Elephant Applique Tutorial - Top Dog Dies

Hello blogging friends. Marcia here today with a tutorial for you on how you can use your dies for applique projects. You can use appliques to dress up clothes, embellish a quilt, decorate household items like pillows, and more! I used the new Top Dog Elephant dies to create a unique baby shower gift...

Here is a closer shot ...

So, Do you want to know how you can create your own appliques?

First lets gather our supplies.
Top Dog Dies Elephant die set - (lots of other Top Dog Dies would work too)
Quilt fabric (cotton) - Fat quarters of fabric are a great way to buy just a little bit of fabric in a couple coordinating colors and patterns.
Pellon Wonder-Under - If you are not familiar with Wonder-Under it is a paper backed fusible web.
Matching DMC floss and needle
Small button for the elephant's eye
Teflon Sheet (optional, but I highly recommend it)
Iron
Something to put your applique on - I used a couple of onesies. T-Shirts, pillows, hats, jeans would have worked just as well.

1. Cut small squares of fabric large enough for cutting out elephants and the same size squares of the Pellon Wonder-Under. Iron Wonder-Under to the back side of the fabric. Leave the paper for now.

2. Die cut your fabric placing the die on top of the fabric side. Your die cut sandwich would be the same as for paper. I also placed a metal plate under my sandwich to ensure a nice clean cut.

3. Peel paper backing off Wonder-Under and arrange die cut fabric on the material. Heat iron, following temperature instructions on Wonder-Under.

4. Place Teflon sheet over die cuts and iron pressing firmly. The Teflon sheet distributes the heat evenly and helps prevent scorching of the fabric.

5. Let cool. Then check if totally adhered. If not, replace Teflon sheet and iron again.

6. Use DMC floss to blanket stitch around the edge. I used 2 strands of floss while stitching.

7. Sew on a small button for the elephant's eye.

This will be even more adorable with a coordinating hat or skirt or pants. I hope you will give it a try.
~Marcia