How to Applique on a Crocheted Afghan
The stitches that make crochet famous are too fancy, especially with lacy spaces or raised ridges, bobbles and popcorns, to support most kinds of appliques. The few fine-grained, tighter crocheted fabrics are fairly boring to work to afghan size. An attractive afghan might, however, assemble a patchwork of pattern-stitched and appliqued squares.
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Things You'll Need
- Crocheted flowers or motifs
- Tapestry needle
- Pocket patches
- Threaded sewing machine
- Wool felt shapes
- Threaded hand-sewing needle
Instructions
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Create interest on a plain fabric and display the beauty of traditional crocheted flowers, animals and motifs. Attach the yarn for the applique to the ground fabric as you start and at other points such as the ends of leaves and petals, using a slip stitch and work the applique directly on the ground. For an applique motif that starts from a long chain, such as a stem, chain-stitch embroider the stem, and work from it as if it were a crocheted chain. For other crocheted objects or motifs, attach them using the same or a compatible yarn drawn around the loops of the applique and the ground by a tapestry needle or crochet hook.
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Secure knitted or sewn pockets on a fine, even ground with machine top-stitching. Prepare raw edges by turning under hems once on the sides where the pocket will be attached to the afghan and twice on the side that will be left open. Stitch around at an even distance from the edge of the applique. Consider using thread to match the color of the afghan and contrast with the pocket to do the top-stitching.
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Cut shapes for traditional quilt patterns and appliqued squares, such as the sunbonnet babies, from felted wool, and hand sew them to the afghan. Make sure each stitch wraps around a loop of the afghan's yarn. Match the edges of adjacent shapes closely, or overlap them slightly, but do not sew them to each other before placing them on the afghan -- they will hold better if each piece is attached to the afghan around all of its edges. Add decorative stitches later to imitate the quilting stitches, but these can run just through the appliques.
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Tips & Warnings
A fine-grained, tight and even stitch, such as half-double crochet or Tunisian crochet — also known as Afghan stitch — makes the easiest ground on which to applique. This is especially so when you're adding large pieces of woven and cut fabrics.
Use compatible fibers for the ground and appliques, particularly regarding cleaning the afghan.
Do not sew on buttons, googly eyes or other objects that might become choking hazards on a baby's afghan. Add these items only if they can be threaded onto the yarn as the afghan is crocheted.
Craft felt will not hold up to any method of cleaning an afghan. Use only woolen felt, and preferably that made from knitted or woven fabrics. Needle felting has regained popularity, and already felted shapes are available in craft stores.
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