TUTORIAL: What to do with all your scraps – Appliqué of course!

If you sew, chances are you have a collection of scrap fabric piling up.  How many times have you contemplated throwing them away – really, what are you going to do with them anyway?  But if you are like me, you just can’t part with them – so the pile just gets bigger and bigger!

Well, here is a project that will eat into your scrap pile.   APPLIQUE!  If you haven’t tried it, you really need to.  It’s not complicated, doesn’t take long and has the potential to produce some very nice things.

With summer around the corner I thought I’d whip up a little fun for a friend’s daughter.  What 5 year old girl wouldn’t love a bright pink beach towel personalized with her name?

I purchased this towel at Target on sale for $5.00.  The scraps came right out of my ever-growing stash.

It took me about an hour and a half to complete.  Here is how I did it:

What You Will Need:

> A towel
> Scraps of fabric
> Coordinating thread (for the towel)
> Heat n’ Bond Light
> Applique Letters and/or designs (you can download them from the internet for free – do a google search)

 

Step 1:

1. Print out your applique letters/designs
2. Cut them out as accurately as possible
3. Lay out the letters on the towel to make sure everything is going to fit properly.
4. Decide which scraps you will use for each letter/design

Step 2:

1. Trace each letter on the paper side of  a piece of Heat n’ Bond. – Make sure you trace the letter backwards!
2. Iron the Heat n’ Bond to the WRONG side of the fabric scrap using the heat settings indicated on the package.
    
3. Carefully cut out the letter/design (if you are cutting the center of a letter, use a razor to get it started)
4. Peel off the paper and place it on the towel in the desired location.
   
   
5. Repeat this for all of the letters/designs

Step 3:

1. Iron the letters/designs in place
2. This will set the letters and they will stay in place for sewing.  You NEED to sew them to the towel or they will come off in the wash!

You are ready to sew!

TIPS

• Take some time and play with a test piece of fabric and appliqué to decide how you want to attach your appliqué. 
• You can choose a straight stitch, a zig zag, or any type of quilting stitch. 
• You will also want to play with stitch lengths and widths.
• I knew I wanted a zig zag stitch – here is my test piece.
• If you use a thread that matches the background you are attaching the appliqué to, it will be more forgiving if you make a mistake or don’t follow the edge exactly.

Step 4:

1. Start sewing AWAY from the very edge of your appliqué piece (if you start at a corner it will be difficult to back tac and secure the seam.
   
2. Slowly follow the  edge of the fabric making sure to keep your fabric flat and stop to lift the presser foot at all corners.  If using a zig zag stitch you will want to stitch right down the middle with the ends of the stitches sitting on both sides of the fabric edge.  If using a straight stitch, you will want to top stitch the applique about 1/8” in from the edge.  For a straight stitch, you may also want to treat the edges with fraycheck to prevent fraying over time. 
   
   If your sewing machine has a speed setting, it would help to set it at a slower setting.  This is precise work and speed will only cause you aggravation and errors.
   
3. Sew all the way around the letter and sew about 1/4” over the area you started – back tac to secure.
   
   
4. Repeat this for all of the letters/designs.
   

YOU’RE FINISHED!

If you don’t sew or don’t have the time to make one of these but would like one, check out Spirit of Giving on Etsy. 

She, too, is a stay at home Mom who specializes in personalized towels.  Her work is beautiful and nicely priced! 

HAVE FUN!