Applique
Applique machine embroidery designs digitised with placement, tackdown and finishing stitches, so you can bring them to life with your own fabrics.
Applique embroidery designs made for your own fabrics
Applique combines fabric and stitching. Instead of filling a shape with thousands of stitches, you lay a piece of fabric down and the machine stitches around it. The result is soft, colourful and quick, and every piece is unique because you choose the fabrics.
Our applique designs include simple motifs such as a bird, a cat and a fish, plus full applique alphabets in the Alphabets section.
How machine applique works
- Placement line: the machine stitches an outline showing where your fabric goes.
- Tackdown: lay your fabric over the outline and the machine stitches it in place.
- Trim: take the hoop off the machine (but leave the fabric hooped) and trim the excess fabric close to the stitching.
- Finish: the machine stitches the satin or decorative edge and any details.
Tips for better applique
- Use a light fusible web on the back of your applique fabric to stop it shifting and fraying
- Cotton quilting fabrics, felt and denim all work well
- Use small curved scissors for trimming close to the tackdown line
- Keep scraps from other projects, applique is a great way to use them up
Formats and downloading
Every design comes in the main home embroidery machine formats, including PES, JEF, DST, HUS, VP3, EXP and more. After checkout the files are ready straight away in your account, so you can be stitching within minutes. Not sure which format your machine uses? Check your machine manual or contact us and we will point you in the right direction.
Want to try before you buy? Browse the free machine embroidery designs page, or pick up the daily free design on the Specials page.