Chenille Layered Applique Sweatshirt

It's easy to make a layered image chenille applique if you follow the steps in this pattern from Sulky of America. You can decorate a sweatshirt or other sturdy fabric item with your favorite image, whether it's a flag, your favorite animal, or a bouquet of flowers.




   


Materials:

• Sewing machine with a walking foot and guide (optional)
• Sharp scissors with blunt ends
• 24" Quilter's Rule
• Pencil, chalk pencil or water-soluble pen
• Clover™ Slash Cutter or rotary sctter and thin mat to slide in channels for cutting
• Sulky 30 wt. cotton thread for needle and bobbin
• Contrasting thread (optional)
• Base garment
• Fashion fabric with feature print - enough to layer 3 to 4 pattern repeats
• Sulky KK 2000 temporary spray adhesive
• Sulky polyester invisible thread
• General sewing supplies

Steps:

1. Decide on a print. Choose a design from fabric that will fray. Decide how much of the design that you wish to include in your stacked appliqué picture. Tip: Unless the print is from a lightweight rayon or silk, you may want to choose a heavier weight garment to support the weight of 4 layers.
   
   
    
2. Mark the bias line on fabric using a water soluble or chalk marker. The drawn line represents the angle the chenille will flow. Note: Chenille can be made to flow in either direction depending on what is happening in your selected print. In the sample shown in the steps, the left to right forward movement of the horses dictated angle used.
   
   
    
3. Cut out the design 3 or 4 times, including all of the print that you want to show. Cut one slightly larger--this will be the bottom layer.
    
4. Stack all the layers, being sure that the one with the bias line marked on it is on the top, and that the larger one on the bottom extends all around the perimeter just slightly.  Using straight pins in several areas, line up the design, matching the exact same places on all layers. Pin together securely.
   
    
    
5. Spray Sulky KK 2000 temporary spray adhesive on the back of the chenille stack and apply it to your sweatshirt or whatever you wish to place the chenille on.
   
   
    
6. With a straight stitch length of 2 or 2.5, stitch along the drawn bias line using a matching Sulky 30 wt. cotton thread or sewing thread.
   
   
   
   Stitch parallel lines at equal distances apart out to the edge of the design. The lines can be from 1/4" to 1/2" apart. Continue with the same equal spacing throughout. Tip: The closer the lines, the fluffier it will look. (Leta stitches 3/8" apart.) Using the presser foot width as a guide and adjusting the needle position is ideal. Be sure to lock your stitches at the beginning and end of each row. Do not stitch over the larger margin of the bottom piece because this will be cut away when done and any overlapping stitches will need to be pulled out. Note: The stack in this project is already on the garment or sweatshirt as a base.
    
7. After all the lines have been stitched, cut between the stitched channels - DO NOT CUT THE LARGER BASE LAYER. Use either a Clover Slash Cutter clipping about 1/2" of each channel before using; use a blunt-end scissors; or cut the layers with a regular rotary cutter but slide a thin line cutting mat by Omnigrid™ made especially for chenille work into the channel before cutting down to the appropriate layer. Carefully cut away the unstitched small margin that extends around the bottom piece. Note: We superimposed dashed lines to indicate the stitched channels.
   
   
    
8. After stitching and cutting is done, wash and dry to fluff the chenille. Fluffing will be best after several washings and dryings. Your garment is now ready to wear.