Wanna Make and Apply Your Own Applique...here's how!!!!!!!

February 22, 2011

Wanna Make and Apply Your Own Applique...here's how!!!!!!!

I have an awesome applique artist for one of my dear friends.....Ms. Sad!!! Ms. Sad is the cooolest chick She likes 80's music, and boho fashions!! I know that she is going to rock out when she sees that I am showing you her very own techniques for doing applique'. Please check out her blog if you want to see some really hip, eclectic applique that you have ever seen!!!!! You have not seen anything until you have seen this!

Okay....let's get to appliqueing!!!!!

The Materials that you will need are:

* single sided lightweight fusible interfacing

* clear plastic template sheet
* permanent marking pen (for tracing template)
* vanishing marking pen (to trace template onto applique)
* Applique fabric
* Glue stick
* tear-away pellon (optional, only recommended if using the satin stitch around the applique)

1) Resize applique pattern to desired size, if needed, meaning in a copier that can add or subtract in percentages.

2) Lay the clear plastic template sheet over the applique pattern and take your permanent marking pen to trace the pattern to create a template from the plastic.

3) Make sure you mark each template "Right side up".

4) Cut out the template from the plastic sheet.

5) Choose applique fabric. Cotton quilting fabrics work best, but felt, home decorator weight cottons, and even denim are great choices for appliques, too.

6) Iron any creases out of your applique fabric. Flip it over to the wrong side and iron on the single sided lightweight fusible interfacing. Make sure that the fusible side of the interfacing touches the wrong side of the applique fabric. Follow manufacturer's instructions to apply the interfacing.

7) With the right side of the applique fabric face down, take your plastic applique template and place it on the interfaced side of the fabric. Make sure that you place the template "right side up" face down on the interfacing so that you see the letters backwards.

8) Take your vanishing marking pen and trace around the edges of the template.

9) Cut out the applique pieces from the fabric.

10) Position applique pieces as desired on top of your skirt fabric.

11) Apply glue from the glue stick to the interfaced side of the applique pieces.

12) Adhere the applique pieces to the skirt fabric. Now you are ready to stitch down the applique to the skirt fabric.

13) You can use a straight stitch, denim stitch, small zigzag or even a satin stitch around the edges of the appliqued pieces. If you stitch using a satin stitch- place tear away pellon underneath your skirt fabric, as it will help you smoothly stitch around the applique.

14) Stitch around the applique edges- stitching at least 1/8" inside from the edge. Make sure to use the correct needle, tension, and thread.