Make an Applique

Appliques are the perfect way to jazz up plain articles of clothing, or make old clothes into something fresh and fun. They can also be used to make personalized gifts like t-shirts, tote bags, or caps for friends or loved ones. You can make an applique out of any design you can think up, so the sky’s the limit! Read on to learn how to create and apply appliques.

Steps

Make the Applique

  1. Choose a design and fabric. If this is your first time making an applique, you may want to go with a simple design, like a heart, a star, or a bird - objects with clearly defined and recognizable silhouettes.
    • Do an online search for “applique designs” if you’d like to see a wide range of ideas that have worked for other crafters. If you find one you love, print it out so you can trace it later.
    • Keep in mind that you’ll be sewing around the edges of your applique when you apply it to your chosen article of clothing. Simpler geometric shapes will be easier to sew around than trees with many branches, or the skyline of a city. Go with what works for your skill level.
    • Think about what type of fabric fits both your design and the article you’ll be enhancing with your applique. Make a choice based on color and style. Fabrics made of light cotton or muslin work well.
    • If you’re feeling bold, choose a multi-layered design and more than one fabric. For example, you could create a black bird with red-tipped wings, or a white crescent moon with a yellow star.
  2. Draw or trace your design on a piece of paper. You’ll be using your drawing as a pattern, so take a pencil and use clear, thick strokes that are easy to cut out. When your design is finished, carefully cut it out using a pair of scissors.
    • If your design includes letters or another asymmetrical shape that should be pointing in a certain direction, draw or trace its mirror image onto the paper. The shapes will be pointing in the correct direction on your finished piece.
  3. Trace your pattern onto iron-on interfacing, or fusible webbing. Make sure you trace on smooth side of the iron-on interfacing, since the side with glue is more difficult to work with. When you’re finished tracing your design, cut it out of the interfacing using a pair of scissors.
    • For this step, it’s important to use a fabric pen or a different pen with ink that won’t bleed to prevent getting spots and stains on your finished piece.
    • Iron-on interfacing is available at fabric stores. Try to find one with paper backing that can be peeled away - this will help when it comes time to attach your applique to your article of clothing.
  4. Iron the interfacing onto the “wrong” side of your fabric. Turn the fabric over so that the right side is facing down. Place your iron-on interfacing cutouts glue side down on the fabric and carefully run an iron set on the “silk” setting over them until they are fused with the fabric.
    • Make sure the steam setting on your iron is off, since the moisture might affect the shape of your interfacing.
  5. Use a pair of fabric scissors to cut your design out of the fabric. Your applique is now ready to be attached to your piece.

Attach the Applique

  1. Prepare the underlying fabric for the applique. Make sure the underlying fabric is clean and pressed. If you’re working with cotton or another shrinkable fabric, run it through the washer and dryer in preparation for the applique.
  2. Position the applique on the underlying fabric. Do you want your applique to be centered, or offset? Try different arrangements to figure out what effect you like best.
    • If your iron-on interfacing has a removable paper backing, go ahead and remove the paper and stick your design where you want it to go on the fabric.
    • If your iron-on interfacing does not have adhesive backing, position your design and use a few straight pins to keep it in place.
    • Make sure your design and the underlying fabric are flat and free of wrinkles.
  3. Sew the applique to the underlying fabric. Use a sewing machine to stitch around the perimeter of your design, gently guiding the fabric through the machine and pivoting when you come to a corner.
    • When you’ve stitched around the entire perimeter, stitch a few centimeters over the place where you started, then do a backstitch to finish it off. Turn the fabric over and clip the threads.
    • The settings on your sewing machine determine the length and width of your stitches. Use bigger or smaller stitches depending on what you want the finished piece to look like.
    • If you have more than one piece in your applique, stitch the bottom layer first, then position and stitch the second layer, and so on. Consider using contrasting threads for the different layers and fabrics.
  4. Tidy up the finished piece. Trim loose threads from the back of the applique. Iron the shirt, bag, or blanket you just appliqued for the finishing touch.
    • Consider adding a few decorative touches, such as buttons, bows, or sequins.
  5. Finished.



Tips

  • The fabric you choose for your applique should not be heavier than the underlying fabric.
  • Appliques are handy for covering holes or stains in old clothes.
  • If you don’t own a sewing machine, you can still attach an applique. Check out How to Sew on a Patch on a Uniform for instructions on how to sew on an applique by hand.
  • Before you wash your finished piece, make sure you know the washing instructions for the applique fabric as well as the underlying fabric.

Things You'll Need

  • Paper
  • Pencil
  • Fabric Scissors
  • Fabric pen
  • Iron-on interfacing/fusible webbing
  • Iron
  • Applique fabric
  • Underlying fabric (a t-shirt, a tote bag, a blanket, etc.)
  • A sewing machine or a needle and thread
  • Straight pins

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