Let your imagination take flight with freestanding fabric shapes, embellished with applique and embroidered detail! From beautiful decor to bold accessories, you'll find endless uses for these little treasures. Follow along to stitch your own!
Supplies & Materials:
- Freestanding fabric with applique design. We're using the Fluttering Applique Butterfly (Freestanding) embroidery design
- 1/2 yard felt or wool felt
- Piece of chosen fabric for applique pieces
- Embroidery thread
- Scissors
The designs used in this tutorial include:
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When you download the design, you will find multiple files. Some are embroidery files, and others are dieline files marked with the letters "DL". Dielines are used to cut the fabric to the correct shape and size. Open and print each dieline file using an embroidery software. If you do not have an embroidery software, take a look at our helpful video on using dielines.
We also recommend Wilcom's Hatch software which comes in different levels depending on what you'd like to use the software for. Hatch Organizer works well to view your designs, print dielines and templates, change design colors, and create basic design layouts. (This is an affiliate link. We may earn commission on purchases made with this link.)
Spray the back side of the dieline print out with temporary adhesive and smooth it on right side of the applique fabric.
Cut out the dielines for the applique pieces, and remove the paper dieline from the fabric.
If the design has multiple applique dielines, repeat for the other applique pieces.
Freestanding felt designs have been specially digitized to sew on only a hooped piece of felt, so there is no stabilizer used of any kind.
After the pieces are embroidered and cut out, only the embroidery and felt remains, allowing for the pieces to look pretty on both sides.
As the freestanding felt will be seen from both sides, wind a bobbin to match every thread color used in the design.
Hoop the piece of felt firmly. Make sure it is nice and tight with no wrinkles.
Attach the hoop to the machine and load the file. Embroider the design. The first thing to embroider will be the "cut line". This marks the area on the felt where the piece will be cut out later.
Then, follow the color change sheet and embroider the design.
If the design has applique pieces, the next part to sew will be the dielines (or outline stitches).
This marks the area on the stabilizer where the fabric piece for the applique will be placed. After the dielines have sewn, remove the hoop from the machine, but do not unhoop the felt.
Next, spray the wrong side of the applique fabric pieces with temporary adhesive. Place the applique fabric pieces within the sewn dielines.
Once the applique pieces are placed, return the hoop back to the machine, and embroider the tackdown for the previously placed applique pieces. A tackdown holds the fabric in place for the remainder of the design
Follow the color change sheet, and embroider the inner details of the design, changing out the bobbins to match every thread color.
After the embroidery has finished, unhoop the felt. Then, using a scissor, carefully cut along the inner edge of the "cut line".
Cutting right along the inner edge will remove the cut line from the edge of the felt piece, leaving a clean felt edge after the piece is cut out.
