Fleece on Fleece Applique Tutorial

Today I'm showing you how I made my fleeceYoshi pillow. I used the same technique to make a butterfly pillow too. Just think of the soft fluffy possibilities!

Step 1: Determine what image you are going to use. I used a Yoshi headshot found on wiki. Find it on my pinterest board. I thought about doing Mario - but I didn't have the colors I needed.

Step 2: Enlarge and print your picture (I used B&W to save ink) using whatever software you are familiar with. I used Silhouette studio because I'm very familiar with that software. I created a box the size of my finished pillow and then sized the image to look good inside that box.

Yoshi likes the garden!

Step 3: Use your handy "light table"/window to trace an outline of your image onto freezer paper. In an effort to think ahead I used a piece of freezer paper the size of my finished pillow (16"x16"). Then I made a second outline on freezer paper for later. 

Three color design - green, white and black

Step 4: Label the colors you will be working with on your freezer paper. You can see below that I thought of putting a white light reflection spot (new technical term from a crafter with a degree in nursing not art!) on Yoshi's black pupil but later decided that was too small of a detail to include.

Step 5: Now I have to be specific to Yoshi but apply the same guidelines to whatever design you are using.

• Decide what color is your background color (green) and what color goes on top next (white). Iron the freezer paper onto the top layer (white). 
• Keep in mind that fleece melts if the iron is too hot. And the iron will not glide over fleece like plain cotton. 
• Use the iron in one place at a time just long enough to get the freezer paper to adhere to the white fleece. 
• Then place the white fleece over the green fleece and pin in place.

Step 6: Sew on the lines of your white jowls and eyeballs using a very short stitch. The stitch will act as perforation for the freezer paper. And the shorter stitch will make it easier to go around curves too.

White "jowls" trimmed, white eyeball area untrimmed, black fleece ready to applique on.

Step 7:  Carefully peel up the freezer paper so that you can use it again on the black layer of applique. Then use scissors to cut the excess white fleece away.

Step 8: Repeat the process for the black fleece (iron on freezer paper, pin in place, use short stitch to sew on, trim excess fabric).

Ready to put on background fabric

Step 9: Iron your second freezer paper outline onto your green yoshi face.

Step 10: Pin your yoshi face onto your background fabric (blue). I used a 16"x16" pillow form so I cut a blue piece of fleece 17x17 (actually I made a boo boo and cut it 16"x17", but lucky for me fleece stretches and I was still able to use a 16"x16" pillow form).

Step 11: Sew around the outline of Yoshi. I used a short straight stitch. Remove the freezer paper. Trim the excess green fleece. (I then decided I wanted a little more of a black outline around my design so I used a short zigzag over top of my straight stitch.)

Step 12: Finish your pillow top by adding the back fabric. I used the envelope method so I put two pieces of fleece 17"x10" overlapping in the middle and sewed all around the square.

Peek a boo Yoshi!

Step 13: Turn your pillow case right side out and stuff with your pillow form.

Hug your fleecy friend!