An easy way to hand appliqué scrap pieces of fabric is by using freezer paper
as a temporary stabilizer. Place your cardboard template, right side down, on
the paper side of your freezer paper. Trace around your template and cut out the
design from your freezer paper.
Once you have decided which fabrics you will use for your design, you can
temporarily attach the freezer paper templates to your fabric scraps by using a
warm iron. Place the shiny side of the freezer paper down on the wrong side of
your fabric. Press lightly for about 5 seconds, or until freezer paper is
attached to fabric. Trace ½-inch around paper. This will be your cutting line.
To prepare your piece for appliquéing, wrap it around cardboard template, so
that the seam allowance folds to the back. Remove cardboard and press the seam
allowance down. You are now ready to pin your motif piece to your base fabric,
and begin hand appliquéing!
Before attaching your motif pieces, be sure to start with the bottom pieces
first. Lay each piece out in the order that you will need to attach them. This
will help avoid mistakes, and can save you the work of ripping out stitches.
You can attach your motif pieces to your base fabric using a variety of
different stitching, with the most popular being the blind stitch. The blind
stitch consists of making very small stitches on the right side of your work,
moving your needle diagonally to the left, about ¼-inch on the wrong side of
your work. Decorative stitches can also be used, including the blanket stitch,
turkey stitch, or even satin stitching. Choosing what stitch to use will depend
on the desired look you want for your piece.
Begin working from right to left, stitching around the outer edge of the
motif. Be sure to remove the freezer paper before you are completely finished.
You can use tweezers to aid you in removing the freezer paper.
Once you have completed appliquéing all of your pieces to your base fabric,
you can add embellishments and embroidery stitches, if necessary.