5 essential steps for fusible applique success

Yesterday on QUILTsocial I showed you how to turn a drawing into an applique pattern. I can’t wait to start using these great Wild and Free fabrics from Northcott to make my horse!! I think my Equestrian Beauty Wallhanging is going to look great!

materials

If you’d like to make your own Wild and Free horse wall hanging, you’ll need the following fabrics:

• ½ yd             21856-34 – brown with cowboy hats and boots (outer border)
• fat quarter   21857-32 – beige with horseshoes (applique and prairie points)
• fat eighth     21857-36 – brown with horseshoes (applique)
• fat eighth     21858-34 – brown with ropes (applique)
• fat eighth     21859-36 – brown with stars (applique)
• fat eighth     21860-34 – light brown embossed leather-look (applique)
• ⅓ yd             21861-36 – dark brown leather-look (applique and inner border)
• 19″ x 24″      9020-30 – beige (background)
• ⅓ yd             binding
• 39″               backing
• 35″ x 40″      batting

Step 1 Prepare the diagram

Yesterday I gave you the diagram to print out and enlarge by 250%. The pattern will extend over four pages so trim the edges of the papers and then carefully tape the pages together to make the full diagram.

To make placement of the applique shapes easier, trace over the major lines of the design with a black marker. The lines now show up in reverse on the back of the paper.

Step 2 Trace onto fusible web

Flip the diagram so that it’s right side up again and trace each individual section of the applique design onto the paper side of your fusible web making sure to leave space in between each shape to allow for them to be cut apart.

TIP Number each shape as you trace them.

Small fusible applique shapes that will be ironed to the same Wild and Free fabrics from Northcott can be traced beside each other and NOT cut apart before ironing. These shapes are the nostrils and the inside of each ear.

Step 3 Cut apart the fusible web shapes

Loosely cut around each of the fusible applique shapes.

TIP As you cut apart the fusible web applique shapes keep them in a basket or box so you don’t lose any of them.

Step 4 Iron shapes to the fabrics

Select the fabrics for the applique shapes by laying them on top of each other to get a sense of what they will look like in the finished applique. Here I’m auditioning the fabrics that I’m using for the horse’s face.

Following the manufacturer’s directions, iron each shape to the BACK of the different Wild and Free fabrics. I chose to iron the sections of the horse’s mane to the darkest fabrics and to use the medium valued fabrics for his face and neck.

Step 5 Cut out the fabric shapes

Next, cut each of these shapes ALONG the drawn line. DO NOT pull the paper off yet. Use the numbers written on the paper to pick the correct pieces tomorrow when we iron the applique shape together. Just cut the shapes out and put them back in your basket.

So your homework for tonight is to cut out all of the sections of the horse head applique. Lay the pieces out on your cutting table in the rough shape of the head to make sure that the Wild and Free fabrics that you chose for each section looks OK and if not, retrace that section and iron it to another fabric. Tomorrow we’ll iron them all together and we’ll get to see how awesome it looks! See you then!