Trapunto embroidery is a centuries-old crafting style where bits of fabric are raised with batting. By using specially-digitized designs (Trapunto designs) and placing batting between the fabric and the stabilizer, you can bring this technique to any embroidery project.

Trapunto work, often used in quilting, features running stitches sewn through fabric, batting, and stabilizer. Its "puffed" negative spaces form a high relief design that makes a big visual impact. 

For this project, we'll embroider a Trapunto floral circle in the center of a tee-shirt, and a coordinating square on either side.

Supplies needed:

• A heavy knit T-shirt or tank top, or sweatshirt

• A piece of 1/4-  to 3/8- inch thick batting, large enough to hoop

• Cut-away stabilizer

• Spray adhesive

Embroidery Designs from Embroidery Library:

• Trapunto Designs

Marking the layout
Lay the shirt out on a flat surface, front side up. With masking tape or air-erase pen, mark a horizontal line between the bottom point of the sleeves.  Find the center of the horizontal line, and mark a small cross at the center point. This will be the center of the middle design. 
 

Hooping
Turn the shirt inside out, and lightly spray one side of the batting piece with spray adhesive. Lay the batting, with the adhesive side down, onto the wrong side of the area to be embroidered. 

Lightly spray one side of the stabilizer with spray adhesive and lay the adhesive side onto the batting. Smooth the layers, so that there are no wrinkles.

Turn the shirt right side out, keeping the layers in place.

Hoop all three layers (shirt, batting, and stabilizer), lining up the marked horizontal line with the center markings on the sides of the inner hoop.