A - Applique Instructions

A-Z Challenge... 1st up, instructions on how to do machine satin stitch applique. This will mostly be photos with a little info on each step.

Begin by picking a pattern and drawing or printing it out. Make sure it fits in the location you desire. This tutorial was done using 100% cotton broadcloth under the name brand of Country Classics Solids sold at JoAnn's, but this technique will work for many types of fabrics.

There are several bonding methods you can use. If it involves using an iron on glue, then this tutorial should still work. I used heat-n-bond lite. It is designed to be sewn, unlike heat-n-bond heavy duty which will gum up the needle if you sew with it. I also used carbon paper to trace the letters.

Carbon paper has a sticky side that leaves the black line and a gray side that is smooth and clean. You don't need to print in reverse if you stack your paper correctly.

Place the carbon paper with the graphite/carbon side up. Place the heat-n-bond with the paper side down (the glue side up), then place your letters on top. Use a pencil or embossing tool to trace around each letter. I was saving space on my heat-n-bond, so I drew the R by itself later.

Set your iron to MEDIUM, between the cotton and polyester. Do not use high heat. With your iron set to MEDIUM, iron your PREWASHED fabric. If you do not prewash the fabric, you will not get as good a bond between the fabric and the heat-n-bond. Prewashing also helps prevent fabric from bleeding and helps prevent it from shrinking at different rates. If you plan on washing the piece at all, I recommend you begin by prewashing the fabric.

Place the heat-n-bond on the fabric and lightly press it. You want the paper to stick, but you do not want the glue to start going through the fabric, so do not leave the iron on the paper for very long.
 

Once it is cool, cut around the edges. It is both cleaner and easier to rough cut before you iron and precisely cut after. Then you aren't cutting twice, and the glue goes all the way to the edge of the applique.

Measure and mark where the letters will go using a water soluble marking pencil.

Peal off the paper and use your iron set on MEDIUM to glue each letter down. You can peal and reposition at this time, but it may leave behind glue, so it is better to go slow and do it right the first time.

Set your machine to a zig-zag stitch (mine is #3)

 

 Adjust your stitch width and length. I tend to set the stitch width from 1.5 for super detailed or tight applique to 6 for extra wide satin stitching. Each machine is different, so test to see what works best for you. Set the stitch length to very narrow. On my machine, 0.4 is what I have found to be the best at being both thick enough but not so thick that it jams.

 

 

Adjust your tension down. This will give a smoother look to the edges and will prevent your bobbin thread from peeking through.

At this point, adding stabilizer to the back can help make a smoother edge. I tend to skip it because I have a nice enough sewing machine and was using quality enough fabric that it did not need it. 

Check where your needle will hit before you start. I always aim to have the needle hit right on the edge where the two fabrics meet, but fully on the background side. That way, there is as much applique fabric as possible under the stitches, so it is less likely to tear out in the wash.

Tight curves are challenging. Go slowly on the machine while turning quickly with your hands. Try to keep the fabric always perpendicular to the zig-zag the needle is doing.

On tight corners, bury the needle to turn so you don't get extra loops of thread. You may have to adjust when you put the foot back down to keep the line of the satin stitch looking the best.

Leave long threads every time you need to start and stop. It helps make the next step easier.

Thread the loose ends through a needle and pull them to the back of the applique.

  
Tie a double knot with the thread that was already in back.

Trim the threads. I will leave threads that are less than 1/2" if they are tight on the fabric, but otherwise, I trim them.

With smaller letters, I set up the width to be narrower. This is an example with a width of 1.5 and a stitch length of 0.4.

The front of the finished tunic. He wanted it to look like a cross between a Ravenclaw Quidditch jersey and a typical Amtgard (LARP - Live Action Role Playing) tunic.

 

 Back of the tunic.