10 Creative Fabric Appliques Transforming Plain Decorative Pillows

Appliques, applied to plain pillows dramatically transform room decor, adding unique, bright and unusual accessories to your living spaces. Sew-on fabric appliques and embroidery are great handmade home decor ideas, excellent for updating the appearance of old pillow covers or creating personalized, interesting and charming designs for your home.

Fabric appliques can be made small and large, in any shape and color combinations that you desire. Beginners may want to stick to simple applique and embroidery designs, such as abstract flower shapes or letters. One or two fabric colors are perfect for creating beautiful decorative pillows.

The fabric appliques are attached to plain decorative pillows using simple hand stitches suitable for all, experienced craftsmen and those without much needlework experience. The thread will be visible on the fabric appliques, so use a coordinating or contrasting color for your decorative pillows.

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How to create appliques on decorative pillows

Turn your applique fabric pieces over on the table so that the reverse of the fabric is facing up.Use a pencil to draw out the decoration patterns for your pillows on paper. Cut out the applique patterns. Lay each pattern on the fabric. Trace it lightly with a pencil. Allow a seam allowance of 1/2 inch and cut out the drawn patterns on the fabric.

Fold back a seam allowance of 1/2 inch. Press firmly on the seam to create a fold that will hold in the fabric. Turn the fabric over so that the right side is facing you and apply your first applique. Place the applique on the decorative pillow cover where you want to attach it. Pin it into place.

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Use a basting stitch to attach the applique to the pillow cover loosely, moving the needle in and out of the fabric, leaving large spaces between each movement.

Use a back-stitch to attach the appliques firmly to the pillow cover by creating a forward stitch then doubling back over that stitch before moving on to the next stitch.

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Creative decorative pillows with fabric appliques make fantastic gifts and room decor accessories, that bring more color and interesting designs into rooms, surprising kids and adults, and adding fun to home decor.