Appliqué is a technique in which one or more layers of fabric are cut and layered onto a base layer of fabric to create designs that would be too large or too expensive to produce by other methods. Appliqué has traditionally been used to decorate athletic shirts, caps and jackets with sports team mascots, numbers and letters. Today appliqué is also used to decorate casual clothing for fun and corporate attire for trade shows and special events.

Cutting appliqués with a laser is quicker and more precise than traditional knife or die cutting methods. A laser system makes it easy to cut multiple layers of material (as many as ten layers of fabric at once) and to perform intricate cuts that would be impractical to make with a knife. Cutting appliqués with a laser further ensures that each piece will be identical and allows for high quality finished work.

Appliqué typically commands higher market prices and requires shorter run times than equivalent embroidery work. And very few embroiderers offer appliqué services, making it an ideal niche service for business expansion.

Creating multi-layer appliqués on your Universal laser system is easy once you know how. In this tutorial we will take a step-by-step approach to producing appliqué. We hope you will find the process to be both rewarding and enjoyable.

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