Garden Bugs Appliques Patterns

Spent a few hours working late at night in my sewing room to come out with the garden bugs appliques and a few appliques designs on onesies for my 7 month-old godson, just in time for him to pack and take home after a long holiday with his mom here.

These garden bugs appliques patterns were built from some simple symmetrical shapes of ovals and circles. With some fabric scraps, fusible web, and embroidery flosses etc on hand, you should be able to finish them in an hour or 2.

The Garden Bugs Appliques patterns consist of  Bumble Bee, Lady Bug, and Caterpillar. Get the tutorial of doing these “patch-on” garden bugs appliques and also the how-to for the quick way after this jump.

Garden Bugs Appliques – Free Pattern

scroll to get the pattern & tutorial

I wanted to come out with a hand applique tutorial ever since I made the applique pajamas for my son. Time flies, my once cuddly little baby, the crawling and walking toddler suddenly turn into an energetic young little boy that never stop running and climbing whose trying to show his mom (me!) a few heart-attack-trigger & hair-raising stunts.

Sometimes, I really miss those days where he could sleep up to 12 hours at night plus 2 – 3 long naps at daytime, what a peaceful day with no shouting, no screaming, no yelling, no fighting…. sigh! See, I really missed those days!

There are a few ways of doing hand applique, either by traditional needle turn sewing (edge hemming) or modern fuse/stick on then embroidery the edges, all it means is to attach patches of fabrics onto a garment surface to form the embellished pattern you want. The time needed to complete an applique depends on how complicated the pattern is.

Running out of time or too lazy to prepare patch by patch? there is also a quick way to do applique by using ready prints on fabric (as shown in the last 2 pictures below). Besides the normal patch-on applique, you can do applique in a reverse way, click here to go to the reverse applique tutorial.

Garden Bugs Appliques

Difficulty level: Easy

Material:
1. Onesie or romper or any garment you would like to have the applique on.
2. Fabric scraps
3. Fusible web or heat ‘n bond
4. Pencil
5. Embroidery floss & needle
6. Erasable fabric marker
7. Fray check (optional, use with sewing machine’s option)

Tools:
1. Sewing machine (optional)
2. Iron
3. Scissor
4. Small embroidery hoop, I used 4″ dia. size.

Download the garden bugs appliques pattern (consist of Bumble Bee, Lady Bug & Caterpillar) in pdf format. {It will either open in a new tab or open a small window asking you to save it as a file. The default folder normally is under “/downloads”}
The pattern is in letter size paper, don’t scale the printing if you want the exact size like the one I made.
{If you can’t download the pdf pattern, probably you don’t have acrobat reader, download the latest version for free, here.}

How To Hand Applique

Trace the applique pattern on the paper backing of the fusible web. You don’t have to mirror these patterns since they are in symmetrical shapes.
Choose your scraps for colors and sizes that suit the pattern.
(Now, you know why I seldom throw small little scraps away after each sewing projects and keep them all in my fabric scrap container when I did my craft room organization & storage 😉 They are indeed are my treasured trashes.)

Set iron to medium heat. Place the traced fusible web with a rough side (adhesive) down onto the wrong side of the scrap.
Glide the warm iron on them to melt the adhesive of the fusible web and thus bond it to the fabric scrap.
Check the bonding after it’s cool and make sure the adhesion is good.

If you use a sewing machine for the satin stitch, do this step now. If you hand embroidery the satin stitch, you can do this step later during the embroidery stage.
Set your sewing machine to the widest zigzag stitch (about 3/16″, 5mm wide) and near to zero stitch length (normally use for buttonhole). Try on your other scrappy fabric to test it out before the actual work.
Satin stitch 3 rows of black stripes on the bumblebee body, extend slightly out from the pattern’s outline.
Drop 1 – 2 drops of fray check on the satin stitch that intersect with the pattern’s outline. Leave it aside to let them absorb and dry for a few minutes.

Cut the patterns out from the fabric, preferably using a pair of small sharp tip scissors since the pattern is small.

Peel off the fusible web paper backing. Position the pattern on the onesie. Iron with warm iron to bond the pattern on. Again, check the bonding after it is cool.

Repeat the cutting and ironing for the bumblebee body after the fray check is almost dry. If the thread ends start to ravel after the cutting, add a few more drops of fray check on them.

Unscrew the embroidery hoop to its maximum, and put it on to the onesie. Don’t pull and try to straighten the onesie inside the hoop, this will stretch the knit of the onesie and thus cause the bonding to break and pattern to go off position.

BumbleBee Applique

Mark with a fabric marker and embroidery the pattern as shown in the pdf pattern sheet.
If you use hand to embroidery the satin stitch instead of a sewing machine, please do it now.

Lady Bug Applique

Ladybug has a satin stitch on its body too. If sew by sewing machine, either slowly decrease or increase the zig-zag width as you work your way from one end to another. Again, use fray check to stop the ends from raveling.

Caterpillar Applique

Caterpillar design is slightly wider than 4″. If you use 4″ embroidery hoop, you will need to do the embroidery by sections.

Alphabet Applique

Besides the garden bug designs, you can personalize the onesie with letter or symbols.
I did it with double running stitch about 3/16″ apart.

Tortoise Applique

A quick way of doing an applique is by cutting out the outline of the prints from fabrics. Then, embroidery the outline of each part to disguise it as the real applique.

Puppy Applique

Another quick way, see how the stem stitch on the ear give an impression that it is from another fabric stick on the puppy’s head.
By the way, the word “adorable” comes with the onesie and please don’t ask me how to do it 😉