More About Wool Felt Appliqué...

Many folks fuse the wool pieces to the background with an iron-on fusible product. When I took my first wool felt appliqué class, the instructor just had us baste the pieces in place with sewing thread using big stitches which were easily removed later. This also allowed the felted piece to be a bit puffy, adding a bit more dimension. However, I prefer to staple my larger pieces in place - a tip I picked up from a YouTube video. The staple holes were easily blended back into the felted wool afterward.

For really small pieces, I just use a dab of craft glue to keep them in place for stitching. 

I cannot recommend micro-serrated scissors more highly. The blades 'grab' the wool and pointy blades allow for very precise cutting. I used the bigger scissors for cutting the pieces out and the smaller ones for more detailed cutting. I always have a pin cushion handy to hold the needle when not in use (i.e. when cutting more thread). It saves me the panic of losing the needle somewhere on my work surface or having it stick to my clothing or fall on the ground.

As I may have mentioned in a previous post, I use a freezer paper method to transfer my pattern to the wool pieces. Freezer paper is a thin parchment paper with a thin wax coating on one side. Basically, I iron a piece of freezer paper onto a piece of printer paper, shiny/wax side against the printer paper, using the 'wool' setting on the iron. Then I trim any excess of the freezer paper to the borders of the printer paper. This is done to give the freezer paper some firmness to go through my printer.

Then print the pattern(s) onto the freezer paper, reversing the image in the printer's software settings if necessary. The orientation is particularly necessary if transferring printed messages.

I then cut out the pattern pieces well outside the printed edges and peel the printer paper off the back of the freezer paper piece. Then iron the pattern piece onto the wool making sure the waxy side is on the felt.

Then cut out along the exact printed line. You can keep the freezer paper attached until you need to use that piece, then easily peel it off. That piece of freezer paper should work for multiples of the same piece.

When fully finishing, I use Fray Check around the edges of the thin homespun that the kit provided with the backing. It dries clear. This would also work with a flannel backing. 

I was so pleased with how quickly I was able to stitch and fully finish these three little pillows! 

Now I want to get this nifty kit - Garden Bowl Fillers - by the same designer - Heart to Hand. I have seen models and they are so cute! 

They could be displayed from spring to fall, too!

But before that, I need to finish the embroidery and fully finish the little sunflower quilt I started at the retreat.