Spice Up Your Wardrobe With Floral Flair

Tee Rosettes by Nancy Zieman

Floral prints are one of this spring's hot fashion trends.  From dresses, shirts and - yes - even pants, the runways and store racks alike seem to be in bloom with the trend.

But before we head out shopping, why not update our existing wardrobe with some sweet floral flair? These Tee Rosettes from designer Nancy Zieman's book Sew Knits With Confidence can be made in a jiffy using any leftover knit fabric, and are perfect for embellishing a T-shirt or accessory. 

All you need to make a set are some bias strips of knit fabric, a pinking or scalloping rotary blade and gathering tape. The hardest part will be deciding where to put them!

Figure 1

1. Cut bias strips. 

Cut one bias strip each of the following widths: 3/4-inch (19mm), 1-inch (25mm) and 1-1/2-inch (38mm) long for three differently sized rosettes, as shown in Figure 1.

Subcut the strips in 7- to 8-inch (18cm to 20cm) lengths for each rosette.
Trim one edge of each strip with a pinking or scalloping rotary blade.

2. Add gathering tape (such as Clover's Fuse 'n Gather tape) to each bias strip for gathering the rosettes.

Cut a 9-inch (23cm) strip of tape for each rosette.

Press the tape to the wrong side of each bias strip with blue threads right side up, aligning one long edge to the edge of the fabric strip. Extend the tape 1/2-inch (13mm) beyond each bias strip on the short edges.

Pull the blue threads out of the tape 1/4-inch (6mm) from each end of the bias strip.

Carefully trim the excess tape from each edge, being careful not to trim the threads.

Figure 2

3. Complete the rosette.

Stitch the strip into a circle, meeting short ends and taking a 1/4-inch (6mm) seam (Fig. 2). Be careful not to catch the blue thread ends of the gathering tape in the seam.

Secure the threads around a pin at one edge of the tape. Pull the free ends of the blue threads on the opposite edge to gather the fabric.

Using the threads from the gathering tape, hand stitch the embellishment into a rosette. If gathering threads aren't long enough, use matching thread and a hand stitching needle.

Hand stitch the tee rosettes to the neckline of a knit top, as shown, or embellish a headband, purse or other project with these dainty blooms.

Wasn't that easy? If you're ready to take on another project, try one of Nancy's new patterns designed for knit fabrics available in our online store. From her Santa Fe Dress and Cape Cod Jacket to her Monterey Knit Collection and Newport Pullover, Nancy has mastered the art of creating essential women's clothing pieces that are stylish to boot. 

Happy Crafting,
Shannon Miller
Editor, Stitch Craft Create