop Christmas Tree Cake Earrings

On the front of my sweatshirt I used this Four Doodle Tree design

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