How to Make An Appliqué

Applique 101. Easy to follow step by step in lots of details about all aspects of how to make an applique decoration.

Appliqués are shapes or letters with an adhesive on the backside so that they can be applied, using an iron, to everything from clothing, (think adorable initials on Children's coats, for example) to pillows, to tablecloths.

Making your own appliqués is a great, simple, project to do with children and is an easy, and affordable, way to create custom pillows, and decorations for any holiday.

To make appliqués you'll need fabric (I highly recommend 100% wool felt, and cotton flannel), paper scissors, fabric scissors, embroidery scissors, a marking pen, pins, paper and a fusible web like Pellon “Wonder-Under”.

Applique 101 - Everything you Need to Know to Make Your Own Adhesive Shapes and Letters

If you want to create text, you can either draw your letters or print them out. You will have to be cutting these out, so a large, block, text is going to work much better than a narrow, scroll text.

Applique 101 - Everything you Need to Know to Make Your Own Adhesive Shapes and Letters

Additionally, if you're going to be making an appliqué of a shape (bird, snowflake, heart, easter egg, etc.) remember that you only need to draw the outline. Details (wings, eyes, etc.) will have to be drawn, sewn, or embroidered on later

After you've printed or drawn them, cut out your shapes or letters.

Applique 101 - Everything you Need to Know to Make Your Own Adhesive Shapes and Letters

Iron your fabric out smooth.

Applique 101 - Everything you Need to Know to Make Your Own Adhesive Shapes and Letters

You can read the instructions on the adhesive if you'd like. They'll be similar to what I'm about to tell you.

Applique 101 - Everything you Need to Know to Make Your Own Adhesive Shapes and Letters

Take a minute to examine your adhesive. You'll notice that one side is smooth and feels like parchment paper. The other side is rough, and this is where the adhesive is located. In the picture below I have separated the adhesive web from the backing so that you can see it.

Applique 101 - Everything you Need to Know to Make Your Own Adhesive Shapes and Letters

Place the rough side of the adhesive onto the wrong side of your fabric. This leaves the right side of the fabric touching the ironing board, and the smooth, parchment paper (the backing), side of the adhesive facing up. Iron over the backing. Don't leave the iron too long in any one spot, but be sure that you cover the whole area of adhesive.

Applique 101 - Everything you Need to Know to Make Your Own Adhesive Shapes and Letters

In the picture below I've pulled the backing away from the adhesive so that you can see the adhesive web on the fabric. Don't pull the backing off. Leave it there and we'll remove it later.

Applique 101 - Everything you Need to Know to Make Your Own Adhesive Shapes and Letters

Place your paper template onto the fabric, backwards. The letter below is an “M”, but because we're working on the wrong side of the fabric, we have to make sure that we cut out mirrored images of what we want our finished product to look like.

Pin the shape onto the fabric, through the fabric, adhesive, and backing.

Applique 101 - Everything you Need to Know to Make Your Own Adhesive Shapes and Letters

Then trace along the shape with a marking pen.

Applique 101 - Everything you Need to Know to Make Your Own Adhesive Shapes and Letters

Remove the pins and the paper template.

Applique 101 - Everything you Need to Know to Make Your Own Adhesive Shapes and Letters

Carefully cut out along the lines you drew. For small spaces and holes, you'll want to use sharp embroidery scissors. Take your time and move slowly to avoid accidentally cutting through any part of your shape or text. The sharper your scissors are here, the easier this will go.

Applique 101 - Everything you Need to Know to Make Your Own Adhesive Shapes and Letters

Here is my letter “M” cut out from the fabric with the adhesive backing still intact.

Applique 101 - Everything you Need to Know to Make Your Own Adhesive Shapes and Letters

Now you can remove the backing from your shape. Carefully pull it off the entire shape, moving especially slowly around very narrow or thin places. You'll see the adhesive web on the backside.

Applique 101 - Everything you Need to Know to Make Your Own Adhesive Shapes and Letters

Applique 101 - Everything you Need to Know to Make Your Own Adhesive Shapes and Letters

The backside, or adhesive side, of my letter “M”.

Applique 101 - Everything you Need to Know to Make Your Own Adhesive Shapes and Letters

The front side, or fabric side, of my letter “M”.

Applique 101 - Everything you Need to Know to Make Your Own Adhesive Shapes and Letters

Measure and mark where you'd like your appliqué. Place the appliqué adhesive side down onto your pillow, collar, tablecloth, curtain, apron, etc. and pin it in place. Iron over the entire appliqué, being sure that it doesn't fold or move.

Applique 101 - Everything you Need to Know to Make Your Own Adhesive Shapes and Letters

Applique 101 - Everything you Need to Know to Make Your Own Adhesive Shapes and Letters
Ta da! You have just made a darling appliqué. Good work! To go the extra mile, I recommend hand embroidering around the entire appliqué. If you have a machine that has embroidery stitches, you could certainly use that as well. You could also apply ric-rac or trim around the appliqué for an extra cute vintage touch.

Applique 101 - Everything you Need to Know to Make Your Own Adhesive Shapes and Letters

Now what to do with your darling appliqués? To learn how to make a darling, envelope style pillow sham check out my tutorial here.

Applique 101 - Everything you Need to Know to Make Your Own Adhesive Shapes and Letters

Applique 101 - Everything you Need to Know to Make Your Own Adhesive Shapes and Letters


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Hannah Mansfield is the proud owner Palindrome Dry Goods. She is an avid collector of vintage patterns, buttons and all things orange. Originally from beautiful Northern California, she now resides in West Virginia with her husband to be.

 

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Lorem Ipsum

Thank you for the clear instructions. Those are cute pillows. ?

vivoaks
vivoaks

Never thought to do it with words!! Brilliant!! Thanks!!

Barbara Female Steele
Barbara Female Steele

Love it and I will be doing a applique today on 2 pillow cases

Jolie Zeller
Jolie Zeller

Q I just want to thank you both for all your work making this such a wonderful resource website. It is great to find such clear instructions, laced through out with patience and foresight for the very beginner to an accomplished sewer. I have been sewing ever since I was a girl (50 years!) and have made many different projects but I’ve still found your blog so helpful. For instance, though I’m fairly computer savvy the instructions for printing a pdf pattern have been really handy since I’ve always had the preprinted patterns. I’ve been away from sewing much due to illness but am encouraged to dive back in with your updated methods! Best wishes to all who are part of your worthy endeavor to demystify sewing:)

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[…] to clothing in their current size, or you can cut shapes out of scrap cloth to make your own appliques from […]

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[…] a complete tutorial on How to Make An Appliqué, please check out this […]

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[…] so that the right side of the background fabric is facing up on your ironing surface. Arrange your appliques on the fabric (glue side down) making sure to keep them at least 3/4 inch away from each edge. Your […]