Reverse applique lets you add interest and texture to your sewing projects. The fabric is placed at the back of the design and then the top is cut away to reveal the fabric underneath. The advantage of doing a reverse applique over a regular applique is that it has a chunkier, more textured, and homemade feel.

Reverse Applique Tutorial

What is Reverse Applique?

Reverse applique is a fabric manipulation method where designs are cut out of the top layer of fabric and then layers are added underneath. This gives a textured and layered look to the applique. Use reverse applique on clothing, home decor and even use it to disguise rips in jeans.

Regular applique, in contrast, has the shapes stitched on top of the backing fabric instead of underneath. All applique can be done with either a sewing machine or by hand stitching.

Full Article on Regular Applique - How to Applique

Best Fabrics for Reverse Applique

COTTON - The best fabrics for reverse applique are tightly woven cotton fabrics like quilting cotton.
STRETCH - Stretch fabric like jersey that is a little thicker is great to use for the main fabric. You can put woven fabric behind it. I often see designers use stretch fabric reverse applique with a hand stitch around it.
LACE - Lace inserts can be used for the underneath fabric to add a dramatic flair.
PATTERNS - Fabric design and color are a personal taste but small patterns and textures tend to look the best. I have done my samples with a plain fabric on top and then a batik underneath. Medium-weight fabrics are easiest to use for reverse applique.
INTERFACING - Double-sided interfacing gives some stiffness to the design enabling it to hold its shape better and stopping it from fraying at the edges. Interfacing will stop puckering and strange ripples appearing in your design. One-sided interfacing can also be used if you are happy to do a little extra basting to hold the fabric in place.

Reverse Applique Techniques Methods

There are 3 ways you can do a reverse applique

Raw Edges
Folded Edges
Easy Method for Stretch

How to Reverse Applique - Raw Edges

Leaving the edges raw works amazingly for t-shirt fabrics and other non-fraying fabrics. This is the quickest method to reverse applique since you don’t need to turn any of the edges over. If you have a fabric that frays then you may create a shabby-chic look.

Step 1 - Reverse Applique Template

Create your template from paper. There are many designs online or you can create your own. Reverse applique lends itself to simpler designs like this heart.

Step 2 - Interfacing

Rough-cut a piece of fabric and interfacing at least 1 inch (2.5cm) larger than your template. If you are doing large areas with lots of reverse appliques (for example a lot of leaves or flowers) it may make more sense to just cut one large piece of fabric and interfacing for the underside of the whole area rather than lots of small pieces.

Press the interfacing on the wrong side of the background fabric where your design will be placed.

Step 3 - Cutting

Draw the design on the interfacing and cut it out. If you are using double-sided interfacing, this will be on the paper

I usually fold the center of the design, make a snip, and then cut outwards. Use nice sharp scissors so you have a clean edge. The great thing about using double-sided interfacing is that it stops the edges from fraying.

Step 4 - Attach the Fabric

Option 1: Double-Sided Interfacing

Remove the backing paper from the double-sided interfacing.
Place the fabric scrap underneath your main fabric making sure it is centered so all edges will be caught in the next step.
Press the fabric to the interfacing.

Option 2: One-Sided Interfacing

If you used single-sided interfacing you will just place the fabric underneath and hold it in place with pins. You may need to hand baste the edges with a long-length running stitch that you can remove at the end.

Here is how the front looks.

Step 5 - Stitch

Stitch around your marked shape on the outside fabric. This can be either by machine or hand stitch. See the section further down in this tutorial with all the stitches you can use.

Step 6 - Finishing

If you used one-sided interfacing, you can cut away some of the excess fabric at the back. For double-sided interfacing, the back fabric will be stuck down so you can't cut around it.

How to Reverse Applique - Folded Edges

What I like about using folded edges for reverse applique is that it lifts the design further giving it a 3-dimensional look. It is best suited to simpler patterns without too many sharp corners. Like the raw edge method, you can use one-sided or double-sided interfacing. Double is by far the easiest in my opinion.