| Felt Appliques for a Fleece Throw |
From "Ask DIY"
episode ADI-407 |
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Q: I have a comfortable fleece blanket that I'd like to use an accent in my living room. Can you tell me a craft project that can add some color to it? A: (from crafter expert, Debbie Stapely) Felt appliques can be added in a simple no-sew project to accent a fleece throw for your living room or guest room. If you like, you can sew the finished designs on for extra strength, but you can also do this project without making a single sewing stitch. Here's how.
- Begin with a simple fleece throw. If you don't already have one, you can purchase one from a fabric store for around 20 dollars. This may actually be cheaper (and certainly easier) than buying fleece fabric and finishing the edges yourself.
- Once you've selected your fabric, you can begin making your felt cut-outs (figure A). Choose your felt in a variety of colors so that they will complement the color of your throw and work well in the room where you'll be using it. In addition to varying colors and shades, felt is available in a variety of textures, patterns and embossed imprints.
- Use heavy-duty paper-backed fusible web to create an adhesive that will bond your felt cut outs to the blanket. Follow the instructions that come with your web material to bond it to large pieces of your felt before cutting them into your decorative shapes. Iron the web material paper-side-up to attach it to the back side of your felt (figure B).
- Once the web is attached to the felt, peel back the paper to expose the dry adhesive surface. While the adhesive is still in its non-sticky state, draw your designs onto the adhesive surface (figure C).
- In our demonstration, leaf stencils were used to trace designs onto the side of the felt with the adhesive (figure D).
- Once you've out drawn your designs, cut them out with scissors and position them on your blanket according to your taste.
- Once positioned to your liking, iron the cut-outs on according to the instructions using a hot iron (figure E).
- Note: When ironing on heavy material such as felt, you may need to leave the hot iron on the felt surface for slightly longer to achieve a good bond.
- If you like, you can embellish the leaf designs using dimensional paint (figure F). Be sure that the paint is fully dry before using the blanket.
- Tip: Once you're appliques are all attached, the throw can be used and is washing-machine safe. However, be aware that intricate cutouts such as the edges and points of the leaves in our demonstration (figure G) may tend to come loose slightly after several washes. If they do, simply tack them back down using fabric glue. Use a toothpick to dab glue under the edges of smaller pieces. If you're a sewing enthusiast, you may want to sew around the edges of the appliques for extra holding power. Keep in mind that the stitching will be visible on the backside of the throw.
RESOURCES :
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Author: Editors of Creative Publishing International
(August, 2000)
To order this title from Amazon, click here.
Creative Publishing International, Inc.
Website: www.creativepub.com
Color and Design on Fabric: Paint, Dye, Stitch, and Print
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Author: Creative Publishing International
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Model: 086573870X
Author: Home Arts Editors of CPI
(February, 2001)
Creative Publishing International, Inc.
Website: www.creativepub.com
Fabric Painting: A Simple Approach
Model: 1564772950
Author: Ginny Eckley
(April, 2000)
Martingale & Co. / That Patchwork Place
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Imagery on Fabric: A Complete Surface Design Handbook
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Sew-It-Yourself Home Decor: Fabric Projects for the Living Room, Bedroom, and Beyond
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