Decorate for the Fourth with Easy Applique
Use easy applique to dress your home in all-American red, white, and blue for the Fourth (and anytime you need a cheery burst of summer).
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Use a purchased table runner to display your favorite state proudly. With embroidery floss, stitch the outline shape of any state. Press high-tack fabric adhesive to the back of desired colors of felt, then cut the state's flower and bird from the felt. Remove adhesive back; follow manufacturer's directions to adhere shapes. Here, the yellow poppy and quail are embellished with embroidery floss.
Celebrate George Washington's cherry tree lore with these dandy cafe curtains. Iron lightweight fabric adhesive to the back of fabric, then cut out motifs of Washington and cherries. Cut curtain panels to desired size and hem on all sides. Remove adhesive backing and follow manufacturer's directions to adhere motifs to panels using an iron. Set your sewing machine to a close zigzag stitch and sew around motifs. Stabilizing paper will keep loose-weave fabrics from puckering while you sew. For the cherry stems, hand-sew an outline stitch with pearl cotton.
Landmark silhouettes elevate the status of simple pillows. Press fabric adhesive to the back of fabric, then cut a monument shape. From contrasting fabric, cut squares to pillow size plus seam allowances. Remove adhesive backing from shape and follow directions to adhere it to a fabric square using an iron. Set sewing machine to a close zigzag stitch and sew around edges. Wrong sides together, use a straight stitch to sew squares together, leaving an opening for turning. Turn, insert a pillow form, and hand-sew opening closed.
It's easy to dream of home or a vacation spot when your head rests on these state abbreviation pillows. Press fabric adhesive to the back of cotton fabric, then cut letters from the fabric. Remove adhesive backing and follow directions to adhere to a cotton pillowcase. For the period, position a small fabric circle in a contrasting color under the second letter.
Press high-tack fabric adhesive to the back of canvas fabric, then cut a shape of the mainland United States, Alaska, or Hawaii from the canvas. Remove adhesive backing; follow directions to adhere to a canvas rectangle. Cut felt in the shape of your state; layer stars to mark your hometown. With embroidery floss, whipstitch around the state and make a French knot in the center of the stars. Sew a rod pocket at the banner top, insert a wooden dowel, and hang with ribbon.
Honor American heroes Abraham Lincoln, Paul Revere, and Daniel Boone by re-creating their trademark hats on note cards. Cut hat shapes from textured art papers. For dimension, fashion the hat from more than one paper or rip paper shapes to create rough edges. Adhere the shapes to card stock using glue formulated for paper. Embellish the hats with decorative embroidery-thread stitches, then glue to note cards.
