Multi-Needle Monday: Embroidering Appliqué Patterns

Combine traditional appliqué with embroidery to create unique designs. This technique is ideal for creating appliqués and applying them to fabrics that cannot be embroidered on easily.  You can create design badges or your own unique appliqués. This method of applying an appliqué design creates fewer stitches on the shirt which means less puckering after you have washed the shirt many times.

Supplies: Enterprise Multi-Needle Embroidery Machine by Baby Lock® ,Built-in design

At the Embroidery Machine:

1. Select an embroidery pattern. Note: some patterns cannot be used and a message will appear on the screen. If the pattern is reduced in size it may work. In this sample, the design was not resized. The design that is used is design number 14, found under the Exclusive Novelty category.

2. Re-assign colors if desired using the Change Thread Color Key. In the sample, the first color was changed to light pink. Touch Edit End.
3. On page 2 of the Machine Settings screen, adjust the distance from the design to the appliqué outline. The default setting is 3mm. Press close.

4. In the Embroidery Settings screen touch the Appliqué key. An outline stitch will appear around the design. Three additional steps have been added to the sewing order:
   1. Sewing a cutting line.
   2. Sewing a positioning line on the background fabric.
   3. Satin stitch.

5. Touch the Edit key again (as shown above in the illustration) and return to the Pattern Editing Screen. Touch the Change Thread Color key. Using the Minus Thread spool move backward through the colors sequence to the three appliqué color stops. Move to the next stop to sew a position line on the background fabric. Press Close and engage the Pause key to add a machine stop just before the second to last color stop. It is recommended that the thread used for the “sewing a cutting line”, should match the color of the base fabric. It is also recommend that you use stabilized felt or denim for the appliquéd piece.

6. Hoop the stabilizer and place a piece of felt that will fit in the hoop. If the felt section is too small to hoop, hoop the stabilizer and spray with the temporary spray adhesive and place the felt section over the top of the hoop while finger pressing  to hold in place.
7. Sew out the first four color stops on the design. When the machine stops after the fourth color, remove the hoop from the frame and carefully trim around the design on the cutting outline stitch with a sharp pair of scissors.

8. Hoop the Mesh Cut-Away stabilizer and spray with the temporary spray adhesive.
9. Place a Positioning Sticker on the shirt front or on the desired section of the shirt.
10. Place the shirt over the stabilized hoop and finger press in place.
11. Place the hoop on the hoop bracket.
12. To reposition the design for perfect placement, take the design back to the first color stop on the design by clicking on the “0” key as shown below and Close.

13. Click on the Return key, and when the message “OK to cancel embroidery” appears, select OK. This will take you to the screen that is shown below.

14. Select the Positioning icon as shown above. The machine will scan the hoop area looking for the positioning sticker. Once it finds the sticker it will position the design in the correct position for embroidery. It will ask you to “Remove the embroidery positioning mark”. Remove the sticker.
15. Advance to the second to last color stop. Stitch this thread color.
16. Position the stitched design over the stitched outline. I like to fuse a fusible appliqué stabilizer to the back side of the design.  This helps hold the design in place during embroidery.
17. To finish embroidery proceed to the last color to stitch the satin stitch.

Created by: Diane Kron, Software and Embroidery Projects Manager for Designer’s Gallery