Appliqué Books
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Jan
22
Yay! I am NOT the only quilter in the world who does not use the Bernina knee lift! Thank you for letting me know that… I am not alone. If and when I need a new machine, a hover mode feature will definitely be on my wish list.
Awhile back, Jan Louise wrote,
I watched a quilting program in which the guest said she always uses silk threads to do her appliqué. I use DMC threads because I can always find a matching color. What do other stitchers use, what do you recommend, and why?
Hi Jan Louise! There’s a long answer and a short answer, Being the over-achiever that I am, I’ll start with the long answer 
.
I’m also a DMC user. We’re talking about DMC 50-weight cotton machine-embroidery thread. I got started with it because it’s available at my LQS and like you say, comes in lots of beautiful colors. I have a whole library of it, and I use it for both hand and machine appliqué. I’ve stayed with it because 1) I like it, and 2) I don’t want to start a whole new collection.
The entire line is available online at Sharla Hicks’ Soft Expressions.
Everything else I know about thread comes under the category of hearsay. Being an avid quilter and appliquér for about 20 years now, I’ve kept my eyes and ears open. I’m happy to pass along what I’ve learned, with the caveat that what I say from here on is not through direct experience.
OTHER BRANDS OF COTTON
I tried out Superior’s MasterPiece Thread in an earlier post. MasterPiece is a fine cotton thread favored by the Piece o’ Cake gals and Alex Anderson.
Mettler’s Silk Finish is widely available at quilting and sewing stores and can be used for appliqué. It’s not silk, it’s cotton, but has a smooth finish, which is why they liken it to silk. It’s also a 50-weight thread, but it’s 3-ply, which effectively makes it a little thicker. You’ll notice I have a few spools of it on the bottom row of my thread rack, and there are a few more in the drawer. I use it sometimes for machine appliqué when I want a little bit heavier edge finish.
Mettler also makes a cotton 60-weight 2-ply that my pal Pam uses. It’s also the thread of choice for Karen Kay Buckley, who offers collections of it on her website.
Pat Sloan likes Aurifil 50-weight thread. You’ll see her on the web page. Pat does machine appliqué, but according to the website this thread is thin and a good choice for hand appliqué as well.
SILK
Lots of appliquérs swear by silk thread. It’s extremely fine, like 100 weight, and sinks beautifully into the fabric edge, effectively disappearing. I’ve heard it said that you don’t need as many colors, because it blends very well and you can get away with just a few basics. YLI and Superior are two brands that I know of.
I’ve also heard that silk thread is so fine and slippery that you tend to lose it out of the needle, and there’s some sort of way of tying a knot on the end to keep it from doing so.
There’s also some urban legend in the appliqué world that silk is stronger than cotton, and over the years will outlast the cotton and chew through it. Bob Purcell addresses this issue in the Silk Thread FAQs on the Superior Threads website.
POLY
Libby Lehman’s The Bottom Line is the thread of choice for many appliquérs. It’s very fine and comes in lots of colors. Again with the urban legend about matching the fiber content of the thread to the fiber content of the fabric. Check out Bob’s Poly Thread FAQ.
OTHER BRANDS
There are many more thread companies and probably types of thread suitable for hand appliqué that I have no knowledge of. If you do, please chime in! If you use Robison-Anton, Presencia, Madera, or another kind, please let us know!
Now for the Short Answer, a quote from my book Inspired by Tradition:
I use 50-weight 2-ply cotton machine-embroidery thread. Others use 50-weight 3-ply or 60-weight thread, and still others swear by very fine silk thread. All of these are good choices for hand appliqué. Use what you can find conveniently.
That’s what it comes down to for me.
Jan Louise, I hope this has helped. Thanks for reading the blog!!
I’m off to Phoenix tomorrow. See you in a week!
Kay
By Kay Mackenzie
P.S. Since I showed you my thread library, I thought I’d show you a small portion of my fabric stash, filmed by the DH.
Filed Under Threads | 7 Comments
Jan
16
Pursuant to our recent discussions about wool, I thought I’d give a link over to the Bunny Hill Blog. Anne just put up a post showing the most luscious wool. Go feast your eyes!
Another fascinating thing I saw was a video at The Quilt Show by the Bernina educators. Apparently, some new Berninas have what’s called “hover mode.” Oooh, when you’re doing machine appliqué and you need to stop and pivot, if you set the machine on this mode, it’ll automatically raise the presser foot for you! What a concept! I may be the only quilter in the world who has a Bernina with a knee lever, who doesn’t use it. I could really get the wants for the hover mode.
Could’ve used it on this project, that’s for sure!
Until next time,
Kay
By Kay Mackenzie
The Quilt, Craft & Sewing Festival at the Arizona State Fairgrounds is next week. If you’re in that area, I hope to see you there!
Filed Under Machine appliqué, Wool | 5 Comments
Jan
9
Awhile ago, Daniquilter wrote:
I really need to see a step-by-step tutorial of you working through difficult parts of appliqué: inner curves, outer curves, points, what to do when a curve is pointy rather than curvy, etc. In other tutorials I see the beginning and then the end of a piece without the process in between. Love your blog!!
First of all, thank you so much Daniquilter for your nice words about the blog! I enjoy writing it.
It looks like you’re looking for information on hand stitching. It’s all here already! Here’s a roundup of past posts that address these very issues:
Clipping of inner and outer curves
Remember that you can always use the Categories and Keyword Search function to find information about topics in appliqué. If you’re subscribed by email, you’ll need to click over to the blog itself, so that you can see and use the sidebars.
My next quilt show is in Phoenix, Arizona, January 26-28. It’s the Quilt, Craft & Sewing Festival at the Arizona State Fairgrounds! If you’re in that area, I hope to see you there!
Until next time,
Kay
By Kay Mackenzie
Filed Under Curves, Notches, Photo tutorials, Points | 1 Comment
Jan
6
Heather came up the winner in the draw for Pennies From Heaven. Congratulations Heather! She says she is particularly attracted to the valance since she has been toying with the idea of making one. Enjoy the book!
Every year the DH Dana puts some fat quarters in my stocking. (Yes, he’s a very good quilt husband.) This year, as I mentioned, he was in Oslo on a business trip in mid-December, so what should I pull out of my stocking but these beautiful things!
The apple fabric turned out to be an Alexander Henry, which he was bitterly disappointed to learn is a California fabric company LOL! I didn’t care, I love it!
He did better on the other two. I consulted Dr. Google and found that the Tilda fabric is designed by adorable Oslo native Tone Finnanger. Isn’t it gorgeous? Tone has a whole line of things that she has designed and it’s all to drool over.
Dana didn’t remember the name of the shop where he found the fabric, describing it as “sort of a craft store.” Luckily the label on the fabric enabled me to track it down to being Panduro Hobby in downtown Oslo.
And here’s what else I got for Christmas. You remember the Cavalcade of Kittens? And how I said there was a followup? You remember the very last batch, the ones with the sneezy noses?
A few days before Christmas I started getting a queasy feeling… queasy because I was terrified by it but still it was there… of thinking that maybe Max would stay. (He’s the one in the middle with the smush-face.) I brought it up with Dana and he was delighted! He was all for it, but understood my fear of commitment. After losing Willie and before that, three aged cats one by one, I felt like a widow enjoying the dating scene but not ready for a long-term relationship.
But truly, Max had all the qualities we would want in a cat, so I kept thinking about it. On Christmas Eve we turned out the lights at about 11:30 p.m. and Max came and draped himself purring over my neck and laid his face on my cheek for a pillow, and suddenly my heart opened up and the fear washed away, and I knew that he was a keeper. It had to be about midnight on Christmas morning.
Dana named him for his favorite childhood TV character Maxwell Smart. Max is a velvety soft, squishy, floppy five-month-old who loves to be picked up, held, hugged, kissed, turned upside down, draped over the shoulder, etc., purring all the while. He’s ours now, all officially adopted through the shelter, and fits in here like peas and carrots.
This cat knows how to relax.
Did I mention that he's floppy?
Under my ironing board.
Willie used to sleep at the base of my stash.
Max has chosen his spot, about four feet higher.
Face plant in the batiks.
To quote Dr. Seuss (and Anne Sutton, who recently told us the heartwarming story of Bitsy Button Sutton), “It came without ribbons.” I didn’t want a kitty for Christmas, but it’s the very best present I got.
Until next time,
Kay
By Kay Mackenzie
P.S. BTW the other two kitties recovered well from their colds and I took them back to the shelter. Within 10 minutes of getting them set up and settled in the adoptable area, one of them was already requested for a meet-and-greet. Out the door he went with his new family. About 45 minutes later, the other one went! That’s gotta be a new world’s record, even for the Kitten Flipper (as they call me at the shelter)!
Filed Under Fabrics, Kittens Off Topic, Prizes | 11 Comments
Jan
1
And we have a great book as our featured selection to start things off right!
Pennies From Heaven: Celebrated Quilt and Companion Projects by Gretchen Gibbons.
The title of the book and cover quilt comes from the old term “penny rug,” so called because of the circles, usually wool, that are blanket-stitched onto a base in decorative patterns. As Gretchen says, this style is “primitive, colorful, and funky all at the same time.”
Gretchen enjoys working with wool, and calls it the easiest appliqué technique, for several reasons:
• There are no edges to turn.
• There’s no right or wrong side, so you don’t have to reverse patterns.
• You don’t have to use fusible web (though you can if you want to).
• Cutting on the straight of grain or on the bias works equally well.
• The blanket stitching can be done by hand or machine.
• Hand-dyed wools come in yummy colors.
The book starts out with instructions for felting wool, which is the process that shrinks it, mats the fibers together, and eliminates raveling. Then there are complete instructions for wool appliqué, a color guide for the motifs used in the book’s projects, and information on needles, threads, and beads, and embroidery. There’s good advice on batting, mixing cottons and wools within a project, quilting considerations, and attaching a hanging sleeve.
Besides the cover quilt with its 10 beautiful blocks, there are instructions for eight more smaller projects, each one cuter than the last.
Enchanted Pennies
Joyful Pillow
Pennies Window Valance
Circle of Life Table Mat
I just love their primitive, folksy look. If you admire it too, and would like a chance to win this book, please leave a comment here on this post before 7:00 p.m. California time on Thursday, January 5. Contest open to U.S. and Canada mailing addresses only, and remember to click over to the blog itself instead of replying to your email feed.
Thank you, That Patchwork Place, for providing the book!
Until next time,
Kay
By Kay Mackenzie
Filed Under Blanket stitch, Books, Prizes, Raw edge, Wool | 54 Comments
Dec
28
First of all, thank you so much to everyone who responded with kind condolences for Willie, and warm enthusiasm for my kitten stories. Your messages meant a whole lot to me. There’s a followup… but I’ll save that for later.
Several of the projects that appear in my book A Merry Little Christmas to Appliqué are on loan to my pal Debby at the Quilter’s Faire in Palm Desert, California.
When a traveling quilt-show vendor specializing in Christmas expressed an interest in carrying the book, I thought I’d make another version of the project that’s the most popular one… Plum Pudding!
 The original. |
It was loads of fun rummaging for the fabrics, and also a little scary. It’s been awhile now since the book came out, but in the scrap bag I found a few leftover squares of the original fabrics used for the patched background! I also had enough of the red sashing and all three fabrics that were used for the puddings!
In my files, I even found the original pattern and tracing-paper overlay! Since the pattern is blown up 200%, this saved me a step. That’s why I keep stuff. You never know.
Once I’d pulled all the fabrics, I started thinking about the great expanse of white that makes up the ‘hard sauce’ part of the pattern. It would be covering a weensy bit of the brown, and also the patched background, and I didn’t want those to shadow through.
Usually, for machine appliqué I would use a double layer to create a light-over-dark motif by first fusing two layers of fabric together and then using that composed fabric to create the motif. This time, the area was so large, and I didn’t want the stiffness from the extra fusible. I thought I’d try something new.
I started out by making two motifs just the same, both with the inside of the fusible web cut out.
Back
Front
I removed the paper backing from both, placed one on top of the other on a nontick appliqué pressing sheet, and tacked them together with a hot iron.
If there are are inconsistencies in the two shapes, just use your scissors and trim them to match.
A little haircut needed here.
All trimmed and tidy.
Now the motif is double-layer and with no fusible web in the middle to make it stiff! Try it! It worked for me.
Stitched block.
Finished project: Plum Pudding 2
Until next time,
Kay
By Kay Mackenzie
Filed Under Fusible web, Holiday, Machine appliqué, Photo tutorials | 3 Comments
Dec
25
Merry Christmas!!
Disclaimer: What you are about to see contains images of cute fluffy kitties. It has nothing to do with appliqué, so be warned if you must. Welcome to the Second Annual Cavalcade of Kittens!
In May, the Mackenzie Finishing School for Felines opened its doors for the season. Through mid-December, Dana and I took care of seven consecutive groups of underage foster kittens for the Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter, 19 little balls of fur all told.
The kitties we take in are big enough to eat on their own, generally five to six weeks old, and we keep them until they’re at least eight weeks, two pounds, and in good body condition. It’s so much fun, and so rewarding to watch them grow from teensy little klutzes to sturdy healthy pre-teens who run thumping and banging around the house.
I’ll let you know right now, so that you don’t wonder or worry, that each and every one of the kittens you are about to see has gone back to the shelter, been found by someone who fell in love with them, and adopted into a forever home.
Our first batch of the year. Three black ones just like the first group last year. They were pretty scrappy looking the day they arrived.
Velvet, Cricket, and Bennett. They got along fine with Willie, in fact they even invaded his crate.
Cricket was an especially friendly and snuggly kitty. She liked Willie.
She even helped me sew.
The second group were Bailey, Kelly, and Sweet Pea.
Willie tried to give them lessons on back-of-the-sofa protocol, but Bailey wasn’t paying attention in class that day.
Watching them play and fight is hilarious, and the poses we find them in make us laugh. Had the baby kitty wars actually done Bailey in? Kelly says, ‘I didn’t do it.’
Sweet Pea loves her DirecTV.
And now, gentle readers, it is with great sadness that I must tell you that it was at this point that our darling Willie, aged 16 years and 10 months, left us to go to doggie heaven. Those of you who have been reading this blog for awhile know that he was my heart. Despite all this kitten business, I’m really a dog person and it was Willie who made me that way. Dana too. He enriched our lives for many long years and never had a bad mood in his life. We loved him more than words can say.
Bertram Wilberforce Woofster Mackenzie, 1994 - 2011
It actually helped having kittens around, because the house was not completely empty. If you’d like to learn more about our Willie and his long and wonderful life, please visit his dogblog to read all of his stories.
We called our next group of little cats “The Hooligans” due to their spectacular brash athleticism and fondness for body climbing.
Grady, Teddy and Finley. Sure, they look all sweet now LOL!
Grady was the Head Hooligan.
Finley was Grady’s little Mini Me.
Teddy was much more of a sweetie pie. Here he is whispering kitty nothings into Dana’s ear.
Again with the comical poses. You just never know what you’re going to find.
The Cat On The Hat.
Head plant!
The Itty Bitty Kitty Committee.
Next came two single kittens who were put together for foster. Mookie was an absolute love, a calm, pure, sweet old soul in a little body with big ears.
Buff Daddy (that name courtesy of Dana).
This little buff tiger was not at all certain that he was pleased to be put with another kitten. Mookie was very patient with him, and within a couple days Daddy had forgotten all about it, and it was as if they had known each other all their lives.
The next batch was a litter of four fuzzballs. Two looked like seal-point Himalayan mixes and the other two were long-haired brown tigers.
The Himmies are Cuddles and Petunia, the tigers Button and Rupert. There was never a dull moment with this crew around.
Button and Petunia liked to help me in my studio Here’s Button pointing out a needed edit in my Scrap-Appliqué Playground page proofs, while Petunia prepares for a rear attack.
Petunia and Cuddles both have those gorgeous blue Himalayan eyes.
After the Fab Four came the S’s: Shelby, Spike, and Spencer.
Spencer and Spike were tuxedo cats, Shelby a lynx-point Siamese mix. They were all wonderfully nice little guys… sweet, affectionate, and so happy to be at our home.
By this time, kitten season was starting to wind down, but there were still a couple of singles who could go to foster together. First we got Sassy. She hopped out of the carrier and hopped around the living room like she didn’t have a care in the world. A super confident, friendly, and exceedingly cute little girl full of “tortietude.”
Making sure Dana stays in his chair and does his work.
One informal measure of how big our fosters are getting is whether they can squeeze under the dresser. Sassy still fits!
The next day I picked up Jamie, a black/brown smoke kitty who was full of purrs for people, but unsure of the big wide world. You can see it in his face.
The first time he saw Sassy, you should have seen the stank face! Spit, hiss, oh what a pill he was being! Sweet Sassy kept working on him little by little, and by the time three days had gone by he had totally thawed out, and they were chasing, playing, and hanging out together with ease.
This is the first time Jamie came to settle down by Sassy.
They helped us put up our Christmas tree.
By the time they went back to the shelter, Jamie had blossomed into a playful, friendly, very good-natured little man. He had an instant-on purr motor upon being petted, and this also turned him into a talky cat! He did great at the shelter meeting lots of new friends. Just shows you what foster care can do.
I packed up all the kitten gear and put it away for the season. Sad face. It’ll be a long time until May. But then… what should I discover during my regular shift at the shelter last week, but… three kittens in the hospital ward with sneezy noses! The shelter staff gladly sent them home with me to complete their recuperation from their kitty colds.
I’m back in business! I’m so glad, because otherwise it would have been the first Christmas in 23 years without any animals in the house.
Meet Max, Wylie, and Cullen, our current crew. I don’t know if you can tell, but Wylie is about half the size of the other two. Nobody knows quite why. These guys were dumped off in boxes at a pet store. We don’t know if they’re from the same litter, but it matters not, because they all love each other, everyone, and everything. They’re about the nicest cats EVER.
Little Wylie and big Cullen.
The biggest, Max, with his giant white paws.
These guys are still with us now, helping us open our presents. Thank you so much for putting up with my catblogging. I vow to keep it to once a year! Happiest of holidays to you and yours.
Kay
By Kay Mackenzie
Filed Under Kittens Off Topic | 16 Comments
Dec
19
The extra holiday book giveaway, A Year in the Life of Sunbonnet Sue, goes to Comment #50, Kat! Congratulations! Kat’s birthday was December 13 so that’s very fun.
Thank you so much to everyone who posted and sent me nice birthday wishes. The DH Dana was away in Norway for a week prior and arrived home that night sick and jetlagged, so I put him to bed and we are still catching up on the bday celebrating LOL, whilst I’m doing my best not to catch his cold!
Until Christmas Day, when I subject you once again to picture of cute kittens in the second annual roundup of foster felines.
Enjoy this time!
Kay
By Kay Mackenzie
Filed Under Holiday, Prizes | 3 Comments
Dec
14
The last couple of years, I did an extra holiday-season drawing to give away a book. It’s also the time of my birthday, which is December 17, and it made me feel like my birthday lasted a whole week. Let’s do it again!
Unless you’ve been living in a cave, if you’re a quilter you know Sunbonnet Sue. That simple little girl in a simple little frock and great big bonnet that conveniently hides her face. The first appliquér to come up with that concept was a genius!
Christine Porter and Darra Williamson collaborated “across the pond” to create a dozen small quilts to see what Sue gets up to through the seasons.
A Year in the Life of Sunbonnet Sue
The book starts with a section of “Sue Basics” that includes materials, frames, borders, backings, bindings, assembling the wall quilts, and how to add the appliqués. The method that the authors used was raw-edge fusible finished with a machine blanket stitch. They’ll take you through it step-by-step.
I’ll take a moment to say here that the illustrator for this book is the same one who is working on my new book, and the illustrations are fantastic. Kudos Robin!!
Sue decks the halls.
Sue tiptoes through the tulips.
Sue has to go back to school. Bummer.
If you’d like to win a copy of this book, courtesy of That Patchwork Place, please leave a comment on this blog post by 7:00 p.m. on Sunday, December 18. U.S. and Canada mailing addresses only.
Happiest of holidays to you and yours!
Kay
By Kay Mackenzie
Filed Under Books, Prizes | 50 Comments
Dec
8
My pal Cathy sent me a link to one of Bonnie McCaffery’s vidcasts. The Tentmakers of Cairo are artists I had not heard of. Their story is fascinating and the work they do incredible. And so fast! Check it out. It’s a big wide world, and it isn’t really tents any more.
Over at The Quilt Show, Sharon Pederson has been giving a series of lessons. There’s one on easy padded machine appliqué that’s really cool. You do not have to be a TQS member to watch the video.
Until next time, enjoy the show!
Kay
By Kay Mackenzie
Filed Under Batting, Machine appliqué, Product demo, Raw edge | 2 Comments
Dec
6
The winner of Bloom Creek Quilts is Michele of Manitouwadge, Ontario, Canada! Congratulations! Michele says, “Yippeee Skippeee!! This is fantastic news!! Now I know what I’ll be doing over the holidays!”
During the fall, at the quilt show in Reedley, somebody sent a friend to come see me in my booth and to look at all my appliqué quilts, but I had stepped away for a moment. Later they came back and this friend pronounced that she couldn’t find me because my booth had no sign. (This despite the appliqué quilts hung everywhere LOL.)
It got me thinking. Well, the larger shows often provide signage, but the smaller ones usually don’t. Hmm, I said to myself. Other vendors have really cute quilted signs, maybe I should have one too. So I sat down and sketched out an idea for something simple but graphic. I’ve been working on it the last couple weeks and just finished it up.
That oughta fill the bill, don’t you think? And, maybe it will pre-answer the question that I often get, which is, “Did you do all these???”
Until next time,
Kay
By Kay Mackenzie
P.S. The $5 off any order of $10 or more is still on at the website, through December 10! The code is 5OFF.
Filed Under Prizes, Show & Tell | 10 Comments
Dec
1
Our featured book this month is Bloom Creek Quilts by Vicki Bellino.
I just love the soft, mellow feel of this book. Not only that, it has a cat on the cover! Very cool.
Bloom Creek is the name of Vicki’s pattern company, hence the name of the book, which includes 14 of Vicki’s most popular designs. She has included a variety of projects: smaller, larger, with appliqué, without appliqué, traditional, contemporary, some made with precuts, and a few brand-new designs. What a great combo platter.
The book starts out by covering quiltmaking basics, including working with precuts, freezer-paper hand appliqué, fusible machine appliqué, bias vines, and half-square triangle units. There’s also infomation on preparing for machine quilting, making a hanging sleeve, binding the quilt, and making creative quilt labels. Her labels are very cute.
Here are just a few of the projects in the book.
Brandyvine Tote Bag
I love this bag! The combination of red and white toiles plus the simple appliqué put it right up my alley.
A Pack of Posies
Here’s that soft mellow look again. This table runner is made with one charm pack and a half yard of fabric.
Home for the Holidays
Since ’tis the season, I thought I’d show you this darling Christmas tree complete with cardinals.
Also included are the Blooms pillow and bed quilt shown on the cover (under the cat) more bed quilts, wall quilts large and small, and sofa quilts suitable for snuggling under in the living room.
Courtesy of That Patchwork Place, I have a copy to give away in a drawing. If you’d like to win this attractive book full of very doable designs, leave a comment here on this post before 7:00 p.m. on Sunday, December 4. U.S. and Canada addresses only, and remember that replying to your email feed won’t enter you in the drawing. Go the the blog itself and leave your comment there.
Many thanks for your readership, and remember that if you haven’t used it yet, the $5 off any order of $10 or more is still on at kaymackenzie.com, through December 10.
Until next time,
Kay
Filed Under Books, Prizes | 58 Comments
Nov
25
In contemplating thankfulness, I’d like to shout out a great big Thank You to all of you who follow All About Appliqué. I thoroughly enjoy writing this blog, and it’s gratifying to know that someone is reading. No matter what form of quilting we employ, we all have one thing in common… we are appliqué enthusiasts! Yay!
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| Ready, Shop, Sew! |
In appreciation, I’ve created a coupon for $5 off any order of $10 or more on my website, where all my stuff is. The coupon code is 5OFF and is good through December 10, 2011, for your holiday shopping pleasure. U.S. and Canada only, regular shipping charges apply.
Here are some great ways to take advantage of the coupon. Stocking stuffers for your quilty friends!
When you click on the links below, you’ll be taken to the page on the website where the item is found. If you don’t see it right away, just scroll down.
Quiltmaker’s 100 Blocks, Volume 4. Only $6.99.
A cute little pattern for your friend who would like to hang this in her sewing room. Just $6.
Magnetic Needleminder, $9.50. These look like beautiful cameos and make fantastic gifties. There are 10 different styles to choose from.
John James #10 Straw/Milliner needles, $3.00. My favorites for hand appliqué.
Clover 5″ miscroserrated scissors, fantastic for appliqué. They’re very grippy on the fabric and the cut edge is less prone to fraying. $23.50
The coupon is good on anything you’d like to order from By Kay Mackenzie, including all of my books, patterns and notions. Maybe you’d like to get a gift for yourself! Have you been looking at Sew the Perfect Gift, Inspired by Tradition, or Teapots 2 to Appliqué? Now’s the time!
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Hope you had a warm and wonderful Thanksgiving.
Until next time,
Kay
By Kay Mackenzie
Filed Under Admin notes, Books, Patterns | 2 Comments
Nov
20
Many thanks to Kim Q., the only one who offered any insights into the subject of permanent wearable appliqués. She said,
If you’re going to applique clothing, keep the fabric contents similar…don’t use a shrinkable cotton on a synthetic garment. I’ve mounted the applique using Heat N Bond, by using a plain old stationery store glue stick, or by using Sulky’s KK2000 spray. The Heat N Bond is permanent, but not my favorite, since it makes that portion of the clothing stiff, just like it does on quilt blocks. If you use one of the other two methods, and it’s a larger sized patch, then you can also use straight pins to anchor it too. Then you’d run a satin or zig zag stitch around the applique.
Since personally I am very quilt-centric, specifically in the area of decorative pieces, I’m always focused on the lightest-weight fusible I can find. If it’s any help, I’m going to offer a list of all the manufacturers that I know of. Again these are very quilty, and there may be products out there that fit more into the industrial or manufacturing scheme. If you know of any, please chime in.
Best of luck, Susan and Lee, in finding the product that works for your needs.
Aleene’s
Bosal Foam and Fiber
Heat n Bond (Therm o Web)
Pellon
Steam a Seam (The Warm Company)
Until next time,
Kay
Filed Under Fusible web | 2 Comments
Nov
17
First of all, thank you so much to everyone who visited during last week’s 100 Block blog hop. I so appreciate all the nice things you said!
Today’s post puts forth a couple of reader questions. I recently received the following:
I would like to know how you put an appliqué on a garment that will not wrinkle when washed or dried. I had appliqués on the uniform for work and they washed and dried w/o ever turning up at the corners or wrinkling , stayed flat wash after wash.
I want to put an appiqué on my hoodie but don’t want it to wrinkle when it is washed. I got NO help from the employees at the two stores I went to
so thought maybe you could help me please.
Thank you, Susan
A few days later, the following question came along:
I have spent a lot of time researching lately on fabric decorating techniques and came across your All About Applique website. It is full of amazing information and I hardly knew where to begin! Since you apparently have extensive knowledge on this subject, I wanted to ask you a question but first I will briefly explain what I am doing.
I am a designer currently working on some fashion pieces for apparel and home decor. I use a variety of decorating methods from heat-applied vinyls to hand-screen printing (I will try anything!). My project at hand is a line of rugby shirts and jackets which bear strong graphic elements like patches and stripes. I do not manufacture the garments, I use pre-existing blank clothing and apply my designs to that. I wanted to find out if there is a reliable way in which to fuse certain elements to the fabric permanently with no concern about them coming off in wearing or washing?? This comes into play when I want a small textural detail on, maybe, a sleeve or a collar, etc. and may, as well, be used for applying my own screen printed inner tags to the pieces for brand identity.
I have seen products such as fusible web and an adhesive for applying patches specifically, but having no experience with these, I don’t know how they hold up nor what kind of hand feel they give to the fabrics.
I so appreciate any help you can offer, your experience on the subject is certainly obvious!
Lee
Susan and Lee, since wearables are not in my wheelhouse, I’m throwing your questions out to the community. I bet there are lots of readers who know about these things. Please chime in with help for Susan and Lee! Thanks!
Kay
By Kay Mackenzie
Filed Under Fusible web | 1 Comment
Nov
16
Lucky Kathy H. is the winner of a copy of the brand-new 100 Blocks Volume 4. Congratulations! Kathy reports that she already has the second and third editions and just loves them, so this’ll be a great one to add to her collection.
Elizabeth came up the winner of a copy of my book Dolls & Dresses to Appliqué. The cool thing is, Elizabeth said in her comment, “Thanks so much for the opportunity to win the book Dolls and Dresses. I have wanted to get it.” How cool is that? Sometimes random.org knows what it’s doing.
Until next time, with a couple of reader questions.
Kay
By Kay Mackenzie
Filed Under Blog hops, Prizes | 1 Comment
Nov
11
A heartfelt welcome to those who are visiting today courtesy of the Quiltmaker’s 100 Blocks Blog Tour! So glad you came by! This blog is devoted to appliqué ~ any kind. You’ll find a wealth of information here by exploring the Categories and the lists of links to designers and pattern companies. You can also search the archives by keyword if there’s something in particular you’re interested in.
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Today I’m writing about my entry in Volume 4 of 100 Blocks, a very special collector’s edition of Quiltmaker magazine that hit the newsstands this week.
I’m on the cover again! That’s my block Heartlets with the pink plaid hearts. How very fun.
This is part of a fantastic blog hop that takes you on a trip through cyberspace to find out more about the designers and what inspired them to create their blocks.
Since it’s me we’re talkin’ about, of course my block was going to be applique. I love hearts, and decided to grow some on a sort-of heart-shaped vine. I stitched it up by machine using raw-edge fusible appliqué and sent it in.
Here it is, months later, Block #312!
The designers who contributed blocks were also invited to send in projects showing the block in a different way. When I looked at Heartlets I thought it would be very cute done up in Christmas colors, so I made this little wall quilt for the holidays. I’m happy to say that it made it into the projects sections of the magazine, and is now hanging in the Quiltmaker offices in Golden, Colorado!
The 100 Blocks magazine includes a pull-out section of full-size templates so no worries about blowing up patterns. I already received my advance copy, and let me tell you, each block is more spectacular than the last, whether appliquéd, pieced, foundation-pieced, or mixed-technique. This truly is a treasure trove… you’ll want to save it for your future use again and again.
Today is the last day of the tour, but if you haven’t already done so, be sure to visit Quilty Pleasures, because there are prize drawings still going on.
I happen to have a couple prizes of my own! I have a copy of the magazine to give away, and I’m also going to draw another winner, who will receive my book Dolls and Dresses to Appliqué.
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So leave a comment before 7:00 p.m. California time on Monday, November 14, to enter the drawings! U.S. and Canada addresses only. Thanks for visiting, come again soon!
Cheers,
Kay
By Kay Mackenzie
Filed Under Blog hops, Magazines | 172 Comments
Nov
7
It’s Day 1 of Quiltmaker’s 100 Blocks Volume 4 Blog Tour!
The tour lasts all week, with visits to designers who contributed a block to this issue. Be sure to follow the tour all week, because there will be lots of goodies and prize-winning possibilities. Start each day at the 100 Blocks blog.
My day on the tour is this Friday, November 11. I’ll show you my block and tell you a little bit about it, and I’ll have my drawing for a couple of prizes!
Hey, here’s an extra special treat. My buddy Sarah Vee has a block on the cover too. In fact, it’s right next to mine, how cool is that! Sarah has created a special coupon just for my readers. It’s valid at her Etsy store: SewJoy Creations, and will give you 50% off Sarah’s e-patterns! The coupon kicks in today, Nov. 7, and ends Nov. 13th.
The coupon code is: 100blockskay
Wow, I never had a coupon named after me before. I’m honored.
See you back here on Friday!
Kay
Filed Under Blog hops, Magazines | 3 Comments
Nov
6
The winner of Cheryl Almgren Taylor’s Inspirational Appliqué is Debra B.! Debra says that she is very new at quilting and it’s something she has a deep desire to learn about. She’s very excited to get Cheryl’s book and try some new techniques. Congratulations Debra, and welcome to quilting!
I just got home from the Pioneer Quilt Guild show in Roseville, California. It was a lovely weekend and I got a nice surprise! Hanging in the show was a beautiful basket sampler quilt made using the designs in my Baskets to Appliqué.
What's in Your Basket? by Clareen Bolton
I read on the label that Clareen made this quilt during a class with Betty Kisbey at the Quilter’s Stash. The shop is closed now, but while it was open Betty used to teach appliqué using my patterns, which I appreciated so much. Thank you, Betty and Clareen!
Another quilt that grabbed me with strong magnetic attraction was one using my favorite pattern in the whole wide world, Fairmeadow by Jeana Kimball.
Fair Meadow in Lincoln by Clareen Bolton
And it turned out to be by the same quiltmaker, with the same teacher! Fun.
Until tomorrow, with the start of the 100 Blocks blog hop,
Kay
By Kay Mackenzie
Filed Under Prizes, Quilt shows | 2 Comments
Nov
1
I want to thank Kay for inviting me to her blog today. I had the opportunity to be a guest on her blog once before and enjoyed the experience very much.
For those of you who don’t know me, I’m Cheryl Almgren Taylor, a quilter and designer who specializes in fusible-web appliqué. In certain quilting circles, making this admission is like admitting you feed your kids hot dogs and goldfish crackers for dinner every night! However, I find this method to be very user-friendly and it enables me to create fabulous, intricate shapes with ease. It also incorporates thread as a design element which gives me the opportunity to add more color and texture.
I have a brand-new book just released by Martingale & Company / That Patchwork Place: Inspirational Applique: Reflections of Faith, Hope, & Love.
The book is a collection of scripture-inspired quilts, wallhangings, and small projects. I am a pastor’s wife and as a person of faith, I enjoyed being able to create tangible objects that express my beliefs through my quilting. That is one of my favorite things about quilting—our ability as quilters to convey our thoughts and beliefs through the medium of fabric and thread and color.
As I worked on the book, I felt a connection to the quilters of past generations who also used their quilting skills to express their beliefs and dreams. If you study the Baltimore Albums of the 19th century, most of those beautiful creations give us glimpses into the lives of their makers. Even the plainer, patchwork quilts from the past sometimes include tantalizing personal insights left by the quilter. And one of the common practices in historic quilts was to include a deliberate mistake to express their religious faith, the belief that nothing is perfect except God. I’ve never had to create a deliberate mistake in a quilt—I’m quite proficient at providing numerous mistakes without any extra effort, but I enjoy this tradition and the significance it held for the quilters who did this.
I am happy, though, that I have access to the wonderful world of quilting that we live in now, with rotary cutters and electric irons and fabulous computerized sewing machines. I own several sewing machines and like a man and his car, I am bonded with my machines.
As I mentioned before, my favorite technique is fusible-web appliqué. I always recommend using a lightweight fusible web and the “doughnut” method of construction, which has you cut out the center portion of the web from large pieces before fusing it to the back of your motif fabric. This makes the quilt soft and pliable rather than stiff, which is a common complaint about quilts made with fusible web. However, when using a lightweight fusible web, you must sew a finishing stitch around each unfinished edge in the appliqué design. I prefer a very small blanket stitch, but it is possible to use a satin stitch or zigzag—it just gives a slightly different look to the finished piece.
In creating the quilts for the book, I discovered a new technique that I think a lot of people would enjoy knowing about. One of the designs in the book, “Daily Bread,” features a neg done in gold and blue tones.
A neg is a bundle of wheat that is set out in wintertime in Scandinavian countries for the animals. Because the design featured a number of strands of wheat bundled together, there are a large number of overlapping wheat kernels to be appliquéd. All of them needed to be finished with a blanket stitch. If you are a fusible appliquér, you know that sometimes as you sew around overlapping pieces, you do not end up in the right spot for the next shape. Then you have to stop, trim your threads, move the fabric, and start over again. By accident, I discovered a traveling technique that makes it easy to move from piece to piece.
I discovered that after finishing the blanket stitch on a piece, I could change the machine setting from the blanket stitch to a straight stitch and travel to the next piece along the edge of the pattern pieces. (The pieces do have to be overlapping.) This can be done before or after using the blanket stitch on the design. If I traveled before finishing the edge, the blanket stitch laid over the top of the straight stitching and couldn’t be seen. If the blanket stitch was already sewn along the edge, the straight stitch went on top of the edge stitch and still couldn’t be seen. Of course, you must be using the same color of thread on the next piece, but for my overlapping wheat kernels, it was an outstanding technique.
I used traditional bias strips for the border vine in “Birds of the Air.”
But, in two other projects I used another trick — cutting fusible web-backed fabric pieces rather than creating bias strips for vines. For the tablecloth “I Am the Vine,” I traced the vine shapes onto fusible backing, fused the vines to the background, and finished the edges with a blanket stitch. It looks great and was much easier than fussing with bias strips.
I hope these tips will help you in your quilting journey and, for those of you who have never tried fusing, I hope you will become inspired to try this wonderful and easy technique!
Happy quilting!~Cheryl
Kay here — Thanks a million Cheryl for those two fabulous appliqué tips! The traveling straight stitch to another shape is something I been playing with myself. Thank you for legitimizing it!
Courtesy of the publisher, we have a copy of Inspirational Appliqué to give away to a reader. If you’d like to enter the drawing for the book, leave a comment by 7:00 p.m. California time on Sunday, November 5. U.S. and Canada addresses only, and remember to resist the temptation to hit “reply” to your email subscription. Instead, click over to the blog itself.
Until next time,
Kay
By Kay Mackenzie
Filed Under Books, Machine appliqué, Prizes, Raw edge | 46 Comments
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