Things You'll Need:
- Applique Pattern
- Variety of scrap material
- Fusible Web
- Quilter's pins
- Scissors
- Iron
- Sewing machine
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Step 1
Choose a background fabric that is solid or has a fine print. Cotton fabric is the easiest to work with. Most quilters prefer to work with 100% cotton fabric. Be sure to wash and dry your material first to minimize shrinkage in the completed project. Using material that has not been preshrunk by laundering may cause individual pieces to shrink or stretch out of shape when the project is washed. This will create a very unattractive applique that buckles or ripples defeating all your hard work.
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Step 2
Locate an applique pattern. If you are new to applique, choose a pattern that has a few large pieces. You may even want to begin with an applique that is one large piece.
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Step 3
Pick an applique pattern that has rounded or square edges. Remember the more intricate the pattern the more difficult it is to sew around the edges. Once you have gained experience, you can move up to more complicated patterns.
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Step 4
Look in coloring books for big patterns that are easy to piece together. Coloring books come in a variety of styles and generally have a theme. These are especially helpful when you are looking for bold animal prints, flowers, wildlife, and nature. You can also purchase coloring books in a variety of popular characters like, Disney, Cartoons, or Mother Goose. Simply photo copy the images and create your own pattern.
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Step 5
Review children's picture books for pictures you can use as a pattern. You may be surprised at the wealth of quality images in children's books.
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Step 6
Trace the pattern pieces on your material with a fabric pencil. These lines will not show as you will be cutting your pieces on the inside of the lines.
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Step 7
Cut out the fabric pieces with a sharp pair of sewing scissors. You do not need to leave a seam allowance. You may wish to leave a small section for pieces that will overlap. If you do so, be sure to mark it very clearly on the piece.
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Step 8
Trace the outline of the image onto fusible web. Using a warm iron, fuse the web to the back of the material and set aside until all your pieces are ready for applique.
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Step 9
Arrange the pieces on your background material and pin in place until you get the look you desire.
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Step 10
Remove the paper backing on the applique piece and lay it in place on the background fabric. Using a warm iron, fuse the piece in place. Repeat with all of the applique pieces. Remember to work from the background to the foreground as you fuse your pieces together.
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Step 11
Choose thread that contrasts with the color of material you have chosen. Black thread will work well for almost any piece. If this is your first applique, I recommend you begin with black thread. As you gain experience, there will be plenty of time to experiment with other colors.
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Step 12
Sew the edges of the applique design to the background using a sewing machine. You don't need fancy stitches, a regular zig zag stitch will work fine. If your sewing machine has other stitches available, by all means, choose one you like and try it out. Adjust the length and width of the stitches to get the look that appeals to you. Try the stitch out on scrap material before trying to apply the applique.
