Tropical Patches

Transform almost anything with these tropical iron-on patches!

MATERIALS

• Linen

• Wool felt

• Chenille 18 needle

• Embroidery thread

• Scissors: fabric and embroidery

• Heat n Bond

• Iron

1. Transfer the three patterns onto the linen fabric, leaving sufficient space in between each so that they can be individually cut out in step 3.

2. Stitch the patterns following the keys for the white lotus, the banana leaf and the African violet (see Tropical Plants in Flowers Category: White Lotus, Banana Leaf, African Violet ).

3. Once the stitching is complete, cut around each patch leaving a little less than 1in (2.5cm) of fabric all the way around.

4. Now cut three pieces of wool felt to match the shape of the embroidered linen patches, making them just a little larger to allow for a felt ‘border’ all the way around the edge. Place the felt pieces behind each of the linen patches.

5. Using a single strand of an embroidery thread of your choice, use whipped back stitch to stitch around the edge of each patch. Make sure to sew through both the linen and the felt so that the fabric layers are attached to each other.

6. Cut a piece of Heat n Bond to fit the back of each patch and attach using a cool (silk setting) iron: place the patch embroidery-side down and lay the adhesive side of the Heat n Bond sheet down over the felt backing; press the iron over the paper backing, attaching the adhesive to the back of the embroidered patch. Turn the patches to the right side and trim any Heat n Bond edges that may be exposed. Your patches are now ready to be attached to any item of your choosing.

DO NOT PEEL OFF THE PAPER BACKING FROM THE PATCHES UNTIL YOU ARE READY TO IRON THEM ONTO YOUR DESIRED ITEM.