How to Applique with an Embroidery Machine in 6 Steps!

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If you’re new to embroidery, one of the fun things you can do with an embroidery machine is applique. 

For beginners, appliqueing can seem like a confusing task with all the steps required. However, once you understand how appliques are created and stitched, you’ll discover how easy, fast, and fun they can be to create. 

So, read on for the tutorial describing how to applique with an embroidery machine!

What An Applique Actually Is

An applique is one piece of fabric stitched onto another piece of fabric and encased with a decorative stitch border. Basically, instead of using thread to create fill stitches, you use a piece of fabric to fill and provide color to a design.

This is efficient for saving thread and decreasing thickness and puckering on designs that may be too dense for lightweight fabrics.

Even though appliques take more interaction from you as the embroiderer, the active stitching time for your machine is much less.

And, while appliques can be created by hand, a sewing machine, or an embroidery machine, appliqueing with an embroidery machine is by far the quickest and most accurate way to create an applique.

What To Applique & What Fabrics to Use

You can put an applique on almost anything that can be embroidered (within reason). 

I like to applique shirts, sweatshirts, towels, blankets, onesies, and even baseball caps, for example.  I’ll refer to these items to be embroidered as base fabrics from here on out.

Picking a good quality applique fabric is important, too. (Check out my master list of ideas for fabrics to use for applique.)

You can use cotton (my go-to is quilting cotton), denim, canvas, Minky, lace, twill, felt, faux leather, terry cloth, and even knit fabrics. One other fun idea is appliqueing with glitter heat transfer vinyl.

I like to use up my scrap fabric stash or dig through clothes and other household items I plan to repurpose to find fabric, too. What’s most important is that your fabric is prewashed, and you’ve picked a compatible needle, thread, and embroidery base.

Common Parts of An Applique Embroidery Design

While the specifics may differ between digitizers, most applique embroidery designs have three parts.

1. Placement or Outline Stitch

This single running stitch stitches on your base fabric, showing where to place the applique fabric.

2. Tacking or Tackdown Stitch(es)

This stitch attaches the applique fabric to your base fabric. It can be a running stitch (straight stitch), a zigzag stitch, or a running stitch followed by a zigzag stitch (depending on the digitizer and embroidery program).

3. Border Stitch

Usually a satin or other decorative stitch, the border stitch finishes the edges of the applique. 

Traditional satin stitches are very short-length zigzag stitches that keep the applique fabric edges from unraveling. In contrast, raw-edge appliques where the applique fabric is meant to stick out and fray may have just a nice, dense running stitch as the border stitch. 

Three Ways to Get the Applique Fabric Down to the Perfect Size

Before I show you how to applique on an embroidery machine, here are three ways to cut your applique fabric to the perfect size for your design.

1. Stitch and Cut

One uncomplicated way is to cut fabric immediately after the tacking stitch. (This is what I’ll be modeling in this tutorial.) 

All you have to do is place a piece of rectangular fabric over the placement stitch and then cut it down to size after the tacking stitch. 

Precision is necessary when trimming the fabric, though, which may be difficult for very ornate designs or users with decreased dexterity. This method works especially great with a satin stitch applique border because this thick stitching covers any imprecisions.

2. Cut To Size Before Placement

If you don’t want to trim your fabric while it’s in the hoop, you can cut the applique fabric to size before placing it on your base fabric.

I like to use this method when embroidering raw-edge appliques or appliques surrounded by a blanket stitch.  I get a cleaner cut since there’s less crazy maneuvering needing to be done with the base fabric still hooped.

The first way to pre-cut fabric is to print the applique template file from your computer. 

You may need to use embroidery software to access it if it isn’t included in your download. Then, using the printed template, cut the fabric to the exact size.

If the design comes with an SVG file, you can also use a fabric cutting machine like a Cricut, Silhouette, ScanNCut, Sizzix, or AccuQuilt to cut the shape to the perfect size.

This is the best way to get a perfect applique shape if you don’t have good dexterity or can’t snip precisely.

At first, I was skeptical of what I might do with my Cricut Maker, but it is absolutely the most versatile craft tool I own. (Check out 5 ways to use a Cricut in embroidery, and while you’re at it, my Silhouette embroidery tutorial and tips for cutting fabric with a Brother ScanNCut for more info!)

There are also AccuQuilt dies that work with embroidery applique designs. (I’ve even written a tutorial for using an AccuQuilt and embroidery machine together!)

3. Stitching Twice

This is much more time-consuming and materials-consuming, but you may prefer not to cut fabric on your actual base fabric and risk accidentally cutting through it. 

In this method, you stitch the placement stitch on your base fabric and remove the hoop.

Then, you’ll hoop your applique fabric with an embroidery stabilizer and stitch another placement or tacking stitch on it.  Then, cut out the applique fabric and the stitch you just made. This will be the perfect size for your base fabric. 

Choosing Stabilizer

Base your stabilizer on the base fabric you’re stitching the applique on. So, use tear-away on stable fabrics and cut-away on stretchy fabrics. 

I’m appliqueing on a knit shirt in this tutorial, so I picked a no-show mesh stabilizer, a type of cut-away stabilizer.

Backing Applique: What to Use

You can embroider applique without stabilizing the back of the applique fabric, but I’ve found that produces more wrinkles, edge fraying, and a poorer result, especially after repeated washings. 

I always use HeatnBond Lite or Steam-a-Seam for appliques. 

You could also use a piece of lightweight cut-away stabilizer sprayed with temporary fabric adhesive (ex. Odif 505), another fusible webbing, or even lightweight sewing interfacing if you’re in a bind.

Supplies Required

Here’s what you’ll need to gather before creating your first applique.

• Embroidery machine and hoop (I used my Brother SE1900)
• Base fabric and applique fabric.
• Embroidery stabilizer and spray adhesive like Odif 505
• HeatnBond Lite or preferred applique backing
• Embroidery thread and bobbin thread (read: how to choose the right machine embroidery thread)
• Needle (read: how to choose the best machine embroidery needle to use)
• Small, sharp embroidery scissors or snips
• Iron
• Marking tools
• Applique design (mine was from PattiStudio from Oregon Patchworks.)

How to Embroider an Applique With an Embroidery Machine

First, prewash both your base fabric and your applique fabric if you’ll ever wash the item you’re appliqueing.

It’s no good when you applique a new 100% cotton piece of fabric to a prewashed t-shirt and send it through the wash; an unwashed cotton applique will shrink disproportionately to a prewashed t-shirt, and that’s bad news.

1. Set Up the Fabric and Machine for Applique

Next, mark the fabric where you plan to applique. 

Usually, I’ll use water-soluble fabric pens, but I opted for my chalk wheel since my shirt was darker.

Then, hoop the appropriate stabilizer and base fabric.

For this tutorial, I very lightly sprayed my PolyMesh cut-away stabilizer with temporary fabric adhesive first to adhere it to the shirt and then hooped. 

If your base fabric doesn’t hoop, float the fabric above the hooped stabilizer.

Usually, I’ll use water-soluble topping when embroidering t-shirts, but since this was simply an applique design and not too stitch-dense, I skipped this. 

If your applique fabric has a nap or pile (for example, terry cloth, velvet, faux fur), float one layer of water-soluble topping (ex: Sulky Solvy) on top after you’ve hooped your fabric.  You’ll just tear away and then wash away residual topping when you’re done with the project.

Next, place the hoop into your embroidery machine. 

Make sure to pull all fabric out from underneath and around the embroidery area if you’re embroidering on a two-sided embroidery blank.  I usually use hair clips, clothespins, or even painter’s tape to hold excess fabric out of the way.

2. Stitch the Placement or Outline Stitch

Now, double-check that you have the right needle and thread in your machine. 

Then, load your design and center it with your markings.

Then, lower your presser foot, and press start to have your machine stitch the placement stitch. 

I use the same color thread for the placement stitch, tacking stitch, and satin stitch when I’m appliqueing and match it to my applique fabric.  You can use any color you want for the placement stitch, though, since it won’t be seen on the finished product.

3. Prep the Applique Fabric

Meanwhile, cut a piece of applique fabric an inch or two larger than the dimensions of the stitched design. 

Then, adhere your chosen backing to the applique fabric. 

For me, this meant placing a piece of HeatnBond Lite with the textured side down onto the back of the applique fabric.

I then pressed it on medium heat (the iron goes over the paper part of the backing) and let it cool. 

The paper layer then peels off, leaving the backing still on the fabric. 

Next, gently place the cut fabric on top of the placement stitch. 

Make sure all the placement stitch lines are covered.  If you think the fabric will slip around, you can add a little spray adhesive to adhere it better, or go ahead and iron it on if the fabric is already cut to shape. 

4. Embroider the Tacking Stitch

Next, stitch the tackdown stitch to create the cutting line and secure the fabric. 

Then, remove your hoop from the machine. 

Use sharp curved embroidery scissors, duckbill applique scissors, or even double-curved embroidery scissors to clip the fabric away from the side of the tacking stitch. 

Snip as close to the line as you can without accidentally clipping any stitches or base fabric, usually 1/8″ or closer. 

And, make sure not to shift the fabric within the hoop, as this will mess with alignment.  No need to be too perfect if you’re using a wide satin stitch as a border, though!

If you have a mini-iron (I think mine is one of the best mini-irons!), go ahead and press the appliqued fabric to adhere it permanently to the shirt. If you don’t have a small iron, just make sure to press at the end to adhere permanently!

5. Finish Up With the Border Stitch

Next, replace your hoop and stitch the satin stitch (or another decorative outside stitch) to finish the outside of the applique. 

Repeat this same process for any other parts of a multi-fabric applique design, and continue stitching with other colored threads until the design is completed.

6. Finishing Touches on the Appliqued Project

Remove your finished project from the hoop, and pat yourself on the back! 

Tear off any water-soluble topping, and tear or cut away your stabilizer from the back of the project. 

Trim jump stitches that you hadn’t already removed with embroidery scissors, and get rid of any extra fabric fuzz that came when you snipped the fabric.  It’s easy to do this with a lint roller or piece of tape.

Since I appliqued a t-shirt with my embroidery machine, I needed to ensure the itchy stitches wouldn’t rub my daughter’s chest. 

Thus, I ironed on a piece of Tender Touch backing to the inside of the shirt behind the embroidery design.

Lastly, give the applique a final press from the back, if needed, to remove any wrinkles and make it look extra pretty! 

I also remove any hoop marks and chalk marks with Magic Sizing Spray or water.

 

And, that’s it! I hope this beginner machine applique embroidery tutorial has taught you how to applique with your embroidery machine. I love how I can personalize outfits for my daughters and make super cute embroidered gifts for friends and birthday parties–woohoo!