Appliqué for Dummies — Written by one.

Let’s start by clearing the air — I am not an appliqué expert! In fact I am writing this post while learning appliqué for the first time, and wanted to share my journey. In the past, I’ve avoided appliqué because there are so many different approaches to the technique that I didn't know where to start. I am hoping this blog post can provide a brief overview of the different methods, so appliqué doesn’t feel quite so scary. But why am I learning now? Well, I designed the Cupcake Mini Block pattern for the March 12 Minis in 12 Months bundle, and realized the best way to create the desired 3D effect was to utilize appliqué. It became clear that if I was going to write a pattern requiring appliqué, I should probably do a little research first. So I’m breaking down a couple simple techniques to start familiarizing ourselves with appliqué. If you have more experience with appliqué, I would love to hear your tips, tricks and thoughts in the comments!

Cupcake Mini Block

Let’s start with materials before we move on to technique. Not all of these items are necessary, but they can be helpful to make appliqué more enjoyable. (Disclaimer: some of these links are Amazon affiliates, but all are items I have purchased and use myself.)

• Needles - needle size depends on thread selection, but these applique needles were recommended to me.

• Pretty Snips - I have these embroidery scissors and love them.

• Sturdy thread- Small, tight stitches are the goal, so a thinner thread is the way to go. Aurifil 28wt - this thread is smooth and easy to use for tight, precise hand stitching in a hoop. Aurifil is carried at many quilting stores, and Hawthorne Supply Co has every color imaginable.

• Leather thimble - leather allows for more flexibility than metal or plastic thimbles.

• Appliqué glue (optional)

• Hera marker (optional)

• Freezer paper

First things first: if you’re new to quilting, you may be wondering, “What is Appliqué?”

According to Dictionary.com: Appliqué is ornamental needlework in which pieces of fabric are sewn or stuck onto a large piece of fabric to form pictures or patterns. Appliqué is often used to add interest and dimension to a quilt, it can also create shapes that are not possible with traditional piecing. For example, in this Cupcake Mini Block, it would be extremely difficult to traditionally piece the top of the cupcake and even harder to create the 3D effect. That’s where appliqué comes in. In this case, after the block was pieced and quilted, the templates provided in the Cupcake Mini Block pattern were used to create the topper shape that was sewn directly onto the block and stuffed with batting to create a 3-Dimensional effect. Pretty cool, huh? If you would like to create your own version of the Quilted Birthday Banner, visit this blog post!

That sounds simple enough. But what are the different types of appliqué? At the most basic level there are 3:

• Machine appliqué

  • Raw edge

  • Smooth edge - prepped with either with freezer paper or appliqué glue

  • Both can be done using a straight or decorative stitch

• Hand appliqué

  • Smooth edge - prepped with freezer paper or appliqué glue

  • Needle turn

• Fusible appliqué

This post will focus primarily on machine and hand appliqué techniques, as those are the ones that are applicable to the Cupcake Mini Block.

The differences between machine and hand appliqué are fairly straight forward — machine appliqué is done using a sewing machine, and hand appliqué is done by hand using a needle and thread. Now lets break down the subgroups:

Machine appliqué

• Raw edge — This is the technique used in the Cupcake Mini Block (pictured above), and in my opinion is the easiest. Simply place the appliqué fabric on top of the background fabric (either quilted or unquilted, depending on your preference), and slowly stitch around the outer edge of the appliqué fabric. This technique is best for creating a 3D shape, or for a piece that will experience minimal wear. It is recommended to always use a stabilizer when doing raw edge, machine appliqué but… I didn’t. However, this banner is not a highly trafficked surface, and my final product was 3D so a stabilizer was not as important in this example.

• Smooth edge — This approach prepares the appliqué fabric before sewing so the raw edges are tucked under, and the seams of finished product are smooth. There are two ways to prepare the fabric: freezer paper or appliqué glue. The freezer paper technique utilizes a paper template to fold under the fabric seam allowance around the paper template. It is a similar technique to English Paper Piecing, except the paper is removed before sewing. This blog post by Connecting Threads provides a detailed overview of the freezer paper technique. Gluing the appliqué produces the same finished look, however glue is used in place of freezer paper to secured the turned under edges of fabric.

• For both raw edge and smooth edge, a straight or decorative stitch can be utilized to secure the appliqué to the background fabric.

Hand applique:

• Smooth edge — the preparation for smooth edge hand appliqué is the same as explained above in machine appliqué. The difference comes when sewing down the fabric. Instead of utilizing a sewing machine to secure the fabric, it is stitched in place by hand using a needle and thread. The recommended needle is size 12 (like these ones).

• Needle turn appliqué achieves the same finished result as smooth edge. However, instead of preparing the fabric with freezer paper or glue ahead of time, the needle is used to turn under the appliqué section with each stitch. Once again, Connecting Threads has an extremely helpful video here to demonstrate this technique.

So that’s the rundown! It’s a brief overview, but the goal of this post is to give a foundation to get started on your appliqué journey. Just like any technique in quilting: it’s easier than it looks to get started, but harder than it looks to become an expert at it (at least I think so — I’ll report back if I ever become one).

Let me know what projects you plan to appliqué this month! It really does add an extra special touch to any quilt. Tag me in your projects @wellspringdesigns_co, I would love to see what you are making! And I am always happy to answer questions on Instagram or email wellspringdesignsco@gmail.com.