no-sew monogram!

i've lived in the south for almost 20 of my 24 years, so of course i grew up with the concept that nice girls have all their possessions monogrammed. (why? i don't know) but it's definitely a big deal around here, especially through the high school and college years. i can't remember a single girl in high school that didn't have one of those sterling silver monogrammed rings (if you grew up in raleigh, you'll know exactly what i'm talking about!). another thing that was popular when i was in college at nc state was carrying an l.l. bean tote as your book bag. i, of course, got mine in nc state red and dutifully had it monogrammed.

before:


now when you fast forward a few years and get married, all these monograms become somewhat of an issue. the silver ring can be buffed down and re-monogrammed with your new initials, but what to do with the rest? you don't want to throw away a perfectly functional tote just because it has the wrong monogram! i even considered taking a red sharpie and drawing a little permanent line between the "d" to make it a "b" to reflect my new last name. then i got an ingenious idea from a great crafting blog to use heat n bond to make an applique! basically, you iron it onto the back of the fabric, cut out whatever shape you'd like, and iron it on!

after:


the heat n bond basically turns it into a big sticker you just stick on and iron- no sewing required! i think i'll use a little clear-drying washable fabric glue around the edges though to keep it from fraying (normally you would sew around the edges to prevent this). it's so easy now i'm wondering what other shapes i could make and what things i could "stick" them to!