Have you ever tried applique on a project before? Applique is such a fun way to customize a project, use up scraps, and bring a design to life that you just can't find anywhere in stores. I have appliqued a bunch in the past on quilts and clothing. To be honest, though, I was a little nervous to try applique on vinyl/faux leather! Would it behave nicely? Do I need to interface or stabilize it like I do a knit or woven? Will my seams become too bulky? What if I make a mistake? Once that needle punches the fabric, I can't shift it away after seam ripping like I can with a knit or woven fabric!
Well, after a bit of searching to answer these questions, I actually didn't find too much out there. I thought to myself, perhaps that is because it really isn't too different from using a woven or a knit, and if it is, I figured I would show y'all as I went! Follow with me below as I take you step-by-step of how I made my first Acacia Buddy!
To begin, where did I start? Well, when designing the Acacia Sling I specifically had in mind a clean and modern front panel that would be perfect for showcasing a print, a fabric panel, or even projects like the Acacia Buddy above! So, I knew I wanted to use the Acacia Sling pattern. Since release I had been itching to do a custom Front Panel like this! I created the rest of the bag to the tutorial. The only thing I changed was to remove the top connector and add 1" D-ring connector tabs into the side gusset seams. This was not because of the applique, rather to better suit my daughter's needs. She could wear this as a crossbody with her backpack or Equinox gym bag as we travel! A perfect little accessory for her!
Initially, I hand-drew my applique pieces, but we have created free Buddy add-on templates for Acacia, if you would like to use those! Over the years I have found coloring pages that can be great inspiration for appliques. The sky is really the limit for applique inspiration once you let your imagination take off!
Once my pieces had been drawn, I cut into scrap pieces of vinyl I had leftover from previous projects. This particular Buddy was created with all TSM Rio faux leather. It was a great thickness for a first go at vinyl/faux leather applique, I think! I found the TSM Rio was not too thick, while also being structured enough to keep shape. I mentioned at the beginning that I was unsure of what interfacing, if any, would be needed. As I looked at the little eyes and spots, I decided against interfacing. The required interfacing piece would be so tiny to make sure it was not visible past my stitches, and I thought it may not be worth the time (or fight with the tip of my iron) to add it. I also decided against adding interfacing to the belly. Though, that I regretted, and ended up removing the belly (I know!! Needle holes on my belly and the main body!) to add woven interfacing to the wrong side of the piece. When adding interfacing, make sure it is at least 1/8" - 1/4" away from the raw edge that will be exposed. This ensures over time the interfacing will not fray and stick out from between the edge of the piece and the stitching. The last thing I did to prep these little pieces was quickly pass a lighter on the underside of each piece. This helped to remove the little "hairs" or fibers from being seen around the edges. Be sure you really do go quickly, though, because it only takes a fraction of a second on the side of being too long to show a singe mark on the right side of your piece!
(Note: I did not edge coat any of my little pieces, but doing so would elevate your applique and make it look even more polished!)
Originally, I had intended for this Buddy to have his little flippers sticking out of the seam allowance, free and not topstitched into place. So, prior to sewing I decided to cut a piece of Decovil Light and add it to one flipper for each pair. This would help give stability, structure, and longevity to the flipper. Once I had added the Decovil Light and allowed it to cool, I clipped the pieces together and topstitched them together around the edges. Then, to give the pieces just a bit more personality I topstitched a little "boning" look into the centers, as well. If you create a Buddy or applique with pieces that will stick out, I definitely recommend using a small piece of Decovil Light for stabilizer.
Now, we get to the fun part! Everything starts to come together! To begin adding the facial features and body I needed to find the center of my Front Panel. To do this, I simply folded the piece in half lengthwise. This gave me a slight crease line to follow, but I knew that once my pieces were sewn in place I could turn the finished panel over and gently iron the back and the crease would be removed.
With the center found, I placed the belly, securing the bottom raw edge in place with clips. The eyes and spots I placed by hand and moved around until I was satisfied with the look. Double Sided Tape (DST) is a big friend here! Instead of a drop of glue, I chose DST. This being, because I knew how my machine would handle DST, as I use it often when sewing bags. I have never used glue and was afraid of how my machine may react if I accidentally ran my needle through a spot of it while sewing. Once each piece was placed, I would gently remove it, add a piece of DST to the back, and then push it gently into place.
(Note: You may notice that the top of my Buddy's head is rounded. I very gently rounded the top of Front Panel piece to achieve my desired look. If you would like to do this to yours, just be sure to make your lining piece match. And be careful to not take too much away, as it can affect the fit of your gusset.)
A big note before we sew! You can see in the photo above my Buddy has his mouth drawn on. As I considered his elements, I determined that I would like to hand-embroider his mouth. After placing the eyes and belly, I drew his mouth into place. I did one half from the middle crease, and then the other to match. This needed to be as exact as possible because I knew I would not be able to erase and start over if I messed up. (Some faux leathers have a sheen or matte that can be affected when trying to remove markings. If using a fabric marker or chalk on your project, test wiping it away on a scrap piece of fabric to see how your fabric reacts prior to drawing on your intended pattern piece!)
Finally, we are now ready to sew our elements in place! I began by topstitching the belly in place. I did one row of topstitching at a 1/8" SA, but then decided to add another row at 1/4". (I just love the look of a double row of topstitching sometimes!) As I sewed the eyes and spots, though, I decided that instead of backstitching to begin and end, I would leave long tails, and pull them to the back of my Front Panel. I then knotted the ends to secure. This made the small details look much cleaner! At the end of this is when I decided I liked the idea of topstitching his flippers in place against his belly versus sticking out, so I topstitched these in place at this time as well.
(Note: If sewing an Acacia Buddy element that will stick out of the seam allowance, instead of topstitching in place, simply place the piece where desired, clip to the Front Panel edge, and then baste the raw edges together using a 1'/4"SA. Trim any excess that sticks out over the edge, if applicable, at this time. When you add your gusset and sew, this will secure the standing elements in place.)
Now that our front panel is finished, it is time for final construction of Acacia! I chose to add binding to my Front Panel (the same way as instructed for the Back Panel) so that I wouldn't disturb any of my applique while turning the Front Panel right side out. The binding worked well for the front! The only tip I would suggest is hand-tacking the binding around the zipper area to the lining once finished. This will help the zipper close with even more ease while in use. (p.s. isn't he cute when turned right side out!?)
(Note: I was concerned that possibly adding an applique layer into my seam allowance may make it too bulky, but the belly and flippers areas sewed into the gusset and binding layers without any trouble!)
And that completed my first Acacia Buddy! It was fun to test a few ideas and customize this Acacia to my daughter's personality and travel needs. I truly hope you all have fun with the Acacia Buddy templates, or even use them as inspiration to create your own! We are always so in awe of your creations. How you bring TSM Patterns to life and share a little bit of you with us!
Please be sure to share your future creations with us in our Facebook group! And a big thank you for following along with me in my trial and error as I try something a little bit new to me!
-Tara
Would you like to create your own Acacia Buddy?!
TSM Patterns offers nine Acacia Buddies templates for free! TSM offers both a printable pdf file with cutouts, and cut files for Cricut, Brother Scan&Cut, and Studio3! You can follow our Buddy's template or mix-n-match elements to create a whole new Buddy of your own! These are a great way to personalize your next Acacia Sling for an upcoming trip, a school accessory, or fun life event! We hope you have as much fun creating these Buddys as we have!
You can get the Acacia Buddy Add-On here!
If you don't yet have the Acacia Sling pattern, you can get it here!
And finally, here is a preview of the Buddies before you download!
Thank you for this post! I'll add a few tips I've learned from working in other mediums.
Use a candle instead of a lighter to burn edges. It gives you more control than a lighter.
Use a note card to cut the shape of the mouth and then use an awl to make holes for hand stitching using the card as a template. A small nail works also and if you push too deep the hole stays the same size vs growing with an awl. You can do the same for other small pieces you want to hand stitch.