Create touchable texture with applique embroidery! Charming fabrics and soft faux fur give embroidery designs like this gnome trio a memorable look. We'll show you how to stitch these unique embroidery designs!
Designs Used
To create your multi-piece applique design, you'll need:
- Multi-piece applique design with faux fur. We're using Fluffy Gnome Trio (Applique)
- Small pieces of quilter's cotton
- Faux fur
- Cutaway stabilizer
- Water-soluble stabilizer
- Temporary spray adhesive (such as Gunold KK100)
- Embroidery thread
- Scissors
- Craft knife
When you download the multi-piece applique design, you will find multiple files. One is an embroidery file, and the others are dieline files marked with the letters "DL". Dielines are used to cut the fabric to the correct shape and size.
Open each dieline file with an embroidery software, and print it. If you do not have embroidery software, Wilcom TrueSizer is a free program to use. Print enough copies so you can cut out each shape.
For the faux fur pieces, spray the back side of the printed back piece dieline with temporary adhesive, and smooth it onto the wrong side of the faux fur.
With a craft knife, carefully cut the faux fur out along the dieline, only cut through the backing fabric. Do not cut the actual fur.
Using the craft knife rather than scissors will help keep the fur from becoming blunt and choppy.
Keep in mind the direction of the fur when cutting out the fabric piece.
In this demonstration since the faux fur is being used as a beard for the gnomes, the faux fur should point downwards.
Next, spray the back of all of the non-fur paper dielines with temporary adhesive. Then smooth them onto the right side of the appropriate fabrics.
Cut out all the remaining dieline pieces.
Spray the wrong side of your chosen fabric with temporary spray adhesive, and smooth it on top of a piece of cutaway stabilizer.
Hoop the cotton fabric and cutaway stabilizer together.
Attach the hoop onto the machine, and load the embroidery file (not the dieline files). Embroider the design.
The first thing to embroider will be a dieline (or outline stitch). This marks the are on the stabilizer and fabric where the fabric will be placed.
After the dieline has sewn, remove the hoop from the machine but do not unhoop the stabilizer.
Spray the wrong side of the first fabric piece with temporary adhesive. Place the fabric on the stabilizer inside of the sewn dieline.
Once the fur piece is placed within the dieline smooth the fur inward from the edges towards the center of the piece.
Then take water soluble stabilizer and tape it over the fur piece. This will keep the embroidery foot from getting tangled in the fur.
Place the hoop back onto the machine and embroider the tackdown for the previously placed fabric piece. A tackdown holds the fabric piece in the place for the remainder of the design.
If there are any details that sew out on top of the fur, sew them out before removing the water soluble stabilizer.
When the tackdowns and inner details are done, remove the water soluble stabilizer from on top of the applique piece.
In some designs the tackdown step will intentionally leave openings along one side of the fur.
In this design, the opening is left along the bottom, so the fur remains free, and looks more like a beard.
Follow the color change sheet and embroider the next dieline.
Repeat to remove the hoop from the machine, spray the wrong side of the next piece, and place it inside the sewn dieline.
Then embroider the tackdown and finishing seam steps.
Follow the color change sheet until you reach the next dieline step.
Once again remove the hoop from the machine, spray the wrong side of the fabric piece, place it inside the sewn dieline, and embroider the tackdown step.
If any additional applique pieces remain, repeat to embroider the dielines, place the fabric pieces, then embroider the tackdowns and finishing seams.
Follow the color change sheet to embroider any remaining details.
Once the design has finished embroidering, remove the hoop from the machine and unhoop the fabric.
If needed, remove any remaining water soluble stabilizer by following the manufacturer's instructions.
