Adding Texture
Beginner’s Guide to Quilting 133HOW TO ADD APPLIQUÉ
WITH INTERFACING
Interfacing helps to strengthen fabric shapes as
well as reducing fraying on your finished piece.
Follow these simple steps to add some easy
appliqué to your quilts.
(^1) Prepare the fabric
Cut a piece of the fabric that you’d like to appliqué (if
you’re using a patterned fabric, consider which part
of the pattern you want to show). Iron some iron-on
interfacing to the wrong side of your fabric, making
sure you iron onto the smooth side of the interfacing.
If you’re adding appliqué to your quilts, it’s a good
idea to also use an interfacing layer. This acts as a
stabiliser for the appliquéd fabric, as well as helping
to prevent the edges from fraying – so it’s especially
good if you’re using the raw-edge method, as it will
give a neater finish.
Before you start, make sure you choose your
interfacing carefully. It comes in a range of weights,
so pick one to match the weight of your fabric, and
it also comes in both light and dark shades – again,
choose the one that suits the fabrics you’re using.
Do a test iron first on a scrap piece of fabric.
(^2) Create the shape
If you’re using a template, trace around it on the
reverse of the interfaced fabric. Try to keep the
template square to the fabric, following the grain. Now
cut out the shape. You should find that the interfacing
stabilises the woven fabric and makes it easier to cut.
(^3) Stitch in place
Finally, place the fabric shape on to your quilt and
stitch in place. Use a contrasting thread to make the
stitches become an extra decorative feature. We’ve
used a series of simple straight stitches around the
edges, but you can experiment with different stitches.
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