Want to add sparkle and sheen to simple images? Try Mylar applique. When using Mylar, let the Mylar shine through the stitches. Plan on using a motif fill that mimics fish scales. 
Start with a drawing of a fish – I drew this simple shape in Inspiration’s Perfect Embroidery Pro. There are six elements: the main body, the three fins, the head and the eye. 
Select the body, right click and select Complex Fill. 
With the body selected, change the Fill Type to Motif and the Pattern to #135 in the Properties Box (Fill Tab). Change the Pattern length to 2.5, put a check in the 3D effect box and click Apply. 
Select the head, right click and select Complex Fill. With the head selected, change the Fill Type to Wave, Stitch length to 2.8 and the Density to 3.10. Click Apply. 
Select the eye. Right click and select Complex Fill. Leave the default settings. 
Select the eye, right click and select Create Border. 
Select the border, right click and select Steil. 
Change the width to 1.5 in the Properties Box (Steil tab). 
Select the three fins. Right click, Convert to Run. Change the length to 2.4. 
Select the head and the body, right click and select Create Outline. Change the distance to zero, click ok. 
The outline is artwork at this point so select it, right click and convert it to Run. Change the run to a Bean stitch, 2.4 stitch length, 3 repeats in the Properties Box, Run tab. 
Now let’s change the stitch order as you’ll want the outline to stitch last. The order should be: body, fins, eye and outline. One last step: add a placement guide for the Mylar. Select the last color, the outline, Copy and Paste. Select the copy, change it to a run stitch (from a bean) and set the stitch length to 3.0. Renumber the colors place the run stitch outline as the first color. 
How fun is that? Perfect Embroidery Pro makes you look like a digitizing whiz!
9 COMMENTS
beth
9 years agoI will one day use mylar but has not yet done it.
Gail Beam
9 years agoI haven’t used mylar yet in a design, but I love the effects it has and have bought some mylar to use.
Ann
9 years agoWhere can I purchase mylar?
This sounds interesting!
Kaiti
9 years agoYou can get Mylar at any Store that sells Mylar balloons, I buy the balloons at the dollar store and use these, My grandkids outgrow the clothes before the mylar finally gets too bad looking. Easy and inexpensive.
Karen Poole
9 years agoMylar is great fun to use! You don’t have to have software or know how to digitize to use Mylar. There are a lot of designs that you can buy that are already digitized for Mylar such as Christmas ornaments. I have bought and made lots of them, they turn out really nice!! And usually people try to guess what type of “fabric” you’ve used!!
Bruce
7 years agoI agree, there are lots! but I guess its more beautiful if you made it by your own.
Bruce, https://www.printavo.com
Patricia LaPorta
9 years agoI’m trying to come out of an embroidery slump…..this sounds like it might help, thanks!!!
Gwen
5 years agoCan pe design 10 digitize these Mylar designs
Vivienne Westwood
4 years agoI drew this simple shape in Inspiration’s Perfect Embroidery Pro.
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