“Applique Using Steam-A-Seam2″

by Debbie Vechter

Here it is!  As promised, this is the Steam-A-Seam2 applique tutorial!

Thanks to all of you who read my article on “One Special Bag” and
commented so positively, as well as your feedback and requests for
this tutorial!

For this project, I decided to make an ‘Umbrella Tote’.  The exterior
is black canvas and the interior is a cotton print with a cell phone
pocket and large pocket.  A project such as this one is a great way to
use up a lot of your scrap material.

STEP 1:

a)  To begin, I have chosen the Steam-A-Seam2 package of 9″X12″/5
count sheets.  It’s sticky on both sides with each side having a sheet
of thin parchment type paper that covers the stickiness.

b)  At the corner, peel back a tiny bit of the paper covering to
determine which side comes away from the sticky side most easily.
When you have determined that, mark the OPPOSITE side with the word
“TOP”.  Set aside until we begin step 3.

STEP 2:

a)  Print out a silhouette of the design you want to put on your
project.  As one resource, you can also look in coloring books that
have simple pictures for an image that is suitable for your project.
As I was making an umbrella tote, I decided on an umbrella and
raindrop motif.

b)  Trace your pattern onto a piece of cardboard stock and cut it out.

STEP 3:
a)  Now, back to the Steam-A-Seam2.  Place your tracer on the side
that you have already marked as ‘TOP’ and trace around it.

b)  After you have traced the motif, remove the ‘bottom’ paper.

STEP 4:
a)  Prepare all the pieces of your picture the same way, being sure
that everything is secured well (note: if you have a lot of pieces to
assemble, you may wish to hold off removing the bottom paper until
you’re ready to begin placing them on your fabric).

b)  Place/stick your motif onto the WRONG side of the material.  Make
sure that it’s stuck down quite well, so that the picture cannot move
on the material.

STEP 5:

a)  Cut out the motif pieces, carefully following the lines on the
Steam-A-Seam2 that you stuck onto the wrong side of your material.
Then remove the paper, making sure the sticky Steam-A-Seam2 remains on
the material and that you don’t peel it off along with the paper.

Now you can place the motif onto your background material.  The
Steam-A-Seam2 is easy to un-stick if it’s just placed on the
background material, so you can ‘play’ with your design all you want
before you make a final decision on the placement.

STEP 6:
a)  After you have decided on the placement of your applique, use a
Teflon pressing sheet along with a hot dry iron to press the design
down onto the background material.

STEP 7:

a)  Set your machine accordingly for applique.

b)  You can select an applique stitch from stitches already
pre-programmed on your machine that may be available to you.  If you
don’t have pre-programmed applique stitches available on your make &
model of machine, you can simply use the zig-zag stitch on your
machine, making sure to set your stitch width/length according to your
machine manual instructions for applique.

Your material and applique will be cotton, so use a good quality
cotton thread.  Choosing a contrasting thread color will help to add
depth and interest to your design.

STEP 8:

a)  Add finishing touches of your choice (I added raindrops for my
umbrella tote).  You can also use this technique for creating unique
quilting projects, more tote bags, cute pillows, denim jackets, jeans
and so many other totally and uniquely ‘you’ projects.

If you found this tutorial helpful, I would like to hear from you.

Be sure to check out the cute silhouettes below from Designs By Sick,
these would make a good choice for your first new applique design:

http://www.designsbysick.com/details/animalsilhouttes
http://www.designsbysick.com/details/animalsilov2