Tell me I'm not the only one who has a special stash of fabrics & embellishments that I can't quite bring myself to cut or use on a creation?  When you start out sewing, you may have quite a big collection of embellishments that you love the look of but you're not game enough to actually use.  Hopefully my tutorials help you cross then line on putting your purchases to good use!

Today we'll discover just how incredibly user-friendly our sweet chiffon rose heart appliques really are.  These appliques are pre-sewn onto a mesh base which makes the sewing process even easier.

Supplies:

• Small chiffon heart applique available HERE
• Cotton heart doily available HERE. We used this as our base because we'll be attaching it to a singlet in a later tutorial
• Pins
• Sewing machine (or needle and thread if you prefer)

Step 1 (above)

• Use a couple of pins to hold your applique in place.  I don't use any iron-on-stabilizers.

Step 2 (above)

• I tend to start sewing on the outer curve of the heart. 
• You will be sewing on the mesh, just beside the chiffon roses and not over them.
• I use a small zig-zag stitch to allow a bit more movement than a straight stitch provides.  That's a personal preference and you can just as happily use a straight stitch. 

Step 3:

• It's really important to not pull your applique around a corner otherwise you will end up with an unrecognisable applique shape.  When you reach the bottom appex, stop sewing and lower the needle into your garment; raise the sewing foot; turn the garment/applique 90 degrees (to your next sewing line); lower the needle; start sewing again.
• You will need to follow the same method to sew around the top curves of the heart - once going into the curve, and again to head down into the centre of the heart.  Basically, anytime you feel you need to pull the applique around to get to the right sewing line you should stop, lower the needle, raise the foot, and move the garment around again.  This will ensure you keep the nice shape of your heart.

Step 4:

Once you have successfully sewn around the perimetre of your applique, use a pair of small sewing scissors to carefully cut off the excess mesh base.

And there you have my all my tips to achieve a beautifully attached fabric applique!  Too simple not to delve into your stash of appliques and give it a whirl!

If you would like to purchase our fabric appliques please visit our Little Tee Tee website HERE.

For more Little Tee Tee tutorials please visit our blog HERE.



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