It’s so much fun to make a 3D quilt! You can add soft 3D embellishments to any applique pattern – like the bunny ears you see above.
There’s a post here showing how to add small 3D pieces to an applique quilt – teeth and small bear ears.
And I teach several 3D options in my Cute Quilt-As-You-Go Applique Monsters class on Craftsy. Here are a few examples showing flappy ears, a silly satin tongue, and springy elastic curls.
You can see that these are mostly longer 3D pieces that you want to flap and dangle. But what if you want them to stand up – like bunny ears?
You can do that for quilts – just like you can do it for stuffed animals. Here’s the tutorial showing how to make stuffed animals with stand-up ears.
The technique for 3D quilts is basically the same – but it’s a tiny bit more involved because applique template pieces have no seam allowances – and you need to account for that if you’re going to sew them into flappy ears.
Don’t worry – it’s easy. I show you how to do it in this video.
See? Not hard at all.
Get the free Mix & Match Bunnies pattern here. That’s the pattern I used for the bunny in the demonstration.
Here are links to all the posts showing how to applique with fusible adhesive – my favorite method. It’s fast and easy and (with the right materials) it holds up beautifully to rough use and repeated washing.
- How to Applique with Fusible Adhesive – a very basic intro
- How Durable is Applique with Fusible Adhesive?
- Fusible Applique the Easy Way – the way I currently work – use with any of my patterns that include SVG files
- How to Use a Light Box to Layer Your Applique – perfect placement every time
- How to Applique with Fusible Adhesive – photo tutorial – use with any of my patterns that do not include SVG files
- How to Applique with Fusible Adhesive – video tutorial – use with any of my patterns that do not include SVG files
Here are links to special posts about eyes.
- Easy Eye Options for Applique
- Using Fabric Markers and Paints for Small Eyes
- Free Embroidery Machine Files for Machine-Stitched Eyes
- How to Machine Stitch Eyes without an Embroidery Machine
- How to Minimize Show-Through on White Eyes
- How to Applique Dark Eyes on Dark Faces
- How to Add Catchlights to Eyes
Here are links to some extra fun things you can do with your applique.
- How to Add a Baby Animal to Any Block
- How to Add Playful 3D Bits to Your Applique
- How to Add Soft 3D Pieces to your Quilt Block
- How to Add a Door (that Opens!) to Your Quilt Block
- How to Give Your Monster an Underbite
- Fake Trapunto (Stuffed) Applique
- Broderie Perse Applique
Other Applique Methods
Finished with this topic?
Return to the Let’s Make a Quilt main Table of Contents.
Move on to the lessons about outline stitching.
Happy stitching!
I love this and can’t wait to make some!