Poppy Appliques!

I have been neglecting this blog since newsletters are the new blog, it seems! So, please sign up for my newsletter (sidebar) if you haven't, because a lot more info goes there. But, there are some things that deserve a more permanent home, so I am hoping to do more blog posts than I have been. 
I have been teaching my collage class either in person or online lately, and this is a little snippet from it. My Poppy Patch kit has appliques that are a bit complicated, but of course I have tricks, so I will put those here.

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The first step is to trace all of the applique parts onto the paper side of fusible web. (I use the Wonder Under brand) The pattern has them arranged according to what fabrics they go on. They are also labeled with a letter and a number, and the letter also corresponds to the fabric, so make sure to label each piece. After tracing, cut apart on the dotted lines, which will separate the different fabrics. 

Here they are on their corresponding fabrics. The fabrics in the kit are in order, which also helps. Most of my kits really need their fabrics to stay in order until you need them! However, don't press/fuse these yet, there's a trick!

Before pressing/fusing, do your future self a favor and snip into each shape, just the paper, not the fabric! This makes it so much easier to remove the paper later. If you forget, you can also scratch it with a pin. It also comes off much easier if it is all the way cool. 
Now fuse them to their fabrics.

Cut them all apart, but keep them in separate piles for now; they will be easier to find in a minute! I really love the micro serrated Karen K Buckley scissors for this step, they come in three sizes (the larger two are pictured) and I have at least one of each, and two of the medium, and I'm about to order another one 😂 (one for home, two for different areas in the studio! Hmm, might need one for my class bag too... 😂)
Here are a few affiliate links:
Large scissors (purple in my photo)
Med scissors (blue in my photo)
Sm scissors (not pictured)
Applique pressing sheet 

Now for the fun part! Place a pressing sheet or parchment paper over the pattern. You are going to peel off the paper from each piece one at a time, and lay it on the paper over its spot, starting with the top row of each flower and going from left to right. Then the centers go on, and then the bottom row or piece.

Once you are happy with the placement, lay another piece of parchment over it, or fold over this one, and press.

Let it cool, then peel it off of the paper and you have a poppy ready to be fused onto your background! Much easier than trying to build it on the background with this many pieces. 😅
There are some little purple flowers too, and you will need stems, all explained in the kit, as well as how I like to stitch these. But I wanted to show the process for making the poppies. It works for any appliques with lots of pieces to arrange. If there's a lot of overlap, a light table can be helpful too, but not necessary for this design. 
​Happy sewing! Beret