Creating Appliques....

Please forgive me in advance if I make this tutorial too easy, but I just took pics as I went along and wanted to show as much as I could ( I forgot to take pics of a few things,but they are very self explanitory), and remember I am not reinventing the wheel, most of you will already know how to do this, but this is how I found what worked for me..

I love to put appliques on things like....

burp clothes

baby onesies

patch up holes on jeans

cover up stains on kids shirts

towels

tote bags

the list could really go on and on, but this is how I come up with the shapes that I use for the appliques....

First, I go online and search thru Google for shapes or coloring pages of what ever it is I am looking for that day, i.e. I type in giraffe and then go to Google images and see what it brings up and I have had good luck looking at coloring pages, because you are just looking for the shape, it doesn't matter if the pic has alot of details, because we just want the shape...

I also look at cookie cutters online, because you can find some great shapes, anything you can think, a couple sites you could try are Off the Beaten Path , The Cookie Cutter Shop, or Foose Cookie Cutters

Once you find the shapes you want, I usually copy and paste them on to an Excell spreadsheet, where I can increase the size to what I need it to be, then I print them out and I have found that gluing the picture onto a heavy construction paper or card stock makes it easier to trace...

Next, cut out your pattern.....

This is my big ziplock bag of patterns....

I then cut off a large size sheet of Heat -N- Bond Iron On Adhesive....

Then I take my patterns and trace them on to the paper side of the the Heat - N- Bond....

Next step.....

Cut out the patterns.....

Now place the Heat-N-Bond on the WRONG side of the fabric,(that you have already washed, dried and ironed) and iron it on following the directions on the Heat-N-Bond...

Once it has cooled then you can cut it out ... just follow your lines and be sure to get all the curves and details.....

These are some of the others I cut out that same day, because I find it easier to just a bunch all at once....

Now you take your applique and remove the paper backing, position it onto whatever you are making and iron it on....

I then go around the edges and whip stitch it just to give it a little decorative edge and also to tack it completely onto my project...I did not get a picture of this since I am home alone and I have not taught Baby O how to work the camera yet....

Well I hope that this helps someone, have a great weekend