Free 4th of July & Canada Day Iron-On Patch Tutorial!

Making your own iron-on patches is easy and full of possibilities. This is the perfect way to get creative and personalize jackets, hats, backpacks, and even suitcases. We’re celebrating Canada Day and the 4th of July with these adorable iron on patches. We’ll show you how to make your own with these embroidery designs included free for download! Once these patches are complete, you can either sew them or iron them on to whatever you like.

Free embroidery design download: https://www.wonderfil.ca/embroidery-design

We are going to use a plain white canvas type material as our base. Denim also works well for patches, but you want to choose a fabric that is fairly firm and has some body.

For the stabilizer, we have chosen this sticky stabilizer to keep our canvas nice and flat. You could also choose to hoop your fabric with a good cut- away stabilizer. If you choose a sticky stabilizer or an adhesive spray, you may want to use a super non-stick needle, so your needle runs smoothly through the fabric.

We’re choosing to stitch our design with PolyFast. Polyfast is a 2 ply trilobal polyester thread that has a brilliant sheen, and it is strong enough to withstand a fair bit of abuse, should you decide to put the patch on a bag. Polyfast is available in 210 colors, so you can easily find the right color for every design.

We’ll pair it with this 80 wt DecoBob prewound bobbin, to keep the design soft and the tension consistent. We always recommend a fine bobbin thread like DecoBob, especially with embroidery designs, as it will give you a better stitch consistency with all of the dense stitching involved with embroidery.

You will also need some fusible web, such as Heat n Bond, and some Fray Check.

Hoop the sticky stabilizer paper side up in your hoop, then score around the edges with a pin and pull up the paper to reveal the sticky side. Smooth the base material over the center of the hoop. We are also going to float a heavier stabilizer under the hoop to give the patch a bit more body.

Open the design in your embroidery machine, thread your machine with the first color, then begin to stitch out the design, changing colors as indicated on the machine.

Once your design is completely stitched out, remove the fabric and stabilizer from the hoop and cut around the design, about 1/4” from the border stitching.

Turn your patch wrong side up, then place a piece of Heat n’ bond, paper side up and with the fusible side against your patch, and iron in place.

Now, with your patch right side up, run a bead of Fray check all along the border stitching line. This will help to keep the fabric edges from fraying once the patch is cut out.

When the Fray Check has dried, use a sharp pair of scissors to trim closely to the border stitches, taking extra care not to cut into the stitches themselves. Now run a second bead of Fray check along the edges, to further weld down any stray threads.

Once the Fray Check has dried, the paper backing can be peeled off the patch, so you can iron it on to your chosen article. You can then choose to stitch it down by hand for extra security, if you’re putting it on something like a bag or suitcase.

Adding patches to your clothing or bags is a fun way to add some whimsy to your style, and to show your patriotic spirit for Canada Day or Independence Day. Let us know in the comment section below what you like to dress up with patches! Inspired to sew with WonderFil threads? Find a store in your area that carries WonderFil at www.shopwonderfil.com/shop-local. You can also sign up for our free newsletter to receive more educational sewing tips, tutorials, and free patterns. Register by clicking here! We’ll see you again next time!

7 Ways to Use Iron Fusible Thread

We’re going to show you a very useful tool for your sewing room: iron fusible thread. You can use this either in your bobbin or as a top thread, and it’s a great way to do everything from appliqué, lining up fabric patterns, or even making the perfect quilt binding. WonderFil’s Iron ‘n Fuse thread will actually melt and glue your fabric down when exposed to the heat of an iron. But it’s not permanent, you can still pull it up and move your pieces around, then re-fuse it in place if you don’t like the placement. There’s a lot of things you can use it for, so let’s check them out.

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1: Matching stripes, plaids, & patterns:

You don’t need a sewing machine for this one. Lay the thread on the right side of the fabric, along where you want the seam to be. Then take your second piece, line the pattern up to where you want it, and leave it right sides facing together. Give your fabric a quick press and the fusible thread will keep everything in place without pins!

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2: Applique:

Wind the Iron ‘n Fuse on an empty bobbin and use a regular sewing thread on top. Stitch around the appliqué shape, press, remove the top thread, and then trim closely. Use a decorative stitch on the raw edges of the fabric to finish appliquéing it down. The result is a natural looking appliqué without the stiffness of fusible interfacing; it also helps to reduce the puckering caused by using pins. If you happen to place your appliqué incorrectly, you can peel it up, move it and re-fuse it in place.

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3: Binding a quilt:

Place your folded binding on the wrong side of your quilt. Use a tight zig zag to attach it to the quilt, with fusible thread in your bobbin and regular thread in the top.  Now turn your binding to the right side and fuse over the seam. You can now stitch your binding down, stitching close to the edge of the binding. You will be sure to catch the underside of your binding.

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4: In the lower loopers of a serger: 

Serge around your hemline with fusible thread in the lower looper of your serger and regular thread in the needle and upper looper. Turn up hem and fuse, then turn your work to the right side and stitch for a simple turned up hem.

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5: Curved hem:

Run a row of long basting stitches along your curved hem edge, with a regular thread in the needle and the fusible thread in the bobbin. Gently pull up on your bobbin thread to ease in the shape of your curved hem, and then fuse your hem in place. This will make hand stitching your hem in place easier. You could also turn your work right side up to machine stitch your hem without worrying about the hem being distorted on the underside.

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6: Placing zippers:

Baste your zipper opening closed, then press the seam open. Run a row  of stitching along both seam allowances, with the fusible thread in the needle and the bobbin. Center your zipper under your seam, and press both sides to fuse down the seam allowances and at the same time fuse your zipper in place. You can now stitch around your zipper without worrying about it shifting. When your stitching is complete, remove the basting thread that holds the opening closed.

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7: Making pleats crisp:

Mark your pleat lines on your fabric (both inside pleats and outside pleats). Now stitch a scant 1/8” away from the marked lines, with regular thread in the top and fusible thread in the bobbin (the bobbin thread should be on the inside of the pleat). Using a press cloth, press along your marked lines. The fusible thread will help to make the pleats crisp.

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Let us know how you like to use iron fusible thread in the comments, or if this blog inspired you to try something new using iron fusible thread! You can also watch these tips in action in the video below.

Inspired to sew with Iron ‘n Fuse? Head on over to shopwonderfil.com/shop-local/ for a list of stores and retailers you can purchase from. You can also sign up to receive weekly sewing tips, free patterns, and tutorials in our newsletter. Register by clicking here! You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the unsubscribe button on the footer of every email you receive.

Sewing Raw Edge Appliqué Using Iron Fusible Thread (FREE Pattern Included!)

Raw edge appliqué is a simple, fast, and easy way to appliqué your pieces together because it doesn’t require any extra steps. The most common way to sew raw edge appliqué is to use fusible stabilizer, however this can leave your appliqué looking and feeling stiff. In this video, we’ll show you how to sew raw edge appliqué using iron fusible thread, as well as some tips and tools to make it easier. Included is a free pattern to practice with or turn into your own unique project!

Trace your appliqué shapes onto the fabric using a temporary pen or piece of chalk and cut them out. We always recommend using batik fabric for raw edge appliqué because the fabric is less prone to fraying. If your shapes are more complex, or have a lot of angles in them, we suggest using a smaller, sharp pair of scissors to do your cutting with as it makes it much easier to do.

We’re going to load the machine with two different threads. In the top is a temporary regular sewing thread that will be pulled out later. However, in the bobbin we’ll be winding this thread called Iron ‘n Fuse. This is an iron fusible thread that will fuse the appliqué pieces to the fabric.

If you have appliqué pieces that have smaller shapes, you can add an optional layer of water soluble stabilizer underneath to make it easier to sew on the machine. You don’t need to cut it out to match the shape of your appliqué perfectly, just cut out a rough shape that your appliqué will easily fit over.

Increase your machine’s stitch length slightly to make it easier to pull the top thread out later. Sew all the way around your appliqué piece.

Position your appliqué on your project and press with high heat. The best part about using Iron ‘n Fuse thread is that it can still be lifted and repositioned as needed. It won’t fuse permanently to your project. Once your appliqué is in place, you can pull out the top thread.

To stitch your appliqué down permanently, you can use any variety of threads depending on the look you wish to achieve. The choice is yours, however for my appliqué I’ll be using this 50wt variegated cotton called Tutti. I love this thread because it’s been double gassed so it has a clean, ultra low lint finish, and the colour changes on the thread are quicker.

Sew around your appliqué about 1/8th of an inch away from the edge. If you want to make a bolder outline on your appliqué, you can go around again a second time. Raw edge appliqué tends to have a scrappy look, so don’t worry about making your lines perfectly aligned with each other.

Alternatively, you can hide the raw edge of the appliqué by selecting a satin stitch on your machine and sewing over the edge to cover it. We chose to stitch a bold outline around the appliqué pieces using this thicker 12wt thread called Spagetti. Like Tutti, it’s also a low lint cotton, but this thicker thread is a great way to add emphasis or an outline to a motif in your project.

After you’re finished permanently stitching your pieces down, don’t forget to wash your project to remove the water soluble stabilizer, if you chose to use it. No matter which creative way you choose to finish your raw edge appliqué project, this method is a fool-proof way to reduce the stiffness of an iron-on stabilizer often used in this technique.

If you’ve tried this for yourself, tag us on Instagram @wonderfilspecialtythread or by the hashtag at #wonderfil. We would love to see your sewing projects and progress! Ready to start sewing? You can find a list of stores that carry WonderFil threads on www.shopwonderfil.com/shop-local/. You can also sign up to receive weekly sewing tips, free patterns, and tutorials in our newsletter. Register by clicking here! You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the unsubscribe button on the footer of every email you receive.