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3D Applique

Woman wearing tee shirt embroidered with Perfect Petal Fashion Spray (3D Applique) design

Bring dimension to your embroidery with unique 3D applique! These specialized designs feature a freestanding embroidered piece added to a background design, creating lovely depth and texture. We'll show you how to stitch these stunning designs!

Supplies & Materials:

Project Needs & Notes:


  • Fabric to embroider on - we're stitching on a T-shirt
  • Small piece of organza for 3D applique
  • Cutaway stabilizer for the back of the fabric to be embroidered (medium cutaway or sheer mesh cutaway for lighter designs and fabrics)
  • Heavy duty water-soluble stabilizer, such as Vilene or Sulky Ultra Solvy
  • Temporary spray adhesive
  • Tailor's chalk or air-erase pen
  • Button to attached applique to background fabric
  • Hand sewing needle
  • Hot glue gun
  • Spray starch (optional)

Designs featured in this tutorial include:


Perfect Petal Fashion Spray (3D Applique)

Gather Materials:

When you download a 3D Applique design, you will see four files. File "a" is the base embroidery design, file "b" is the embroidery design for the freestanding piece, and the two files marked with DL are dieline files for the front and back fabric pieces. Dielines are used to cut the fabric to the right shape and size.


Open the dieline file with an embroidery software, and print it.

Three white paper pattern sheets with faint orange and gray floral embroidery designs, labeled X14118A, X14118B_DLFRONT, and X14118B_DBLACK, on a wooden surface.

First cut out around both paper dielines.


Lightly spray the back side of the paper dielines with temporary adhesive, and smooth them onto the right side of the applique fabric

Sheet of iridescent fabric with a hand-drawn flower shape cutout sketch pinned to it, next to a pair of white and orange-handled scissors, on a wooden surface.

Cut out both fabric shapes.

Plastic stencil with two flower cutouts, two white paper flower shapes with penciled lines, and white and orange-handled scissors on a wooden surface.

Start Embroidering:

There are a couple of different kinds of water-soluble stabilizer. One is clear and plastic, and that brand is Sulky Ultra Solvy. The other is soft and fibrous, called Vilene. Both will work very well. Vilene is used in this demonstration.


Hoop the water-soluble stabilizer firmly, making sure it is nice and tight with no wrinkles.


Use a size 11 or 75/11 sharp sewing needle. A sharp sewing needle has a smaller, finer point than an embroidery needle. That means it will make smaller holes in the stabilizer.

White fabric hoop with stabilizer hooped, placed on a wooden surface, used for machine embroidery or applique work.

The 3D fabric piece will be seen from both sides, so wind a bobbin with the same thread that you're using in the needle.


Attach the hoop to the machine and load the full embroidery file "a" (not the dieline files). Embroider the design. The first thing to embroider will be a dieline, or outline stitch. This marks the area on the stabilizer where we'll place the fabric piece.

Close-up of a sewing machine embroidering a flower outline in purple thread on white fabric held by an embroidery hoop or frame. The needle is stitching the edge.

Remove the hoop from the machine, but do not unhoop the stabilizer. Spray the back of both fabric piece with temporary adhesive. Place one piece right inside the sewn dieline.

Hand placing a white fabric flower applique with faint purple outline inside an embroidery hoop mounted on stabilizer fabric, next to a completed white fabric flower with gold stitching on a wooden table.

Turn the hoop over and place the other fabric piece inside the same shape on the back.


Attach the hoop back onto the machine and continue embroidering the design. A tackdown will sew next to hold the fabric in place, followed by a decorative border and details.

Hand holding fabric inside an embroidery hoop with a stitched purple flower shape; paper flower templates and small scissors on wooden table.

Once the design has completed, remove the hoop from the machine. Unhoop the stabilizer, and trim the excess stabilizer around the design.

Hand cutting a purple embroidered flower applique on white stabilizer fabric with white-handled scissors on a wooden surface.

The stabilizer's packaging should give instructions for removing the excess. For Vilene, soak the embroidered pieces for a few moments.

Small 3D applique flower with blue petals and a purple stitched outline placed at the center of a circular ridged metallic surface.

Blot the finished embroidery to remove excess moisture, and allow it to air dry completely.

A hand pulling a white fabric from behind a purple glittery flower-shaped applique on a white paper towel against a wood surface background.

While the flower is drying, embroider the background design. Start by printing a template of file "a" as described above. Cut out around the paper shape. Arrange the template where you want it on the fabric (we're using a T-shirt), then mark the axis lines using tailor's chalk or an air-erase pen.

Hand with a sponge applying adhesive to a white paper butterfly template pinned on a purple V-neck shirt on a dress form against a white brick wall.

To apply stabilizer smoothly to the back of a T-shirt, turn the T-shirt inside out and lay it flat.

Light purple short-sleeve V-neck T-shirt laid flat on a wooden surface, showing texture and fabric drape with no visible logos or designs.

Spray a piece of stabilizer with temporary spray adhesive, and smooth it over the back of the area to be embroidered. Make sure there is enough stabilizer to be hooped on all sides.

Lavender short-sleeve shirt with a sheer fabric pattern piece pinned on the shoulder and front, lying on a dark wood surface.

Hoop the fabric and stabilizer tightly together, making sure that the axis marks align with the marks on the hoop.


For a T-shirt, depending on your chosen design placement, the shirt may not be hooped on all sides. We used hair clips to hold the excess fabric out of the way.

Light purple fabric is stretched and held with plastic clips around an embroidery hoop, placed on a dark wooden surface. White chalk lines are drawn on fabric.

Attach the hoop to the machine and load the full embroidery file "b." Embroider the design.

Close-up of white embroidery thread creating a floral and swirl pattern on purple fabric held in an embroidery hoop under a sewing machine needle.

When the design has finished, unhoop the fabric and trim away the excess stabilizer on the back side of the design.

Close-up of a lavender fabric with a sheer white applique featuring an embroidered floral design with swirls and a central flower.

Lay a pressing cloth over the embroidery, and use steam to remove the chalk marks from the fabric.

Close-up of a hand holding a Black & Decker iron pressing a white fabric next to a purple fabric panel with white embroidered swirling floral design on the edge.

Layer the button, fabric shape, and background fabric, and hand-sew them together using a thread that matches the fabric color.

Close-up of a hand stitching a purple 3D flower applique with a button center onto lavender fabric, which also has white embroidered swirls.