Hey friends! I am back to share with you a highly requested tutorial for the 3D appliqué you all saw on my instagram stories last week *and* to share some inspiration for denim embellishments!

Denim is great for apparel (obviously) but also great for featuring your clever and creative embellishments! A huge trend right now is hand embroidery and denim provides the perfect canvas (see what I did there) for your embroidered designs! I’ve shared a few of my faves from Pinterest below.

Denim is also great for other embellishments such as tassels, beadwork, pom trim, lace, etc. I’ve linked some of my favorite inspiration below.

Here’s why denim is so great for embellishments:

1. It’s sturdy. When adding appliqués, beading, lace, etc. you need a good foundation in the fabric to work with or your embellishments will be floppy, may fall off, etc. Denim is a great substrate to use as it’s got the perfect weave and weight.
2. It’s a blank canvas. Literally. Denim typically comes in a solid color or wash and therefore makes it super easy to add color and texture.

Have I convinced you to embellish ALL the denim yet?!?! If not…let’s take a look at this quick and easy tutorial to add a 3D appliqué to your favorite denim apparel!

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How to sew a 3D applique

Materials needed:

• Apparel item (I chose the Catherine front bodice for this example, from Clay Traces streaked denim by AGF)
• Fusible interfacing (quick shop affiliate link: Amazon)
• Fussy cut fabric (you can cut two like I did, or just cut one main and one for the lining). By the way, “fussy cut” means to cut a specific area of the fabric print rather than just randomly cutting the fabric. In this case, I fussy cut out two moths.

Step 1: Iron on the fusible web to the wrong side of the main appliqué piece.

You can opt to cut out the fusible web to the same shape as the appliqué first. This will keep your iron from getting gummy.

Step 2: Place the main appliqué on the lining appliqué, right sides together. Sew carefully around the appliqué with a small seam allowance, leaving a small opening along a straight side. I used 1/8″ seam allowance since this is a tiny moth!

Step 3: Trim seam allowance at corners, clip into corners and notch curves. Be careful not to catch your stitches. Do not trim seam allowance at the opening.

Step 4: Use a turning tool to pull appliqué right side out through the opening. I love this tool (quick shop affiliate link).

Step 5: Press appliqué. Topstitch all the way around appliqué OR hand stitch the opening closed. 

Step 6: Fold the appliqué in half, main sides touching. Press to create a crease.

Step 7: Place appliqué on the apparel item. If you are sewing more than one appliqué, you can lay out your arrangement before sewing to be sure you like the spacing and placement. Pin appliqué(s) in place. Sew a small line of stitches close to the fold to secure appliqué to apparel item. Repeat for remaining appliqués.  

Step 8: Finger press or use a light iron to press appliqué flat along the crease. You may also hand tack corners of the appliqué as you see fit. 

How fun, quick and easy is that!??!!? Check out the finished look below:

I hope you are feeling inspired and equipped to create some lovely 3D appliqués for your next denim apparel project! Please share if you do! Be sure to tag me on Instagram with @lilyshinecreates or send me an email so I can share!