My Take on the Quilted Sweatshirt Trend & a Free Pumpkin Pattern

October 29, 2024

This trend is all over the sewing world right now and I couldn't resist! I actually did a little assembly line style production and made 4, so the kids could match 😊 Of course, I am holiday obsessed, so that always helps. From concept to finished product didn't take to long. Find a video here. You can find the free download of the Pumpkin Applique at the end of the post. 🎃

Here's the quick tutorial:

Materials Used:

Fabric (2-4 different colors for the pumpkin and 1 for the stem; you can use scraps or a small amount of yardage, I used Nightmare Before Christmas fabric)

OESD Applique Fuse n' Fix (optional)

Applique Mat

For the machine embroidery quilting: quilting background, batting, and OESD PolyMesh

Thread

T-shirt, sweatshirt or whatever you would like to applique your pumpkin on.

Step 1: Grab your fabric...

Step 2: Load a background quilting design into your embroidery machine to fill your hoop (I was making several at a time so I used a 6" x 14" size, but you can use a 6" x 10" size or smaller depending on which part of the pumpkin you will be cutting out of the final quilted fabric). I hooped 1 layer of OESD PolyMesh, and floated a piece of batting, with my fabric right side up on top (see photo below). You can also just quilt the fabric as desired with traditional quilting.

Step 3: Quilt your fabric. Repeat for any remaining fabric.

Step 4: Print out your Pumpkin Applique Pieces (print at 100% scale) If using OESD Applique Fuse n'Fix (this will basically turn your applique into a sticker), trace your pumpkin pieces (mirrored) on to the shiny paper side. Cut out.

Kaysie tip: if you plan on making several of these, trace on to template plastic first to create longer lasting template pieces.

Fuse following the manufacturer's instructions to the wrong side of your quilted fabric. Cut out and set aside. Repeat for all pieces of the pumpkin and stem.

Kaysie Tip: I like to use an applique mat to help me get my pieces lined up before placing on my garment, quilt, etc. I place the placement picture under the mat, peel of the backing from the applique, and then I layer and place according to the placement sheet. *note the placement sheet also includes how the pieces are layered. Then I iron the pieces while on the mat to create one unit. this makes it so simple to attach.