Faux Embroidery Using Fabric Markers

Sew Much Love Mary
by Sew Much Love Mary



Time for Craft Challenge again! This month I grabbed my fabric markers from my stash. I bought them back in April and hadn't used them. Lately, I've been seeing some cute embroidered tops and I remembered I had this one in my closet. I got it in Mexico back in 2007 (10 years ago!?). I wanted to update the style to make it trendier, and this was the perfect chance to do so. Below I show you what I did to make this top trendier and how I used fabric markers to do "faux embroidery."



STEPS



1. I cut off a piece at the hem. It was too long and "box" like.



2. After cutting a chunk off, I drew on my "embroidered" design. The possibilities are endless! This was really fun. Then, I hemmed the bottom.



3. Close up of my "embroidery." And, to make this little top more colorful, I sewed on some pom-pom trim to the sleeves. 



4. Since the silhouette was still too "box" like, I sewed some elastic to the bottom.



5. Elastic sewn in. 



TA DA!



Now, check out what the other participants of the Craft Challenge are creating this summer:



A Pop of Red

Make Something Mondays

Eclectic Soapbox

Shift Mama

The Art in Martha

Social Stampers

Thimble & Twig

Lumina Spirit

The author may collect a small share of sales from the links on this page.

Sew Much Love Mary
Want more details about this and other fashion and style ideas? Check out more here!
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  • Annette Annette on Feb 15, 2021

    I have used fabric markers before and did not like the way they faded when washed. I have never used this brand marker so I am wondering if you found them as brilliant after washing and were there any other steps pre or post design? (OK so after rereading the article, I see that you started with an embroidered top from Mexico as your "base".) This makes more sense as the colors there are much brighter.

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    • Karen Little Karen Little on Mar 17, 2021

      Did you heat set your markers after drawing on the fabric? Also, if the garment had been dried in the dryer with "Dryer Sheet Softeners" or if you used liquid softener in the washer, the fabric paints will not last -- the softener leaves a "coating" (I can't think of the right word at the moment, sorry) and the fabric paint will not heat set. FYI: Heat setting means using your iron on the WRONG side of the fabric after it has been decorated -- it would be wise to leave it for at least a couple of hours after painting it before you heat set the paint.


  • Leslie Leslie on Feb 16, 2021

    Hi Mary this is adorable thank you for sharing. The "embroidery" you chose went well with the original design and really complimented it. PLUS, adding the little Pom Pom edging upgraded the whole look. Great job.

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