I love wool appliqué, and Minki Kim’s cute Boxy Sewing Case in her book, Zakka Wool Appliqué got my “what-if” thoughts conjuring. What if I appliquéd by machine and used Kraft-Tex as my foundation instead of linen or wool? With Minki’s pattern and instructions in the book, the project was easy to construct. And it was so much fun to play with machine appliqué!

Kraft-Tex is a rugged paper that looks, feels and wears like leather, but cuts, sews and washes like fabric. If you are new to Kraft-Tex, our article Everything You Want to Know About Working with Kraft-Tex has lots of helpful tips for working with this unique material.

One of my favorite steps in any project is selecting the fabric! I pull this and that from my stash and audition different combinations. My anchor piece – the one constant – was the piece of hand-dyed Kraft-Tex in Emerald. But I didn’t want to make a Christmas or St. Patrick’s Day project – it had to be something I would be happy using year-round.

I needed something with presence for the body of the bag so it could hold its own with the boldness of the Emerald Kraft-Tex, and a colorful Kaffe Fassett print looked great with the green. It brought a lot of other fun colors into the mix, so I had more options I could pull from for the appliqués and lining. With circles as my motifs, the freeform stripe from Kaffe would bring motion to the design. I like light linings in my bags so I don’t have to fumble for things inside a dark bag, and the spatter-like dots on this Clothworks print matched the colors in the appliqué fabric.

1-fabric-selection — Kraft-Tex on the left – selecting coordinating fabric

For the front and back of the bag, I cut two 7 1/2-inch squares of kraft-tex. Setting the appliqué fabric aside for the moment, I cut out the cotton fabric, interfacing and batting for the bag according to the instructions in the book, with just one adjustment: the big print is directional, so I cut the bottom piece in two sections, adjusting for seam allowance. With those two pieces stitched together down the center, the case would appear right-side-up no matter how it landed.

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One (1) Appliqué Project

How to Sew Turned Edge Machine Appliqué

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Active Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Difficulty: Beginner

Learn how to machine appliqué with a turned edge in this step-by-step tutorial.

Materials

Fabric for appliqué
Pen-style fabric glue stick
Wash-Away Appliqué Sheets
Pen or pencil
Thread
Starch or Mary Ellen's Best Press if using cotton background fabric

Tools

Sewing machine with zigzag or blanket stitch
Fabric scissors
Pins
Stiletto, optional
Fray check, optional
Template for your appliqué shape(s); I used Karen Kay Buckley's Bigger Perfect Circles

Instructions

For turned-edge machine appliqué, prepare the appliqués for stitching, I used Karen Kay Buckley's Bigger Perfect Circles to trace the shapes onto Wash-Away Appliqué Sheets. When I design on my computer, I can run these sheets through my printer. I needed 12 circles to make my stacked pyramid appliqués. The traced/printed shapes are the finished size of the motifs.
After cutting the shapes from the appliqué foundation, pin them to the appliqué fabric, leaving at least 1/2-inch between pieces. Then cut the appliqué fabric with a 1/4-inch seam allowance around the foundation for turning the edges.
With a pen-style fabric glue stick, I apply glue to the edge of the foundation piece. Do one piece at a t ime - or the glue will dry before you finish turning the edges.
Gently turn the seam allowance to the back while easing it over the edge of the foundation, creating a smooth outside edge. You could also use a stiletto to help you manage the edges if they seem fiddly to you. Add more glue if you need to and adjust the fabric for smooth edges.
Now you can play with arranging the appliqués on the base fabric. I'm using Kraft-Tex as my base, but you can use any fabric that's suitable for your project. A little starch or Best Press helps to stabilize cotton background fabrics. Keep the seam allowances of your base fabric in mind when arranging the appliqués. When you are pleased with your arrangement, baste the pieces in place with a dab of the same fabric glue you used to turn the edges. With Kraft-Tex, do NOT use pins to baste! Pins will leave permanent holes in Kraft-Tex.
Try out your machine settings and practice on some scraps before starting your "real" appliqué. Use a foot that gives you good visibility while you sew. Find a stitch and settings that you like I chose a blanket stitch. A simple zigzag works well, too. Adjust stitch length and width so that it pleases you. I set my stitch to 2mm length and width. I don't think I would go smaller than that when stitching on Kraft-Tex -- with the needle perforations too close, the Kraft-Tex might tear.

Start your appliqué stitch, but do not backstitch. Take it slowly around curves, and use your needle-down function if you have it. The blanket stitch takes one stitch forward, then takes a stitch to the side, taking a "bite" of the appliqué, then the needle moves back to the edge for the next forward stitch. You will need to pivot just a smidge every few stitches. Stop with your needle down on the outer edge of your appliqué, raise the presser foot slightly (you will fall in love with your knee lift if you have one), then adjust your work. Stitch a few more and pivot again. If you pivot with the needle while it is taking its "bite" (seen below), your stitch will look like a little "v" instead of a straight line. When you reach your starting point, stop without backstitching and remove the piece, leaving a few inches of thread tail.
Turn over your appliqué and pull the top threads to the back. You should have four (4) loose threads on the back with none on the front.
Tie a surgeon's knot or a square knot to secure the threads, leaving a short tail. You can add a dab of Fray-Check to the knot if you'd like.

Your appliqué is now done, and you can finish the rest of your project! It's always easier to do the appliqué on a flat piece of background, not on a finished piece with seams that might get in the way.

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Then follow Minki’s instructions to construct the body of your Boxy Sewing Case. Use clips to hold pieces together for sewing because pins will leave permanent holes in Kraft-Tex.

11-use-clips-not-pins — Use clips – not pins – to secure Kraft-Tex for sewing

With the pieces sewn together with 1/4-inch seams, press towards the Kraft-Tex. You will need to coax it a bit, but a good press keeps the finished case nice and square with crisp edges and sharp corners. The piece in the center (seen below) is the bottom of the bag. You can see where I added my seam to accommodate the directional fabric. You will attach the zipper next, according to Minki’s instructions.

12-outside-pieces-sewn — Sew Pieces for outside of Boxy Sewing Case with 1/4-inch seam

After attaching the zipper (ignore my second row of stitching on the left side – I got distracted), finish the sides, then trim excess length from the zipper. (To get the color I wanted, I had to buy a long zipper, but I made sure it had plastic teeth so I could shorten it.)

13-outside-finished — The next seams form the boxy shape

Next, stitch the lining – it’s all one piece, so it goes fast.

14-lining-constructed-rotated — Construct the lining

Insert the bag into the lining (you’ll turn it later). Then pin the pressed edges to the zipper tape and hand stitch in place.

Boxy Sewing Case with lining pinned to zipper — Pin lining to zipper and hand stitch

Turn your Boxy Sewing Case to the right side, then give the the Kraft-Tex edges a nice, crisp press. Finished size is 7 X 7 X 4 inches – so nice for a take-along craft project or packing all those loose little things that roll around in your suitcase. I love how it turned out!!