I am one of those people who want to just jump right in to a project. I don’t really like all the prep work. For example: when painting, it is SO hard for me to take the time to tape things off, protect the carpet, whatever preparatory steps you need to take. I just want to start PAINTING!

Applique is kind of like painting. There are a LOT of preparatory steps you need to take before you just start sewing. It can be tedious, repetitive and you can get frustrated because you just want to start sewing, but believe me when I say that the prep work is VERY important for a good outcome.

And if I can do it, I KNOW you can!!

Template Applique Tutorial

Supplies:

Freezer Paper
Cereal box cardboard
Spray Starch & inexpensive small paintbrush
Straw/Milliners needles (size 10 or 11)
High Quality threads – 50 weight cotton

Here is a picture of my favorite needles and my FAVORITE thread for applique because it is so easy to match your fabric to the thread colors in the donut. We carry both items in the store:

For our October Saturday Sampler we needed to applique our Stack, Cut, and Sew Stars onto a four patch square so that is what I am demonstrating the technique on. As far as applique goes, this is a pretty simple demonstration (a circle). Obviously they can be MUCH more complex.

Step One

Begin by tracing the applique shapes onto freezer paper. Trace as accurately as possible. For my shape I was tracing a circle, about 5 1/2 inches in diameter.

Cut your shape out a little bit outside the traced line. You can cut sloppy at this point. Leave about 1/8″ outside of the traced line.

Step Two

Iron the traced shapes on to the brown side of your cardboard. You don’t need to iron heavily – just get the paper to stick to the cardboard. You want to be able to pull the paper off.

Step Three

Cut out the shapes on the traced line. Cut as neatly and smoothly as possible. This is important because if you have a bump along the edge of your cardboard, when you press your fabric you will have a bump. So take your time!

Step Four

Gently peel the freezer paper off the cardboard. Try to keep the freezer paper from tearing (you will use it in the next step).

Step Five

Take your piece of applique fabric (I took a stack, cut and sew star that I had already made). Press the freezer paper that you took off your cardboard to the right side of your fabric – be sure that it is centered. Cut out around the shape, adding a 1/4″ seam allowance around all the edges. Peel the freezer paper after the shape is cut. You can reuse the freezer paper several times if needed.

Step Six

Baste a large stitch around the very edge of your shape.  Once you have a stitch that runs all the way around your shape, center your cardboard (printed side of the cardboard up) inside your shape and inside your basted stitches. Make sure that your cardboard is centered, or where you want it to be. Pull the thread tight. This should gather your fabric around your cardboard and give your shape nice, crisp edges.

Step Seven

Spray your starch into the lid or small container and let it sit for a few minutes. As it sits it will liquefy to the right consistency.

Paint your basted edges on the back of your shape with the spray starch.

Step Eight

Press the pulled seams over the edge of the cardboard. Be sure that the fabric is pulled tight and there are no funny bumps or irregularities. Clip inside corners and don’t clip any outside curves (if these apply to your shape!).  Turn the piece over and press again with the cardboard still inside.

Step Nine

After your piece has cooled, gently pull your cardboard out. Pull your basted stitch out as well.

Step Ten

Pin your shape onto your desired background. Be careful to center it and keep your 1/4″ seam tucked under.

Step Eleven

Guess what? Your prep work is done! You are finally read to sew.

Applique using a tiny stitch. Think 1/8″ size stitches. Using thread that matches your applique piece really helps to hide your stitches.

You want to come up through both your background and applique shape on the very edge of your applique shape.

Pull the needle directly down through the background fabric as close to where the thread comes up through the applique shape as you can. Then, push the needle back up on the edge of the applique shape 1/8″ or closer away.

Repeat all the way around your shape.

After you are finished appliqueing press your piece from the back.

And there you have it!!

Have fun appliqueing!!