Try a New Way to Appliqué: A Fun & Easy Wool Appliqué Tutorial!

If you think summer isn’t the season for wool, then you haven’t tried wool appliqué! Wool can be used in place of cotton on any quilt, bag, or handmade item that you want to appliqué. If you haven’t attempted it yet, try this simple wool appliqué tutorial. You’ll be surprised how fun and easy it is!
woolpillow

Wool pillow embroidery and appliqué via Craftsy member cjsilling@gmail.com

Try detailing your projects with this wool appliqué tutorial!

Wool, fabric, needle, pearl cotton thread and marker

You will need:

For your first attempt at wool appliqué, you only need a few basic supplies.

  • Wool for the appliqué piece
  • Cotton for the background
  • Lightweight fusible for placement
  • Pearl cotton
  • A needle with a large eye (opening for thread)

Step 1:

Trace or draw the appliqué shape onto the fusible, in reverse if needed. Because wool will not fray, there is no need to add a seam allowance or turn under the edge of the appliqué shape.

Leaf shape drawn on fusible

Step 2:

Iron the fusible onto the wool following the manufacturer’s directions. This is really for basting purposes only, you could pin in place if you prefer, but fusible prevents shifting.

New to fusibles? Discover the fundamentals of this easy way to appliqué in the Craftsy class Fun With Fusible Appliqué. Or, learn how to get amazing, heirloom-quality results on your machine in the class Machine-Finished Hand Appliqué.

Ironing fusible shape onto wool

Step 3:

Cut out the shape.

cutting the wool into shape

Step 4:

Fuse to the background, pressing from the back will work better than pressing through the wool.

pressing wool shape to background fabric with iron

Step 5:

Hand stitch around the shape using small stitches that are perpendicular to the edge of the piece (or a blanket stitch, if you prefer). Beginning from the back of the piece about 1/8″ from the edge of the wool piece.

needle stitch beginning from back of fabric

Step 6:

Then bury the next stitch right next to the wool shape in the background fabric, and repeat.

stitching from front

When finished it will look like this from the back…

finished piece from the back

And this is what the stitches will look like from the front.

finished applique shape from the front

The stitches should be evenly spaced and evenly wide. It is a very simple stitch, so just a little practice will make perfect.

Wool Flowers Pattern

Wool Flower Wall Hanging Pattern via Craftsy member wavedancer

See how easy wool appliqué is? Now you can embellish with threads, stitches, ribbons, etc. How about the Wool Flower Wall Hanging Quilt Pattern pictured above? The possibilities are unlimited! Remember, if you doing a project using cotton appliqué, you can easily switch to wool instead and get a great look! The hardest part will be deciding which project to start first!

Try checking out the Craftsy quilting shop and pick up some gorgeous wool for your next project. I love the red, white and blue hues in this Independence Trail Wool from Moda — perfect for an Americana-themed project!

What project are you going to try using wool appliqué?

 

Share tips, start a discussion or ask one of our experts or other students a question.

2 Responses to “Try a New Way to Appliqué: A Fun & Easy Wool Appliqué Tutorial!”

  1. Barbara

    I want to try it, I have a couple small kits I’m going to try.

  2. manylakesbc@gmail.com

    I like the minimal & clear instructions, photos & very encouraging to start Applique.