I have two pieces of a polyester sheer printed fabric that I rescued from a top that did not fit. I want to applique the tulips from the print onto another fabric. I’ve never done applique. Can someone suggest what sort of base fabric I should choose, and what methods I should use to do the applique? Fortunately, since I have two pieces, I can “spare” one of them as practice if something goes wrong.
I’m thinking I want to hand sew the applique on, just because I’m much better at fine hand sewing than by machine; should I do a turn under technique? How do I cut the sheer fabric accurately? Is there a good way to stiffen it? I’ve never had much luck with spray starch…
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There are stiffener products for embroidery machines that you could use to make the fabric more manageable and then wash it out when you're done. I've used Palmer Pletsch Perfect Sew Wash Away Fabric Stabilizer to stiffen/stabilize yardage that was slippery and prone to ravel. In your case, I suggest cutting some squares from areas of the fabric that you won't be using and experimenting with different dilution rates to find what works best . I used 1 : 1 which was way more than necessary. And don't forget that glue sticks can be a God send for holding things down/together while hand sewing. It's fun and satisfying to up cycle. Good Luck.