Applique name onto nursery school smock

[redlondonbuses]

I'm not sure where to post this, can anyone please tell me the best way to do applique fabric letters for a childs name on to a nursery school smock? I bought iron on letters which fell off and look scruffy and other children have lovely sewn names with pretty fabrics..

I have the fabric and have cut out letters in paper to trace in reverse onto the fabric, I know how to sew them on, do I need to use fusible bonding stuff for placement too? I'm not good at sewing so no idea if what I'm envisioning is correct...

TIA

Absolutely no idea!

If you still have the iron letters can you then sew round them as an additional way of securing them? Otherwise I presume you're hand sewing not using a machine? Sometimes the bigger, brighter threads as a contrast are nice -get some embroidery thread and use 3 strands and do a running stitch?

I would use something like bondaweb too - it makes it much easier. Reverse the letters and trace onto the paper side of the bondaweb. Use an iron with no steam to iron the bondaweb onto the reverse of your fabric. Peel off paper backing and then iron letters onto the smock. Zigzag stitch round the edge if you have a machine, otherwise if sewing by hand just do a running stitch round the edge a few mm in.

SunnyL I chucked the letters! But that would have been a great idea if I'd kept them.

B1rdonawire thank you, this is hugely helpful advice, you're amazing!

Get some felt or fleece if you don't want to get more iron on letters - they don't fray.

Beyond that B1rdonawire's advice is spot on!

You can get different weights of vlisofix and if you get the heaviest you won’t need to sew around the edges as long as you aren’t washing it all the time.

I’d do what B1rdon says though with a less sturdy vlisofix/bondaweb.