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Free Applique Alphabet Pattern

Here’s a free applique alphabet pattern!

You can use these to add words to any pattern. This post shows several different layout possibilities you can use with any Shiny Happy World pattern – including several that add words.

Add a name, a birth date, a gift date, animal sounds – even a poem or quote!

I especially love this version of the Wild Flowers pattern that adds a quote from The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett.

Let your imagination run wild!

These letters are skinny-ish, allowing you to fit more letters in a standard block. They’re also very irregular so you can easily just shave a smidge off individual letters if you need to skinny them up just a touch to fit in a block and don’t want to go to the hassle of resizing them.

If you do want to go to the hassle of resizing them “properly” there’s a post here with the info you need.

Also – after many requests – this alphabet includes capital letters, numbers, and some punctuation. Yay!

There’s a post here with more info about adding half-size blocks to your quilts – perfect for adding words. The nutshell version is to cut your blocks 6 x 11 inches, then trim them down to 5 1/2 x 10 1/2 inches so that when you sew them together with a quarter inch seam allowance they finish at 5 x 10 inches – exactly half the size of one of my square blocks.

If you need more than six letters, I recommend cutting a larger block. That’s what I did for cock-a-doodle-doo up in the corner of this quilt. (This sample uses an old, chunkier alphabet that I don’t use anymore – but you get the idea.)

Noisy Farm Quilt pattern from Shiny Happy World

So. Here are the super basic instructions. Find more detailed fusible applique instructions (with videos) here.

Download the pattern here. It comes with all the letters the right way (for needle-turn applique) and reversed (for the applique with fusible adhesive technique I’m showing here).

Trace the reversed image of the letter onto the paper side of your fusible adhesive. Roughly cut around it.

h - mirror image traced onto fusible adhesive

Follow the manufacturer’s instructions and fuse it to the back of the fabric.

h - fused to the back side of fabric

Cut it out as neatly as you can.

h mirror image - cut out neatly

Peel off the paper and fuse the letter to your finished piece. Stitch around it if you like. Some adhesives require stitching – so read the label before you decide to skip it.

Use this free applique alphabet pattern to add words to your quilts, pillows, tote bags and more. Add your kids’ names to everything they own. Have fun with it!

If you like this pattern, sign up for the Shiny Happy News! Members get a weekly email with tutorials, patterns, sewing news, fun stuff and things to make you smile. 🙂

Happy stitching!

79 COMMENTS

  1. Louise SAYS...

    Thanks! Free on a Friday is fun! Have a great weekend.

  2. Malubo SAYS...

    Thank you!!!!!

  3. Regina Roza SAYS...

    Thanks so much Wendi!! Your alphabet adds whimsy….love your lettering!! <3

    • Thanks! I hope you get a chance to use them! 🙂

  4. Sandy SAYS...

    Thank you so much! I’ve been trying to use a Cricut to cut our letters, with mixed results. This will be so much easier. Plus the font is so cute!

    • I’m intrigued by the die-cutting machines out there, but I’ve never tried one.

  5. Mel Todd SAYS...

    Although I have drawn out the alphabet myself THIS makes it just SO MUCH easier! Once again thank you for sharing xxx

    • You can always print an alphabet too, using any of the great fonts out there – and resize it for what you need. But I thought it would be handy to have one just the right style and size to work with my quilts. 🙂

  6. Marian Pena SAYS...

    sew cute, ty

  7. Flo SAYS...

    This is such a great site, it makes me smile just to look at all the lovely things that are here.
    Thank you so much for sharing. I look forward to your newsletter all the time

  8. QUILTER4CHARITY SAYS...

    Thank you so much for this!!!

  9. Caroline SAYS...

    Thank you 🙂

  10. Jenny SAYS...

    Thanks Wendy! Always look forward to your updates. Everything is so cute and you are so generous that it always brightens my day! 🙂

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  12. ascular SAYS...

    Thank you very much. They are so really cute and useful

    • ascular SAYS...

      By the way, do you have upper case letter as well? Thank you!

  13. Brooks SAYS...

    Just had to say thank you for the pattern!!! What a HUGE blessing!! Blessings to you!

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  15. Jill Duck SAYS...

    Many thanks for the Alphabet pattern, It was very thoughtful to print the reverse as well

      • Martha SAYS...

        The Alphabet is great! Would you consider a pattern with numbers? I like to put the birth date on the baby quilts I make.

        • I’m actually working on a set of numbers now! I just sent them off to the digitizer and should have them back next week. 🙂

  16. Janet Lucille Knoblock SAYS...

    I have invested in a ScanNCut2 cutting machine that if I had a pdf file I can convert to a cut file and cut out all my appliqués that way. Is there a way I can save the Woodland Creatures I purchased to individual pdf’s? thank you for your time and consideration.

  17. Judy G SAYS...

    Thanks so much! This is just in time for me to work with my granddaughter on a Row by Row project.

  18. Char Dunn SAYS...

    Best of luck on your move! !! Purple houses are for HAPPY SHINY PEOPLE! !! I’M SO TICKLED THAT YOU GET TO HAVE A PURPLE HOUSE!!!
    We use bright happy colors in quilts, then build taupe brown houses! Womp womp !!!
    No matter how many places there are on the Web to looK at, this site has always been my favorite! ! Have a happy safe move!!

  19. Thank you for the applique pattern, I went back and got the letters too. Good luck with the moving and congratulations to your husband.

  20. Cheenu SAYS...

    Thanks. Very useful 🙂

  21. Nana Whittington SAYS...

    I’m new to sppliqueing. After fusing is there no sewing around it for embroidery look?

    • It depends on what fusible you use – some require sewing and some don’t. I use Heat & Bond Lite in all my quilts and then sew around the edges using a simple straight stitch about 1/8 inch from the raw edge.

  22. Martha SAYS...

    Thank you so much for this adorable font! Hugs!

  23. rose davy SAYS...

    This looks really good, but the ‘a’ is not the style I would choose. For a child’s quilt I would prefer an a like this type – a rather than the old fashioned type (can’t see how to show it here) that you use. Children aren’t taught to use the old style.

  24. Laura Daniels SAYS...

    i am new at this is there a fabric your recommend for letters to put on a pillow . I plan to sew around the edges also.

    • Quilting cotton (100% woven cotton) works great.

  25. Gail C Wheeler SAYS...

    Hi Wendi,
    Just the type of lettering I was looking for, and great to have the reverse lettering available – I usually have to create it myself. And so nice of you to provide for free 🙂 Happy sewing.

  26. Mireille S Hatchell SAYS...

    Hi Wendi,
    Thank you so much for your generosity in sharing this lettering pattern. Just what I was looking for. I want to make chef hats for our two great grand children ( 7 and 5 yrs. old) and add their names. Of course I’ll have to slightly reduce the size of the letterings, no problem. Blakke and Chloee stay with us one weekend every month. I treasure these times with them and try to plan fun things to do with them. One of the things we’ll do this time is bake together in the kitchen and they’ll have their chef’s hat to wear. Thanks again!

  27. Thank you so much for your generosity in sharing these letters! I’m about to start making my grandbaby a ‘quiet book’ for her second birthday and these letters are exactly what I was looking for! Many thanks from New Zealand 🙂

  28. Helen Clark SAYS...

    Many thanks, could I ask do you have this in uppercase too?
    Regards Helen

  29. Pam Garfeo SAYS...

    Thanks Wendi! Do you have capital letters to go with this alphabet? I love the lower case….but I’m teaching my granddaughter how to spell her name and need a capital. Thanks!!

  30. Anonymous SAYS...

    Ok…worth a try…Thanks again!

  31. Nicola SAYS...

    Thanks for the free applique letters a friend want’s her craft name put on bunting so these should do the job nicely 🙂

  32. Brandie L Woodyard SAYS...

    Do you have the numbers to go with these letters?

  33. MARY WRIGHT SAYS...

    Thank you for the letters and numbers! I am working on a Thanksgiving wall hanging and needed to spell out Happy Thanksgiving.

  34. OMG thank you! thank you! thank you! How did I not see this before now? I love adding words and absolutely do not like any of the fonts on my computer for quilting. Too many sharp turns and deep curves and fussiness. These letters are awesome–and thank you for doing both regular and reversed! I usually do fusible applique but one never knows. Yay! I’m all happy and giggly now. I’m relaunching a quilting business so hopefully I’ll have lots of uses for quilting words 😉

  35. Wismiss55 SAYS...

    Thanks Wendi the alphabet is exactly what I needed.

  36. Esther Bader SAYS...

    Does it make a big difference what kind of printer I use with the HeatnBond? Mine is an Epson laser, not an ink jet. Does that also work? I guess the amount of heat is what makes a difference.

    • Sorry – you can’t use a laser printer. You’re right that it’s all about the amount of heat. A laser printer gets hot enough to melt the adhesive in the fusible. 🙁

  37. Chen SAYS...

    Thank you Wendi for your lovely letters and the patterns! Do you have them in upper case?

  38. Swantje SAYS...

    Thank you for the happy words. The letters are so cute.

  39. Carla M. Gerry SAYS...

    Thank you I have wanted a template for a while now…thank you for sharing!

  40. Heather Givan SAYS...

    Hi, I’m trying to download the alphabet but the ‘download here’ link wont work 😔

    • I just checked and it’s working now – hopefully it was just a temporary glitch. If you try again and still have an issue, please try updating your browser. That’s the equivalent of changing your needle in the tech world – it fixes all kinds of weird, random, seemingly unrelated problems. If you go to http://www.whatismybrowser.com it’ll tell you if there’s an update available.

  41. Samantha Macrina SAYS...

    The download button is not working again.
    Thank you,
    Samantha

  42. Eileen SAYS...

    Wendy, you are my hero!! Thank you so much for the lessons, the ideas, the creativity and the techniques!!! I am wondering if you have a jpeg of the alphabet letters for resizing. I did find one for the numbers. Thank you so, so much!!
    Eileen

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  44. Wendy SAYS...

    Thank You Wendi!!! Love This ❤️❤️

  45. Lila SAYS...

    Thank you so much Wendi. Your generosity is only exceeded by your talent. You do so much for us. Also, thank you for the inspiration.

  46. MC SAYS...

    Wendi, you are THE best! Thank you so much for these.

  47. Nancy Costantino SAYS...

    Thankyou Wendy, your alphabet is gorgeous. Love your emails!

  48. Anonymous SAYS...

    Thanks so much Wendy.
    You are so incredibly generous and I love your Patterns.

  49. Mary Park SAYS...

    Thank you, you are the most generous and kind person, I love your patterns, thanks for your giving and sharing.
    Mary

  50. Thank You…..your generosity is much appreciated!

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