Appliques are fun; they add pizzaz to your garments and accessories. This article provides an outline to help you add appliques to your garments.
Steps
- Gather supplies. Use stiff scrap fabrics, such as cotton. Use matching or contrasting thread.
- Design an applique. Search for shapes online or freely draw a desired shape.
- Trace or draw your shape onto a piece of paper. Cut it out for use as a pattern.
- Pin your applique pattern to the right side of your fabric. Place common pins along the edges of the pattern to hold it in place.
- Cut the fabric around the edges of your pattern and remove the applique.
- Cut iron-on interfacing into the same shape as your applique.
- Iron the interfacing to the wrong side of the applique. This will add more support to the fabric.
- Align and pin the applique onto your garment or accessory. Try your garment on, if possible, to ensure proper placement.
- Using a straight stitch, carefully stitch the applique onto your garment or accessory. Place the stitch close to the edge of the applique.
- Using a tight zig zag stitch, stitch over the straight stitching, encasing the raw edges of the applique.
- Trim away any tiny frays of fabric that may have formed around the zig zag stitching. If you accidentally cut the stitching, the next step will help to mend it.
- Add a wider zig zag stitch over the previous zig zag stitch.
Tips
- Layer two or three appliques of different shapes and sizes.
- Create a collage of appliqued fabrics into a scene for a decorative mat or quilt.
- Use an applique to cover a stain or hole.
- Use a seam ripper to remove an applique.
Things You'll Need
- Pencil
- Paper
- Garment or accessory
- Fabric
- Scissors
- Iron-on interfacing
- Thread
- Common pins
- Iron
- Sewing machine
