In this tutorial we will show you how to make the background of our Free Bear Applique pattern - Bear throwing flowers.
First of all you need to cut out the smaller foreground circle (the yellow in our case).
Start by cutting a piece of fabric a little larger than the size of your inner circle pattern.
Then iron on some iron-on paper or freezer paper to the wrong side of your fabric. Put the waxed side of the paper against the wrong side of your fabric.
This paper gives your fabric a little more support and stability for your project.
We cut our foreground circle with our Scan and Cut machine (but you can also do this by hand cutting - see our videos on cutting appliqué pieces https://sewswpea.com/blogs/tutorials/tagged/applique).
Lay your fabric in the centre of your cutting mat and press this down lightly.
https://sewswpea.com/blogs/tutorials/how-to-use-a-cutting-machine-to-cut-fabric
There is a grid on the mat so that you can easily centre anything you need to cut and having a lightly sticky surface your fabric shouldn't move once it is placed.
Load in your mat into your cutting machine.
And cut your circle out.
Carefully remove your circle from your mat. The paper comes away really easily from the fabric, so slowly pull this away from your sticky mat and keep them together as best you can.
Put this circle aside until you're ready to use it.
This will be the foreground centre of your Free Bear Applique pattern.
Next you need to prepare the background (ours is white) for this design.
Cut a piece of fabric 31cm (12") x 31cm (12"), basically the size of your cutting mat.
If you are using a cutting machine - In the centre of this background (white) fabric, on the wrong side, you will need to press a piece of iron on or freezer paper.
This needs to be approximately 2.5cm (1") larger (at a minimum) than your yellow circle. NOTE - If you feel more comfortable making this paper a little larger that is fine also and probably easier.
Once again, the reason we are using this iron on or freezer paper, is to provide further stability for the background circle because we are going to be using a cutting machine to cut out the circle.
Once you have your iron-on or freezer paper attached, place your fabric onto your cutting mat, right side down. Try and keep this as central as possible and flat.
If you do have few light wrinkles in your fabric don't stress too much, it shouldn't affect your cut.
Load your mat into your cutting machine.
Use the very same circle pattern piece you used for the foreground (yellow circle) to cut out the background circle.
NOTE - You can cut this piece out by hand if you prefer. If cutting out by hand make sure you apply a fusible webbing to the back of the fabric before cutting.
Using a Cutting Machine - First you need to scan the mat, so that you are able to accurately see where your square is on your white fabric. At this stage also ensure that you have cut a large enough area of your iron-on or freezer paper for the circle to be cut on.
Once you are happy with that you can cut the circle out of your background fabric.
Release the mat
Next you need to cut out that lovely frilled border
This frill will be used later to cover the join where the raw edges of the foreground circle (yellow) and the background circle (white) meet..
Cut a piece of fabric large enough to cut the border from and a piece of fusible web which is the same size.
Press these together with an iron as per your fusible web manufacturers instructions.
The fusible web needs to be pressed to the wrong side of the fabric.
Once in place, turn your fabric over and give it another quick press on the right side of the fabric. It is important that this fusible web has properly adhered to the fabric.
Next put your fabric (with fusible web attached) onto the centre of your cutting mat and load this into your cutting machine.
TIP - You can use the grid on the cutting mat or your white background fabric to confirm that you have this laid in the centre of your cutting mat.
Scan the fabric on the cutting mat to double check it is centred.
Once this is scanned check your frilled border design against the scan.
Now you need to group the two layers together (the outside and inside line of the border) because they are two separate cuts and grouping them will ensure that they move on your screen as a pair.
Move the design so it is centred on top of your border fabric on your mat.
Then cut out your fabric. (Your cutting machine should make two cuts on this fabric, the inside circle and the outside frill of the border).
Once this is cut, gently remove this from the cutting mat.
You should have in total - a background fabric (white), a foreground circle (yellow) and a frilled border fabric (pink). Only the frilled border fabric will have fusible webbing on the back.
Lastly place the foreground circle (yellow) inside the hole on the background fabric (white). Cover the raw edge join with the frilled border fabric (pink) and press the border so the fusible attaches securely to the fabric behind it.
This will securely attach all three together and cover the join.
Your background for your free Bear Appliqué is now complete!
See our helpful Video and Blog on how to embroider a french knot and petals - https://sewswpea.com/blogs/tutorials/how-to-embroider-a-french-knot-and-petals
See our helpful Video and Blog on Hand Embroidered Blanket Stitch - https://sewswpea.com/blogs/tutorials/hand-applique-blanket-stitch
See our helpful Video and Blog on Machine Blanket Stitch – https://sewswpea.com/blogs/tutorials/machine-blanket-stitch-around-applique
If you would like to try our Teddy Bear Appliqué set, this is available FREE to members of our online Sewing Community, the discount code is in the 'Announcements' section of our page -
Sew Sweet Pea Sewing Group
We also have lots of wonderful tutorials available on our website -
Sew Sweet Pea Tutorials
It is our passion to create, inspire, teach and learn. We hope you enjoy our appliqué and sewing patterns. We look forward to seeing what you create.
Feel free to share your next project with us on any of our Social Communities -
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