What Is Applique Embroidery?Applique

If you are new to machine embroidery, you may see designs labeled applique and wonder how they are different from a regular embroidery design. Applique uses a piece of fabric as part of the design. Instead of filling the entire area with embroidery stitches, your machine stitches around a piece of fabric and secures it in place. That means the fabric becomes part of the finished embroidery.

• Shirts
• Sweatshirts
• Towels
• Bags
• Pillows
• Blankets
• Children's clothing
• Seasonal decorations

EmbroideryDesigns.com has many applique designs, including American Stars, Applique USA Stars, Grinch Applique, Minnie Mouse Applique, Patriotic USA Applique, Applique Pumpkins, and Applique Snowman.

ChristmasEasterJuly 4thValentine's DayHalloween

Click on this icon to see all of our appliqué embroidery designs!

1. Placement Stitch

The machine first stitches an outline. This is called the placement stitch. It shows you exactly where to place your applique fabric.

1. Place Your Fabric

Place a piece of fabric over the placement line. Make sure the fabric completely covers the stitched area.

1. Tackdown Stitch

The machine stitches another line around the fabric. This is the tackdown stitch. It holds your applique fabric securely in place.

1. Trim the Fabric

Remove the hoop from the embroidery machine, but do not remove the project from the hoop. Carefully trim the extra applique fabric close to the tackdown stitches without cutting the stitches. Then return the hoop to the machine.

1. Finish the Design

The machine continues stitching. Many applique designs finish the edge with a satin stitch, which is the smooth, close stitching you often see around the outside of applique fabric.

One of the fun things about applique is that you get to choose the fabric. The same embroidery design can look completely different depending on the fabric you use. For example, a pumpkin applique could use orange cotton, plaid fabric, polka dots, or a small fall print. Applique can also replace a large area of embroidery stitches with fabric, giving the design a different texture and look.

• Your embroidery machine
• An applique embroidery design
• Fabric for the item you're embroidering
• A small piece of applique fabric
• Stabilizer
• Embroidery thread
• Sharp embroidery or applique scissors

Always check the instructions for your particular design before starting.

Yes. A simple applique design can be a great beginner project because the machine does most of the stitching for you. The main new skill is learning when to place the fabric, stitch the tackdown, and trim the extra fabric. Choose a simple design with one applique area for your first project.

When trimming applique fabric, take your time and trim close to the tackdown stitches without cutting them. And remember - remove the hoop from the machine, not the project from the hoop. Keeping everything hooped helps the design stay lined up correctly when you continue stitching.

Placement stitch -> add fabric -> tack it down -> trim -> finish the edge. That's the basic process. Once you understand those few steps, you'll recognize the same pattern in many applique embroidery designs. Start with a simple applique from EmbroideryDesigns.com, choose a fun fabric, and let your embroidery machine do most of the work.