How To Digitize Summer Placemats, Part 2 - Precutting Applique Fabric Pieces

There are rewarding benefits to precutting fabric pieces for applique. Precutting can be done with an electric cutter, in the embroidery hoop with Cutwork Needles, or even using printed templates and scissors. No matter which method is best for you, the outcome will be rewarding. This lesson will focus on using an embroidery machine and Cutwork Needles.

With 30-day Free Trial of mySewnet Embroidery Software you will get to try out the most user-friendly and feature rich digitizing software on the market. It works with all embroidery machine brands and is available for both Windows and Mac.

What you will learn:

• Benefits of precutting applique fabric pieces
• Preparing fabric for cutting
• Precutting applique fabric with Cutwork Needles in the embroidery hoop

What you will need:

• Applique fabric
  • 6” x 4” Pink, Yellow and Green (Popsicles)
  • 5” x 2 ½” Dk. Pink, Dk. Yellow, Dk. Green (Inner portion of popsicle)
  • 3” x 6” Tan (Popsicle stems)
• Fusible web (Steam-A-Seam 2™ was used in this project because it is a heat activated pressure sensitive fusible web and allows for repositioning if needed)
• Machine embroidery hoops (project was written using the 360mm x 260mm hoop)
• Pfaff™ or Husqvarna Viking™ Cutwork Needles

Not everyone who enjoys applique owns and electric cutting machine or is a great option for those who do not applique as often. Cutwork Needles offers an easy and economical way of precutting applique pieces using an embroidery machine. This method of precutting fabric pieces offers some great benefits:

1. No need to worry about cutting too close to the fabric tacking stitches and the satin stitches do not fully cover the appliqued fabric.
2. Not worrying about cutting close enough to the tacking stitches and having fabric poking through the satin stitching.
3. “Fabric bubbles” will be a thing of the past since fusible web will be used and will help secure the applique pieces stay in place and lay flat.

Let’s get started:

4.  Transfer the “applique cutwork precuts” files that were saved from lesson one over to the embroidery machine, using your favorite transfer method (flash drive, wireless send or via the cloud).
5.  Cut fusible web slightly larger than the hoop of choice and hoop only the fusible web. Score an “X” in the cover sheet of the fusible web and peel away to expose the tacky portion of the fusible web. (The Steam-A-Seam 2™ with the fabric fused to it is strong enough to hoop without stabilizer.)
6. Take the cut pieces of applique fabrics and place them in hoop, avoiding the top and lower portion of the hoop (this is the portion of the hoop that is outside the perimeter of the stitching area). Fuse the fabrics in place with an iron.

7. If you have a Wi-Fi capable embroidery machine, use the Design Placement in the mySewnet™ App to send the image of the hoop to the embroidery machine to be used as a background. Bring in the cutwork files into the hoop, adding the appropriate designs to the size fabrics you have in the hoop. (If not using the 360mm x 260mm hoop, more hoopings will be necessary)

8. Insert the first color Cutwork Needle and let the embroidery machine do the cutting. Change Cutwork Needles as required in the design. The machine will stop when it is time to switch the Cutwork Needles.
9. When the embroidery is complete, clip the secure points and set aside until you need them for lesson 3.

Try our embroidery digitizing software free for 30 days!