How cute is this embroidered favorite things shirt?! I had so much fun making it, customizing it with all my favorite things down to every last thread color and placement. It’s one of a kind and nothing beats when someone asks you where you got something and you can respond with a “Thanks! I made it!”. A great conversation starter piece.
Besides the finished product being something that I will cherish for years to come, I’ve found embroidery to be such a therapeutic, phone-free (!!) hobby. Even though this shirt took me weeks to complete (read: lots and lots of naptimes), I really enjoyed the process of making it.
I’ve gotten several questions on TikTok, etc., about the shirt, and am going to try and answer them all here in case you’re interested in making your own favorite things shirt!
Where Did You Get the Icons?
I found all of my icons on Etsy. Honestly, finding the right icons took maybe just as long as embroidering the shirt. It was a lot of searching and combing through listings to find embroidery designs in the right file format and size.
All of my icons were between 1 and 1.5″ on my shirt.
Get links to all of the exact icons I used on Etsy here.
I used Embrilliance Essentials to size/resize/send my files to my embroidery machine. Note that the free version of Embrilliance does not support importing/sizing/resizing image icons.
What Kind of Embroidery Machine Did You Use?
I used my Brother PE900. I have nothing but great things to say about this machine and think the 5×7″ hoop size is perfect for the price. Any bigger, and the price goes up significantly (but a smaller hoop isn’t going to save you that much money).
What Kind of Shirt Works Best for Embroidery?
The best shirts for embroidery are made of stable, tightly woven fabrics like 100% cotton. I used this button down from Quince and would recommend it for several reasons. It’s 100% cotton, washes and holds up well, has a great fit, and the weight works really well for embroidery. I also like that it’s not see-through, so you’re not seeing the stabilizer through the back. Because there is no stretch, I didn’t have any puckering.
What Kind of Stabilizer Should I Use?
I used a thicker cut-away stabilizer for the project because I didn’t want to risk any puckering after washing and drying the shirt. The small pieces of stabilizer on the inside don’t bother me since it’s not a tight-fitting shirt, but if you’re concerned about the stitching or stabilizer feeling scratchy, I’ve used Sulky’s Tender Touch in past projects. It’s basically like ironing on a softer patch of fabric over the design on the inside of your shirt (I use it when I embroider baby clothes!).
Do You Sell Favorite Things Shirts?
I do not! While I wish I could, I simply do not have the time, however I did find a creator who does sell them on her website here.
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