Applique Motifs, a How to & Why Not!

Summer is just around the corner and my little girl can rock an applique T-shirt with jeans! Here’s just a couple from her wardrobe. The strawberry one was completely created by me and she wore it a few years ago and is now a useful teaching aid in The Sewing Shed. The pineapple one is a recent up-cycle from a much loved out grown t-shirt now gracing one for this season. Both base t-shirts were purchased from the children range at Asda. 

How to? Successful applique depends upon really good adhesion to the base layer as a temporary measure to keep it in place whilst it is sewn. The strawberry motif was drawn onto applique paper, roughly cut out and then heat sealed using the iron onto the wrong side of the strawberry fabric. Novice applique artists, and those observant ones amongst you will notice that the strawberry is symmetrical, this makes it easier as in the process of making the applique motif the design is flipped, so if you use an a-symmetric design you need to draw it back to front onto the paper. Once the paper has been stuck with the iron you can trim to the exact shape that is required. The backing paper, which peels away to feel like tracing paper, will leave a glue residue on the fabric which when heat is applied with the iron will stick in place. The green stalk was created in the same way and overlaid the strawberry.

The pineapple one because it made of sequins and cannot transfer heat well so this was held in place with carefully cut pieces of bond-a-web and heat applied through the t-shirt.

Both motifs sewn with matching colour thread, changing to green for the stalks.Changing the colour thread has really helped to give it a professional finish.

April 27, 2017