I have loved finding projects that are simple and highlight my Embroidered Fabric! If you are looking for inspiration about adding your own designs to fabric you already love, check out Embroidery on Fabric. If you haven’t seen my Fabric Basket Tutorial featuring Hand Embroidery, check it out! Now, it’s time for a new way to feature your embroidery…
Using reverse appliqué, I was able to feature another one of my embroidery projects on a tote bag. This is an easy process, but it may be new for you. This isn’t a full Tote Bag Tutorial, but instead gives you steps to make the front a reverse appliqué of your embroidery. You can use this process with any tote bag pattern that you have.
Gather Supplies & Prep Fabric
Gather Supplies:
2 pieces of fabric for Outside (I used a canvas)
2 pieces of fabric for Lining
Embroidery Project
Embroidery Hoop
Fabric Marking Utensils
I originally used a 6 inch Embroidery Hoop and I wanted the canvas to fit snugly up to my design and so I used the same hoop for this step:
Remove the larger hoop for prepping fabrics.
Take a marking utensil and draw the outline of the inside of your embroidery hoop.
There it is!
This helps to ensure that you can match up the bottom embroidery piece with your Tote Bag front for the appliqué.
Find the center of the Tote Bag Front.
Folded your piece in half lengthwise and use an iron to press the edges at the top and bottom so that you can clearly see the center.
Center your hoop.
I chose to place it above the half way point.
Use a Marking Utensil to outline the inside of your embroidery hoop. Make sure that it shows up enough for your sewing, but can be removed as well.
Pin Fabric Together and Sew in Place
Line up the Tote Bag circle carefully with your marked Embroidery circle. Place pins around the outside of the circle to pin in place.
Slowly sew right on your drawn line using your sewing machine. Work to erase the markings afterwards (some will remain if you iron them later).
Cut to Reveal Embroidery
Lift up the Front Tote Bag piece, ensuring that the embroidery fabric is far from it and separated.
Use sharp fabric scissors to start, cutting away the outside fabric that you want to remove to reveal the embroidery.
Carefully cut up to the sewn line. Go slowly and make sure you are not catching any of your embroidery fabric underneath, making your way all the way around the circle.
Patience and precision is key.
This is what the finished reverse appliqué will look like!
(It has to be finished around the edges so that the canvas does not fray, that step will follow below.)
Before moving onto your tote bag pattern, you may way to trim the embroidery piece from the back, leaving a 1/4″ seam allowance around the seam.
I also adhered fusible interfacing to protect the embroidery stitches from the back before making the tote bag.
To finish the raw edge of the reverse appliqué, I used a buttonhole embroidery stitch. You’ll see how the blue thread buttonhole stitches are made close together to make sure that the canvas does not fray and is protected as the bag is used.
I stitched with a chain stitch to add a little bit of embellishment on top of the buttonhole stitch.
Here is the bag, ready to be used!
I can’t wait to see your projects using this technique! You can find more about embellishing this design soon to come on my blog.
Until then, keep on embroidering! <3 Kate
