Hand Applique Tips and Techniques. It’s what you’re looking for, right?
This is written by Corrie of Chitter Chatter Designs. A very talented designer who shares her quilts in her shop.
This is seriously a wonderful hand applique tutorial!!
Inside This Tutorial, You Will…
- Learn how to hand applique step by step with this tutorial.
- How to use freezer paper for your applique.
- Simplify the process of needle turn applique.
- How to trace, fuse, cut and sew to your background fabric.
- How to overlap or layer your applique pieces as well.
Materials Needed:
- Freezer Paper: If you live in my area… you can find this in the grocery store -the aisle with aluminum foil, saran wrap, and sandwich bags.
- Pencil: I prefer a mechanical pencil because it always has a sharp point.
- Scissors: Paper and fabric scissors.
- Pattern: It’s up to you. I am using my “Old MacDonald” pattern.
- Pins: Preferably applique pins, they are really short pins, sequin pins work well too.
- Needles: I prefer Bohin Applique Long needles, size 9 or 10.
- Thread: Use coordinating thread. It tends to hide your stitches better if matched with your fabric.
- Fabric: This one is a given right?
How to do Applique work by Hand
I start with a big piece of freezer paper.
Freezer paper has a shiny side and a dull side.
The shiny side is the side that sticks to your fabric.
On the dull side of the paper, draw out your entire design.
IMPORTANT: Do not reverse…or add seam allowances on this step.
This drawing should be the finished size of the pieces you want to applique.
Make sure you label the pieces if they are appliqued in a certain order, as most of my patterns are.
Cutting Your Hand Applique Pattern Pieces
Next, cut out the whole image in one piece.
This picture has an example of the cutout cow with all the pieces labeled and details drawn on.
This piece will become a guide for placement, as well as the pattern pieces.
Iron your piece onto the background fabric in the exact place you want the finished piece to be.
In this picture, I have also ironed my grass pieces to the right side of the green fabric allowing for a 1/4″ seam allowance to be cut around them.
All of the appliques are ironed to the right side of your fabric.
Note: I always cut out my backgrounds an inch or so bigger so that I can trim to size when I have finished.
If you are following one of my patterns, that little extra measurement is included in the cutting instructions, no need to cut bigger.
Cut out your appliques 1/4″ bigger than your freezer paper pattern.
Allow a very generous seam allowance on the bottom of your grass….or anything that will go to the edge of your piece.
I do this to make sure nothing is too short should I need to trim more off the top than the bottom.
Use a Paint Brush to Starch Seam Allowance of Your Hand Applique Piece
When you hand applique straight lines, I find this technique helpful.
This will prepare your piece so that it follows the line of the paper.You are turning under the seam allowance to match the freezer paper pattern.
Onto placement of your hand applique pieces…
Use the pattern to guesstimate your grass position.
You may tape your pattern to a window, or use a light box to place your piece exactly if you wish, but for this project, I was happy with a guesstimate.
Start sewing at the dot, not at the fabric edge.
You don’t want to risk cutting your threads when trimming your piece.
This picture is a good example of why you have the generous seam allowance to match the fabric edge.
When you trim, the extra sometimes comes in very handy!
This piece is somewhat prepared, so the stitch is self-explanatory.
Try to grab the fabric as close to where the thread comes out as possible.
A straight stitch will pull the fabric under just enough to hide the stitch, a slanted stitch will be more visible, and pull your fabric in the direction of the slant.
Hand Applique – The Needle-Turn Method
This is the needle turn method I use most often on my pieces.
With the tip of your needle, grab the top of the seam allowance.
With a downward motion, pull the seam allowance under to match your freezer paper edge.
Use your index finger and your thumb to pinch the fabric keeping it in place until you stitch it down.
Keep working with your fabric in this fashion until it exactly matches your paper pattern.
How to Do Applique Work by Hand: Adding Additional Pieces
When adding additional pieces, especially those lying under others, I use the bigger piece to place it.
The freezer paper will keep from sticking over and over again… up to about 10 times, sometimes more if you push it!
Use this to your advantage and iron your pieces into place.
For most of my projects, I cut out the entire piece as a whole and iron it into place.
After which I cut out the pieces in order and use the big piece, kind of like a puzzle to place the pieces back when they are prepared.
I use the iron a lot in the placement process.
Lifting away and positioning a piece, then ironing the larger piece back down.
I use a basting stitch in the seam allowance of the sides that I am not turning under to keep them from shifting while appliqueing pieces on top of it.
As you go, it is helpful to make these little tick marks so that you can line up your paper pattern with the finished edges of your applique.
I use this puzzle like technique to applique by hand my little characters and objects to my quilts.
~ Additional Applique Resources ~
- Raw edge applique
- Button hole stitch- by sewing machine
- Other ways to finish your applique
- Easy Kitten Applique
- Simple Way to Button Hole Stitch Around Applique – Including a Video Tutorial
+ FAQ’S
What fabric works best for hand applique?
Cotton is the go-to fabric for hand applique due to its stability and ease of use, but other fabrics like wool or linen can add texture and variety to your projects.
Do I need special needles or thread for hand applique?
Using sharp, thin needles like applique or milliner’s needles and fine, high-quality threads like cotton, silk, or polyester ensures smooth stitches and clean finishes.
Is hand applique beginner-friendly?
Yes! Hand applique is perfect for beginners because it’s slower-paced, allowing you to practice stitches and refine your technique.
Becky Jorgensen is the creative quilter behind Patchwork Posse, the Patchwork Planner and her online quilt group Patchworkers Plus. You can find her patterns in books, magazines, and her quilt membership. Gather your quilting supplies, organize your sewing space, explore the process of disappearing quilt blocks, or finish a free quilt pattern. I'll help you use what you have, finish what you start and make your quilting journey fun!
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Wow, that is a fantastic tutorial. I never wanted to try hand applique before now.
I have never tried this method, but I amazed at it's simplicity and it is really do-able. share it if you do try it out.
I have never tried this method, but I amazed at it's simplicity and it is really do-able. share it if you do try it out.
I really found your instructions easy to follow. Thanks for making these avaliable to all
I can not wait to try this method. All others I have seen seem to complicated. Thank you for the free Tutorial.
Es un tutorial maravilloso. Asà es mucho más fácil hacer un aplique. Ya fui a mi supermercado y no encontré el papel, paro seguiré buscándolo.
Estuve mirando otros tutorialers y son todos fantásticos.
Saludos
Susi
thanks a lot for the great tutorial. After saw your tute, I immediately sat down and tried it and it’s so so much easier..:) will post mine later..:)
I LOVE LOVE this….
I can see this working well with painting patterns that i want to convert to appliqué…
can I see a pic of the finished cow?
how do you do the parts like the hoofs that go on top of the other bits?
I wanna start this right away!!!!
Thanx
sheila– you will have to hop over to cori’s blog and ask her. i imagine they are all done with the same technique, but really don’t know for sure. good luck!
Great tutorial! How would you prepare tiny free standing pieces?
yvette— i am not quite sure. i think i would just use a dab of glue to keep them in place. maybe they would be too small for this method. you can ask cori– chitter chatter designs. she might have a better idea than i.
Thanks for posting this tutorial; it was a big help as I worked on a quilt for a friend’s baby.
Great tutorial, thanks. Will try but with something much simpler and more straight lines, ;). Best wishes, Carina
Thanks so much for this tutorial – I am about to start a special applique quilt and have been trying to decide which of the many methods to use – I like your method the best and I feel quite relieved to have learned how to do it.
PS Don’t worry about the person who needed to tell you how to spell voila! Honestly!
Pauline
full tips and full image… thanks
It’s Voila, not walla
When I did freezer paper applique the paper was on the wrong sideof the piece to be appliqued,not on the right side,or top of your appliqued piece. This method gives you crisp edge’s,after your finished appliquing the piece you flip your designed block over and cut a slit in the back pulling out the paper,you can use tweezers to do this,and whip stitch the slit closed! This is the only method I have ever heard of for freezer paper applique, I found this method in a book on quilting, can’t remember the name of the book ,sorry!
Oh My goodness , This is a beautiful tutorial ! I never understood how to use the freezer paper before I read this through. I am going to do this with a baby quilt very soon ! Thank-you for sharing.