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I recently was working on a new sample and wanted to use Flair Designs airbrushed hummingbirds. Since I was working with light color linen and the hummingbirds were airbrushed on a black cotton, I wanted a way to reduce the amount of black surrounding the birds. Traditional appliqué (applied to the surface) would have left me with a heavy black outline. Even if I used a light color thread to satin stitch with, you still get some of the 'show through' of the background fabric. Thus, I chose Reverse Appliqué!
STEP
1
First I made a clear plastic template (I use overhead transparency plastic),
from the design, and traced a dashed line a 1/4" away from the actual image.
I cut on the dashed line.
STEP
2
Next I placed the template over the design and traced around it with
a white chalk pencil.
Why
did I make a template? Why not just cut around the image a 1/4" away? Consistency.
I was doing four reverse appliqués (two on the front, two on the back),
and I wanted all of them to have the same edge. Notice how I have birds going
different directions? I didn't need to make a new template, just flip it over!
STEP
3
After cutting the image on the white line, I pin it to the wrong
side of the top. The right side of the image is towards the top.
STEP
4
Using a very short stitch length (1.5), I stitched a scant 1/8"
away from the cut edge. "Scant" means 'almost' to people who sew. So
a scant 1/8" is somewhere between 1/16" and 1/8". Use an open toe
foot to see where you're going.
STEP
5
From the right side, carefully trim away inside the stitched
line, leaving approximately 1/16" of the top fabric. Don't trim too close,
or you'll be in danger of your fabric pulling away.
STEP
6
Satin stitch in a color of thread that matches the top fabric. No 'show
through' since I'm satin stitching over the top fabric not the black background
of the hummer!
Another advantage of reverse appliqué is the fabric stays soft. No
fusible bond is used.