I am working on a big leather appliqué project, a leather western show jacket which will hang in a booth at the International Quilt Market and Festival. The leather appliqués I designed have two sections that must nest together, with some impossibly tiny points.
Cutting leather with our machines can be easily achieved if the leather is properly stabilized. In this case, a paper backed light fusible was used as I need to sew through the appliqués and do not want glue build up on my needle.
So the cutting and sewing is taken care of, but how do I get the parts of each appliqué aligned correctly before fusing to my project? If only there was something like the transfer tape that we use for vinyl, but heat proof so I can iron on it. Wait a minute, there is! Rhinestone Transfer Tape to the rescue!
Materials
After cutting out my leather appliqués, I cut squares of the Rhinestone Transfer Tape about 1” bigger all around than the two-part appliqué. Peel the tape from its backing and lay down sticky side up. Position the first section upside down (right side of section to sticky side of tape).
Start laying in the second section next to the first. Use a stiletto and tweezers to guide the section into place as you stick it down. If you need to make adjustments, lift the section and coax into place with the tweezers. Press down from the back on all areas to make sure everything is adhered.
Flip over and replace the tape backing until you are ready to use the appliqué.
When you are ready to fuse the appliqué, remove the backing and press into place on your project. Iron at the recommended temperature and time for the fusible you are using. If you are fusing to leather like I am or any other material that might be damaged by direct contact with a hot iron, use a pressing sheet to protect your project. Carefully remove the transfer tape and sew.
I love finding new uses for the products I already have, and this trick will save me loads of time and aggravation!
Have you had any success cutting leather without an iron on backing?
I have had limited success with freezer paper. But you need to use a heavy duty freezer paper, such as from C. Jenkins ( http://www.cjenkinscompany.com )
The kind you find in the grocery store is too thin. The other variable is of course the leather, the thinner leathers work better with the freezer paper method as you need less passes. You can cut it without any stabilizer if you are willing to sacrifice a mat for the purpose. The issue with the mat only is the rough fiber side on the leather leaves behind a mess on your mat, and you have to be very gentle removing the cut piece so it does not stretch out of shape.
Wow, this is awesome! I would think that this would be a huge time saver and hand saver, dense materials and a scissors can make for a sore hand.
Great idea! Thanks for sharing!