Everything Papercraft - Applique

Paper appliqué is the process of applying pieces of paper onto a base piece to create patterns or to form an image. It’s very similar to paper piecing, although generally paper piecing is more like a jigsaw puzzle of a single image that is cut apart and then reformed, while appliqué uses repeating shapes to make an overall design. Paper crafters have borrowed the technique from the world of sewing and simply substituted paper for fabric.

Paper appliqué is easy to do, especially with all the dies, stencils and punches that are available on the market. You can make fabulous patterned backgrounds, card toppers, scrapbook and journal pages using the technique. As a shout-out to its sewing origins, you can even add real or faux stitching around the edges of each paper piece.

Simple paper appliqué using circles and faux stitching.