16 Applique Patterns and Ideas

heather handmade sewing

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Get inspired to sew with these fun applique patterns and ideas. There are creative ideas for quilts, pillows, and clothing.

I’ve always loved using applique to add designs and fun details to clothing and decorations. It’s a simple way to add personality and use up smaller pieces of fabric.

I have done some many different kinds of appliques over the years, and it was so fun to look through all these ideas! Some of these ideas are cut by hand and sewn with a sewing machine, and some of these ideas are cut with a Cricut Maker and sewn with a sewing machine. I hope you find something to inspire you!

applique patterns and ideas

What is applique?

Applique is a sewing technique where fabric is sewn onto a larger piece of fabric either by hand or with a sewing machine to create designs, shapes, and words. You can use printed or solid fabric and applique it onto printed or solid fabric.

One of my favorite things to do when it comes to applique is to combine different mediums like fabric and trim, fabric and buttons, or fabric and iron on vinyl or infusible ink. This makes my applique designs especially unique and different.

What fabric can you applique on?

You can applique on almost any fabric as long as you are prepared and use the right materials. The easiest is to applique cotton with stabilizer onto cotton. This the the most basic, and it’s what you’ll find on a lot of quilts and home decor.

You can also applique on stretch fabric like swim suits and t-shirts if you use a stretchy and lightweight stabilizer.

I also sew my appliques on with a sewing machine either using a straight stitch or a zigzag stitch depending on the methods and how much the project with get washed.

diy valentine applique

Want more sewing ideas:

Applique Patterns and Ideas

Get inspired to sew with these fun applique patterns and ideas. There are creative ideas for quilts, pillows, and clothing.

Applique for Home Decor

Applique for Clothing

If you make something using one of these sewing projects, I’d love to see! Please share it on social media with the hashtag #heatherhandmade and tag me!

heather sewing

I believe small sewing moments can create great joy. Find your own “right” way to sew. -Heather

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