Trim-Away Applique

Bring a bit of DIY flair to your embroidery with this unique applique style! Incorporate a piece of fabric into the design, then use tiny scissors to precisely trim away the excess while creating a fresh, modern effect -- no dielines needed. We'll show you how!

To craft this unique applique style, you'll need:

• Trim-Away Applique embroidery design (we're using Good Vibes (Trim-Away Applique)
• 1/4 yard linen, twill or quilter's cotton (for the applique)
• Fabric to embroider on (such as twill, linen, or cotton)
• Medium weight cutaway stabilizer
• Temporary spray adhesive
• Small embroidery scissors
• Masking tape

Print the dieline template, labeled with a "DL" in your zipped design file (here's how to print dieline files). Spray the back side of the paper dieline with temporary adhesive, and smooth it onto the right side of the fabric.

Then, cut out the shape.

Spray a piece of cutaway stabilizer, and smooth it on the back side of the fabric to be embroidered. Then hoop the fabric tightly, making sure there are no wrinkles.

Load the embroidery file into the machine. Following the color change sheet, stitch out all of the background details.

Then embroider the "text dieline." This will stitch out the words that will become applique later, and will help with fabric placement. For best results, match the thread color to the applique fabric color.

Then carefully center the fabric piece over the sewn text. Make sure there is fabric extending around all four sides of the text and that all the letters are covered. Tape around all four sides of the fabric to hold it in place.

Embroider the final "text tackdown" step. This will stitch out the final piece of the design while also adhering the applique piece to the background fabric.

After the embroidery is finished, use a small pair of embroidery scissors to carefully cut around the sewn letters. Leave 1/8" - 1/4" of fabric around the letters.

Once you're done trimming the fabric, your embroidery is complete! The raw fabric edge creates a natural, textured effect that will bring a fresh look to your creations.