By using a bean stitch to create a distressed look, this classic plaid letter takes on a modern fashion look. With custom appliqué, you can create your own typefaces or choose less traditional ones to create a new look. Photo courtesy of Hirsch, Hauppauge, N.Y.

Another way to jazz up appliqué designs is by adding rhinestones. They can be applied separately by handi or come as transfers. Transfers come in stock or custom designs. Photo courtesy of Dalco Athletic, Garland, Texas

In the past few years, appliqué has exploded in popularity partially due to fashion retailers such as Hollister and Abercrombie & Fitch offering distressed, vintage versions, but also due to many other apparel brands that are getting creative with fabrics, textures and additional embellishments such as rhinestones and studs. 

Decorators are finding that, while traditional appliqués such as Greek and block letters, script and mascots are still popular, there’s a definite trend toward more customers looking to put a twist on the classics. Buyers want to create their own shapes in unique fabrics and many have the artwork and digitizing skills to create their own graphics in the necessary vector format. Another attraction of custom appliqué is that sending a ready-to-go vector file can save some set-up costs typically associated with custom designs.

Many suppliers of pre-cut and heat-applied graphics are happy to work with customers to create an original design, just as many stock-appliqué customers are going that route, preferring the flexibility and creativity of custom.

Material options

Twillⁱ remains the most popular appliqué material, thanks to its versatility, but decorators also can choose from numerous other fabrics. For instance, one option is 100 percent cottonⁱ, which can be found in fabric stores in an endless array of patterns. Other specialty materials include “high-glitz” fabrics such as glitter, glacier twill and metallic twill. These are especially popular in the cheer and spiritwear markets. For teams, there are a range of grain fabrics which simulate the texture of footballs, baseballs and basketballs. For the retail market, T-shirt jersey material and felt both have evolved as two of the most popular fashion appliqué fabrics, and you also can find velvet and suede in retail lines featuring heraldry designs.

Practically any fabric can be used for custom appliqué, even extremely high-stretch fabrics with high Spandex content, if you’re using the right cutting equipment and you have the proper backing. For instance, you could go to a local fabric store, purchase five to ten yards of the fabric of your choice, and send it to a supplier to create custom appliqué pieces. If your volume and quality-control needs warrant, this can be a superior solution to hand-cutting your own.

If you need less than five yards, a supplier will still cut it for you, but plan on adding your own stabilizer. A fusible medium-weightⁱ backing gives fabric the needed support and is easily heat sealed with a heat press. Ask your stabilizer supplier to recommend the best choice if you are not sure. With larger quantities, the supplier will add the backing for you. Backing stabilizes the material while it’s being cut, as well as providing support during sewing. For placement of appliqué a spray tack can be used to keep fabric in place.

Rhinestones are a great way to add glitz to a custom appliqué design and are growing in popularity. Rhinestones can be applied one at a time with a hand applicator or are available as custom or stock transfers. The appliqué is sewn down, then the rhinestone transfer applied over it. Custom transfers are ordered in much the same way as custom appliqué. You send in your artwork and the supplier produces it.

Design choices

Whether they’re using twill or specialty fabrics, decorators are getting more creative, opting to send suppliers vector files for custom appliqué, and saving some money in the process. Sending a bitmap file, such as a JPG, requires set-up time, whereas a vector file lets the supplier skip the set-up stage and cut your shape right away. Another advantage of sending vector artwork is that you’re sure to get precisely the design you want, whereas there may be some variation if you supply a JPG.

Today’s decorators are more savvy than in the past and as many as 80 percent provide vector artwork. Decorators who do their own digitizing have a good grasp of how vector graphics work and can easily prepare the vector files needed for the cutter.

Regardless of what type of file format they provide, decorators can send suppliers anything from fonts to mascots to logos, for their custom appliqué pieces. They simply send the file to the supplier: vector files are generally small enough that they’re easy to email, whereas a larger JPG file may require the use of an FTP site or other upload process. Suppliers then send back the appliqué pieces, as well as a sew disk, if the decorator needs one, which automatically sews down the appliqué.

Stitching decisions

If you’re doing the same custom appliqué piece but in different sizes depending on location, you’ll need a sew disk for each size, because the digitizing is specific to each piece. Most appliqué is sewn with one of two types of stitches: zigzag or satin.  

The zigzag stitch is the most common for appliqué, thanks to its low stitch count and ease of use. A satin stitch adds dimension to designs and creates more of a border, albeit with the tradeoff of requiring more stitches. However, for the right kind of job, this may not matter, as you can charge more for the higher perceived value. A bean stitch is another option, one that’s especially popular on felt and jersey appliqué pieces intended for garments with a distressed look. Because a bean stitch leaves the raw edge of the fabric uncovered, washing it frays the edges creating the popular vintage look.

Adding custom appliqué to your design arsenal is a great way to provide unique, eye-catching artwork specific to each job’s demands, and a great way to make yourself the decorator of choice for customers by providing precisely what they want. By creating a reputation for unusual and unique looks, you also set yourself apart from the competition.

How To Create Distressed-Look Appliqué 

Learn simple tips and tricks to create popular vintage appliqué looks

The distressed look has taken over everything from apparel to printed designs to garment dyeing during the past few years and it’s not showing any signs of fading in 2010. Now this retro effect has moved its way into appliqué with fashion-forward digitizers using a stitch that doesn’t tack down the edges. The result is lettering that looks frayed and worn.  

An appealing aspect about distressed appliqué is that it doesn’t cost you any more to produce in terms of supplies or labor, but you should be able to charge a higher price because it’s a retail-inspired fashion trend.

And there’s little learning curve in mastering this popular technique as the procedure for applying distressed appliqué is no different than that of applying a standard appliqué piece. What creates the distressed look is actually a matter of the fabric you use, how you cut the edges, and the type of stitch.

The lion head in the background was screen printed. On top of this, the embellisher added two appliqué layers. The bottom layer is felt to give the appliqué a heavier, more 3-D look. Cotton twill was used on top. (Photos courtesy Stitchmaker, Wylie, Texas)

Fabric: While you can get a distressed look with felt, you’ll get an even better look by using 100 percent cotton twill, especially after the material is washed. While you could try using a cotton blend that you purchase from a fabric store, there’s no guarantee it will give you the desired frayed look. Also, if the fabric has an adhesive backing, that backing may prevent the edges from fraying. So be sure to use unbacked material. 

Cutting the edges: Most suppliers cut appliqué pieces with a water jet or laser, but scissors and other methods work fine.

Stitches: Generally decorators use a bean or feather stitch, but there are other stitches as well that will work. Whereas the bean stitch is more of a straight or inline stitch, the feather stitch goes horizontally. If you are doing distressed-look appliqué in a single color, a second color can be introduced via the stitching.

Washing and drying: Part of what gives this process its distressed look is washing and drying it. Some larger shops sew on the appliqué pieces pre-washed, while others—particularly small and medium shops—don’t take this extra step but do show customers how it will look using pre-washed display samples. 

Markets: High schools, colleges, retail and other markets with young customers—you know, the kind of customers who shop at Abercrombie & Fitch?—are especially popular ones for distressed-look appliqué, with customers often requesting the styles they’ve seen at retail.

Apparel: Pullover or zip-front sweatshirts are ideal for distressed-look appliqués. T-shirts are equally suitable, largely because the cotton twill is light enough to put on a T-shirt without adhesives. Generally, you won’t see distressed-look appliqués on performance fabrics.

Appliqué: As far as the appliqué pieces themselves, customers generally request lettering, not shapes, and generally in solids, not patterns. You can intensify the distressed look of appliqué by putting notches or gashes in it. For an old-time, vintage look, you can even buy pre-distressed appliqué pieces. Keep in mind, though, that cotton twill fabric in bright and deep colors are subject to crocking and bleeding, and should not be mixed with light garments.

Additional tips: When sewing the placement or outline stitch, put down a color that matches the garment. For instance, if you’re putting down a black appliqué on a scarlet shirt, use a scarlet outline. This way, once the shirt has been washed and distressed, you really won’t see the placement stitch. Some decorators prefer to use a placement stitch that’s the same color as the appliqué piece, reasoning that it’s no problem if the stitching shows, as it’s just part of the distressed look. To each his own.

Also, keep in mind that purchasing pre-cut distressed-look appliqué pieces can save you time. The pieces come with a sew disk, meaning that basically all you have to do is get your garment set up and you’re ready to go. Another benefit is that you keep your stock to a minimum, purchasing the pieces on an as-needed basis.