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Jan
10
Fusible web management
Filed Under Fusible web, Machine appliqué, Photo tutorials, Product demo, Raw edge | 20 Comments
Today I’d like to pass along a few little tips about how to wrangle your fusible web… the kind that comes on a bolt.
My web of choice for raw-edge fusible machine appliqué is Pellon’s Wonder-Under, regular weight. Your mileage may vary. I’ve kind-of got it down now, but it was not always so. When it comes to paper-backed fusible web, I suffer from separation anxiety. As in, the web separates from the paper backing before I get a chance to use it. Arggh!
In the past, I’ve tried passing an iron over it on top of a teflon appliqué pressing sheet in an attempt to stick it back to the paper… what a mess. Now I just chuck it when I find that’s it separated.
Here’s what I do now to alleviate the separation issue.
First of all, don’t let the clerks in the store roll it up for you. You know what happens, say, if you place one towel on top of another and roll them up together? The top one ooches along and ends up sticking out farther than the bottom one by the time you get there. I don’t know which law of physics makes this so, but the same thing happens with fusible web and its paper backing. Rolling the product encourages separation. Just ask them to fold it loosely for you.
Then, as soon as you get home, cut it into squares. This is information that I got from my pal Pam Crooks, who got it from the estimable Sue Nickels, machine appliquér extraordinaire. I keep a separate rotary cutter for cutting paper and this purpose. The width of the product is 17″, so if you cut it into 8 1/2″ squares that’s just right, and the squares fit perfectly into a gallon-size zippy bag.
Not only are they flat and happy and much easier to work with than a big floppy hunk, keeping the squares in a bag prevents them from drying out, another culprit in the separation issue.
I keep scraps in an old box lid that fits into the zippy bag when not in use.
As I work on a pattern I start with the smaller pieces and only start a new square when there’s a motif that’s bigger than my biggest scrap of fusible. It’s soooo nice to reach into that bag and pull out a nice fresh, flat sheet in such a manageable size.
Here’s another tip for working with paper-backed fusible web: trace the smaller pieces inside the larger pieces. I learned from Sue Nickels in her book Machine Applique: A Sampler of Techniques
Let’s say we’re starting with a pattern like this.
The leaves will fit inside the basket with enough room to spare to cut everything out roughly.
While you’re at it, go ahead and trace the flower center inside the flower.
Use a circle template tool to trace nice round circles. Use a size that is a little bit bigger than the circle. (When you trace, the circle shrinks.)
The arrow is my attempt at telestration in Photoshop.
Last tip for working with fusible web: the smallest, itty-bitty pieces like flower centers are too small to cut the center out of. Then it can be hard to get the paper backing started to peel it off when you’re ready to fuse. I tried the ‘scratch it with a pin’ technique but somehow was never skilled enough to do it without fraying a thread or two. My new favorite strategy is that, once the motif is rough-cut, I peel up one side of the paper, going into the motif area a little bit.
Then I lay the paper back down and cut out the motif on the drawn line. When I’m ready to take the backing off, part of it has already been started. In this case, separation is good. 
Okay, that is my most sage advice for fusible web management. I hope it proves to be of use to you.
Until next time,
Kay
Quilt Puppy Publications & Designs
Aug
29
Back-basting hand appliqué
Filed Under Back-basting (no-template), Hand appliqué, Needles, Photo tutorials, Threads, Turned edge | 23 Comments
How about a method of appliqué that gives super-accurate results, yet uses no glue, no starch, no freezer paper, no fusible web, no fusible interfacing, no vinyl or tracing paper. Just fabric, needle and thread, scissors, and a marking implement. Pretty cool, huh?
I promised awhile ago that I would write more about the back-basting, aka no-template preparation for hand appliqué. It’s really quite ingenious and is now my favorite way to work by hand. As I was stitching a Heart in Hand block today I took some pictures along the way to show how it works.
Use a reversed pattern for this method. Start by marking the reversed pattern on the back of the background fabric. I use the blue water-erasable pen. You can also use a marking pencil.
Rough-cut a hunk of the appliqué fabric that’s bigger than what you’ll need. Lay it in place on the front.
Pin the fabrics together. On the back, baste the two fabrics together with a small running stitch, exactly on the drawn line. Use a thick or fuzzy thread for this and a big honking needle. I use a size 7 cotton darner.
Baste all the way around the shape. This is what it looks like on the front.
Now trim the fabric to the shape of the motif, leaving your preferred turn-under margin outside the basting.
Clip and remove a section of basting stitches. In this freed-up area, start turning and stitching. Keep clipping and removing the basting a few stitches ahead of your appliqué. The thick needle and heavy basting thread leave behind temporary perforations that help the fabric turn along the stitching line. I use a size 10 milliner needle and DMC 50-weight cotton machine embroidery thread for appliqué,
Continue all the way around. Don’t press the block yet.
Hmm, not bad. A benefit of this method is that you can flip the block over to see how you’re doing. The marking serves as a built-in stitching guide!
Repeat the same process for the heart.
Once the block is completed, remove the markings from the back. I dip a Q-tip in water and stroke it along the lines. Let the block air-dry and check to make sure none of the blue has reappeared. (If so, just wet it again.)
After all the marks are gone and the block has air-dried, give it a quick press. All done!
I have really come to love this method, since it gets me on the sofa stitching a lot quicker instead of fiddling around with freezer paper templates at the ironing board. I hope you enjoy it too. Like anything new, it takes practice, so give it a whirl and then another. If you’re stalling because you don’t have the right needle or the perfect thread, well then there’s a kit available over at Quilt Puppy that has pattern, instructions, fabrics, both needles, and both threads all in it, to give you a jump start on becoming introduced to the method.
Until next time,
Kay
Quilt Puppy Publications & Designs
Aug
13
Darcy shows us how
Filed Under Blanket stitch, Designers, Embellishment, Hand appliqué, Needleturn, Photo tutorials | Leave a Comment
Darcy Ashton of Ashton Publications has put up a couple of fantastic posts on her blog recently. This one shows her process of marking and constructing her appliqués (and at the same time we get to see her new two-color bunnies), and this one shows how to achieve those soulful eyes that her animals have.
Thanks Darcy!
Until next time,
Kay
Quilt Puppy Publications & Designs
Jul
10
Joanna’s Appliqué Today
Filed Under Hand appliqué, Needleturn, Photo tutorials, Threads | Leave a Comment
I discovered a very colorful, joyful blog by a young woman named Joanna. She has put up a couple of outstanding tutorials on needleturn appliqué, the first on prep and the second on the stitching.
Joanna marks differently than I do, handles points and notches just a touch differently, and uses glue to stick things down, whereas I’m a baster. Vive la différence! There’s no one right way. Appliquérs find the methods that work for them.
Thanks, Joanna, for your effervescent Appliqué Today.
Until next time,
Kay
Quilt Puppy Publications & Designs
Jun
22
Glue stick turned edge hand appliqué
Filed Under Designers, Freezer paper on top, Glue stick, Hand appliqué, Patterns, Photo tutorials, Prepared edge | 16 Comments
As promised, today I’m learning a method of hand appliqué preparation that’s new to me. Holly Mabutas of Eat Cake Graphics gave me her pattern insert with instructions for what she calls “glue stick turned edge appliqué” and I’m trying it out! What intrigues me about this method is that the margin of the fabric is glued back on itself. I’ve tried the other kind of glue-stick appliqué, where the margin is turned and glued over freezer paper, then after stitching you soak the block, slit the back, and get the freezer paper out. That method never ‘stuck’ with me, no pun intended. Now I’m going to try it this way, where the freezer paper is on the front of the fabric.
The first thing I did was to go out and get a brand-new glue stick. I happened to know that the ones I had were a mite dried out — moral of the story, don’t buy them too far in advance, or try keeping them in the fridge as a friend of mine told me.
As it happens, we’re having a heat wave in Santa Cruz. There are just a few days a year when we roast… yesterday it was 102º and I was sweating just sitting upstairs in my studio. So today I gathered up everything that I needed and put up my handy-dandy little table from Costco downstairs in the living room to work in cooler conditions.
Freezer-paper templates traced and cut out.
I used the bunny block from my Spin in the Garden pattern.
I had to run upstairs to iron the templates onto the right sides of the fabrics. I used a piece of cardboard underneath, which helps create a better bond.
The next step is to trim the motifs, leaving a scant ¼” turn-under margin. Here are the pieces, trimmed and clipped. There’s a dashed line on areas that are going to be overlapped by another piece.
Gluing the margin back onto itself on the wrong side. Holly says to use an awl… I didn’t have one so I used a stylus with a tiny, sharp tip. The moist sponge is for cleaning off the glue stick when it gets thready. I’m working on top of an plastic sheet protector.
Here are all the pieces glued and with templates removed.
I wasn’t a whiz at the previously unused fine motor skills required to turn the margin with the implement, but I’m thinking I can smooth things out as I stitch. And, as Holly says, “Don’t be too hard on yourself if things aren’t perfect the first time or even the second. With a little patience and practice you’ll do just fine. ”
Again using the sheet protector, I’m positioning the pieces to join them together into units. No background fabric involved at this point! Holly advises using little dots of Roxanne’s basting glue for this step. I didn’t have any so I hauled out some really ancient stuff called Border Patrol. Turns out this was a misstep on my part, and I’ll tell you why later. Anyway, I used it on the edges of the tail and ears that were going under the body piece, and glued the bunny together.
Here’s a whole bunny, separate unto itself, edges turned and ready to hop onto different background fabrics until it finds its favorite one.
Here I’ve positioned all of the elements on the background fabric and have used the liquid glue to secure them in place. Still hoping I can work out those pokies.
All stitched… and it worked! I was able to manipulate out the little bumps. For the more serious ones, I dipped a cotton swab in water and soaked the edge of the motif. The glue released immediately and I was then able to smooth out the curve with my needle.
Okay so here’s why the liquid basting glue I used was not a good choice. Turns out, unlike Roxanne’s, it’s a permanent glue, and I used it in some injudicious places. See the little spot on the bunny’s paw? It’s confusing, but when you look at glue labels, you want it to say “water soluble” or “washes out.” “Washable” means it doesn’t wash out!
Anyway, aside from that little “learning experience,” I’d say this is the best method of turned-edge glue stick appliqué I’ve tried. For one thing, you don’t need a reversed pattern… what you see is what you get. Plus, you don’t have any freezer paper to remove once you’ve finished stitching. Holly appliqués these by hand, and so did I. If the templates were on the inside you’d have a crinkly, crunchy time of it, but here, where they’re gone already, it was a pleasant stitching experience. And a big thundercloud came along and cooled things down considerably.
Thanks a million, Holly, for sharing your preferred method with me, and allowing me to show it other appliqué fans. If you like an edge that’s already turned before you start stitching, this might become your favorite too! Get one of Holly’s adorable patterns and try it out for yourself.
See A Spin in the Garden over at Quilt Puppy.
Until next time,
Kay
Quilt Puppy Publications & Designs
May
12
Barbara Brandeburg’s machine appliqué tutorial
Filed Under Blanket stitch, Designers, Fusible web, Machine appliqué, Photo tutorials, Raw edge, Topstitch, Zigzag | Leave a Comment
I found the most fabulous photo tutorial on designer Barbara Brandeburg’s blog. She has posted a wonderful step-by-step visual guide to creating raw-edge fusible appliqué. Hurry over to her blog and look on the righthand sidebar for “Easy Appliqué Tutorial” and have it all laid out before your eyes.
While you’re there, read her posts answering questions about appliqué. It’s a treasure trove over there. Thank you Barbara! You can also shop for her highly attractive patterns.
Until next time,
Kay
Quilt Puppy Publications & Designs
May
6
APQ site is good resource
Filed Under Hand appliqué, Machine appliqué, Photo tutorials, Prepared edge, Raw edge | Leave a Comment
Not that long ago, American Patchwork & Quilting magazine launched a companion website called AllPeopleQuilt … APQ, get it? I was intrigued by a mention in the latest print magazine about quilting classes on-line, so I surfed on over to check it out.
Two appliqué classes head up their list of offerings. Linda Hohag is demonstrating a starch technique, and Pat Sloan is showing how to she does fusible appliqué. It looks like these are on-demand videos.
On the site, there’s also an area called “Try Techniques.” Click on the Appliqué section for gobs of free tips and tricks for a variety of methods.
Until next time,
Kay
Quilt Puppy Publications & Designs
Jan
21
Perfect circles
Filed Under Circles, Designers, Hand appliqué, Photo tutorials, Prepared edge, Product demo | Leave a Comment
Designer Susan Brubaker Knapp has posted a wonderful photo tutorial on her blog about how to use Karen Kay Buckley’s Perfect Circles™ templates to make prepared-edge circles for hand appliqué.
I have a set of KKB’s templates tucked away in my appliqué bag of tricks. The circle templates come in a whole lot of different sizes and they come with a ring so you can keep them all corraled.
Be sure to visit Susan’s website also, Blue Moon River. Susan has some beautiful patterns there, including stunning block-of-the-month appliqué patterns.
Thanks Susan!
Until next time,
Kay
Quilt Puppy Publications & Designs
Jan
18
Bethany Reynolds’ magic mirror hearts
Filed Under Blanket stitch, Designers, Fusible web, Machine appliqué, Photo tutorials | Leave a Comment
I found this fun photo tutorial on Bethany Reynolds’ website about how to use Stack-n-Whack® to make an appliqué heart!
Until next time,
Kay
Quilt Puppy Publications & Designs
Jan
4
Stems and skinny stems
Filed Under Glue stick, Hand appliqué, Photo tutorials, Prepared edge, Product demo, Stems/vines, Turned edge | 2 Comments
When it comes to stems or vines, there’s more than one way to skin a cat. (Just an expression, I’ve had three cats for seventeen years and haven’t skinned any of them yet .)
Here’s a photo tutorial on stems and skinny stems, two ways each. That’s four stems! In all cases this is hand appliqué, however, they can be adapted to be sewn on the machine.
Here’s how I was first taught to do stems.
Cut a bias strip 1″ wide or wider and press it in half, wrong sides together, lengthwise. Mark the stem or vine on the front of the background fabric.
Sorry if you can’t see the pencil mark too well… there’s a big storm in California today and there’s no good natural light.
Place the folded bias strip over the marked line, kind of averaging its position. Fold over the raw edges to where they fall short of the other side and crease to give yourself an idea of the stitching line.
Stitch the vine to the background fabric using a small running stitch (left side of picture). Then roll the folded edge over the stitching, covering the raw edges of the other side. Appliqué the fold down (right side of picture). Disregard the position of the needle in this picture; I laid it down in haste.
To make a skinny stem the same way, just stitch much closer to the fold.
Trim away the excess, very close to the stitches. Roll and sew the same as before.
A pretty good skinny stem.
Now, on to the method I use most of the time now, with my trusty green gadget, the Clover® ¼” bias tape maker. Cut a bias strip that is 5/8″ wide. Yes, just 5/8″! Cut the top so that it angles upwards to the left — it seems to feed through better this way.
Poke the strip right-side-up into the wider end of the gadget until you can see the fabric in the slot at the top. Use the tip of a pin to pull the strip through the slot until it sticks out the narrow end. Pin the strip to the ironing board. Use a glass-head pin, so you don’t have to worry about melting a plastic pin.
Using a hot iron and plenty of steam, pull the gadget along the strip in one smooth, fairly rapid motion, following it closely with the iron. Don’t stop part-way through, or try to back up. Smoothness is key.
Important: Hold your iron so that the steam vents are not directed at your fingers.
You can make bias strips fusible by applying thin strips of paper-backed fusible web. I do this as a second step. I actually cut the strip of fusible in half lengthwise to make a very thin strip, which I find is enough. The product comes on a roll and is found alongside the bias tape makers.
Using a dry iron, press the fusible strip to the back of the bias strip. Remove the paper backing and steam-press the stem over the marked line. Then it’ll be ready to stitch.
To make a skinny stem this way, make another bias strip with the gadget, and press one side out flat again. Trim along the crease.
Get out your glue stick and run it along the wrong side of the strip. Pick up the strip and pinch the raw edge back over to the center. It should stick with cheerful obedience. It if doesn’t, use a little more glue or make sure the glue stick is fresh.
If you prefer to skip the gluing, you can use a hybrid method! Appliqué the folded edge first, then tuck under the raw edge on the other side as you stitch.
All four, placed improvisationally on the background and, for some strange reason, from bottom to top!
I hope this has helped you if you were looking for information on how to make stems or skinny stems. There are other methods too… remember those cats I mentioned?
Over at the Quilter’s Newsletter website, I did a quick search and came up with several tutorials on how to make skinny stems. Check them out as well!
Until next time,
Kay
Nov
18
An appliquér’s mitered border
Filed Under Borders, Hand appliqué, Photo tutorials | 1 Comment
I sew mitered borders from the top, where I can see what I’m doing. For me it’s more of an intuitive approach, but maybe that’s just because I’m an appliqué girl!
This illustration shows an inner border and an outer border, sewn together and applied to the quilt top at the same time and mitered at a 45º angle at the corners. The border strip sets need to start out longer than the sides of the quilt.
Sew the borders to each side, leaving ¼” free at each end of the seams. Secure the starting and stopping points with backstitching.
Place the quilt on the ironing board. Fold one border under at a 45º angle so that it lines up exactly with its neighbor underneath. Use your ruler to check the angle of the miter and its 45º relationship to the square corner of the quilt top. When all is satisfactory, press and then carefully baste in place without shifting the fabric.
Hand appliqué the miter, using threads to match the fabrics. Remove the basting stitches.
Complete all four corners in this manner. After a final check that all four corners are square and correct, trim off the excess border ends, leaving a ¼” seam allowance. Press seams open.
And that’s how I do that!
Until next time,
Kay
Oct
21
Broderie perse
Filed Under Broderie perse, Photo tutorials | Leave a Comment
Judy Severson once gave a lecture at my quilt guild, where she showed us glorious examples of the broderie perse method of appliqué that she is so wonderful at. She told us that one of the secrets for success is to find a perfect match in the color of the background fabric that you’re going to use and the background of the printed motifs that you’re going to cut out.
Here’s a link to a photo tutorial on the HGTV website that is based on her Simply Quilts episode.
Here’s her book, available on Amazon.
Until next time,
Kay
Oct
18
Ladder stitch appliqué
Filed Under Freezer paper on the back, Hand appliqué, Ladder stitch, Photo tutorials, Turned edge | 1 Comment
I found a nice photo tutorial on Liesl Gibson’s Disdressed blog, showing the ladder stitch for hand appliqué. I’ve never used this stitching method, and I learned something. I’ll be trying it out. Thank you, Liesl!
Oct
10
Fusible interfacing appliqué
Filed Under Circles, Fusible interfacing, Machine appliqué, Photo tutorials, Prepared edge, Product demo | Leave a Comment
I posted a little photo tutorial over on the Quilt Puppy Show & Tell Center about making lollipops using fusible interfacing.
The fusible interfacing method is great for big, simple shapes. The edges are turned, you can use any kind of machine appliqué that you like, and the the product only fuses to the background, not to the motif, so it can be trimmed away after stitching and does not remain in the quilt.
It’s another method for your appliqué bag of tricks!
Until next time,
Kay
Sep
24
Super circles
Filed Under Circles, Photo tutorials, Prepared edge, Turned edge | Leave a Comment
Designer Anna Maria Horner posted a great photo tutorial showing an ingenious way to make prepared-edge circles using aluminum foil! Visit her blog.
Sep
22
An early heart
Filed Under Freezer paper on the back, Hand appliqué, Photo tutorials, Prepared edge, Turned edge | 1 Comment
Upon graduation from my beginning quilting class (think 1992), I took off like a rocket on my own. I made a big sampler quilt, hand-pieced and hand-quilted, and loved every minute of it.
Here’s one of the blocks I made using a freezer paper template on the back. This is a good method for a beginner, and lots of appliquérs prefer to appliqué this way.
For this method, trace the shape on the paper side of the freezer paper.
If the design is asymmetrical, you’ll need to reverse the pattern first.
Cut out the template on the drawn line and iron it to the wrong side of the appliqué fabric.
Tip: Ironing on top of a piece of cardboard creates a better bond. 
Cut out the fabric, leaving about ¼” beyond the template. 
Turn the fabric over the template, basting the margin to the freezer paper as you go. Clip any notches almost to the template, and sparingly clip any inside curves. (This heart doesn’t have any inside curves.)
Here it is, partially basted.
All basted-ed.
This is a method of prepared-edge appliqué, as the edge is turned before you start to stitch. However, it’s only roughly turned, and there will be bumps (aka “pokies”) along the edge that you will need to work out as you go.
Back view.
Baste the motif in place on the background fabric.
Now there are two rows of basting.
Appliqué the motif, using the needle to smooth and refine the turned edge as you go.
Here it is, all stitched.
There are three ways of removing the freezer paper. As seen here, you can completely stitch the motif, remove all basting stitches, slit the background fabric, and pull out the template. Here the template has already been pulled out.
Instead of just slitting the background fabric, you can cut it away, leaving about ¼” inside the stitching.
Or, to preserve the back, you can remove the basting and pull out the template before you have quite finished stitching the block, finishing up the stitching with no template inside.
All done!
BENEFITS
- Edge is turned for you
- Easier to place motif accurately, since edge is turned
- Freezer paper template provides a crisp, well-defined sewing line
- Accurate results
TRADEOFFS
- More prep time (double basting)
- Freezer paper feels stiff and crackles while working
- Sometimes you sew through the paper
- Extraordinary measures must be used to remove template
Every quilter weighs the benefits and tradeoffs of any particular method, and it is up to you to decide which way the balance swings. The “right” method is the one that’s right for you.
Making this heart was a nice trip down memory lane for me. Since I made the sampler quilt I’ve learned a few other appliqué methods. And, let’s just say I’ve also learned the benefits of more quilting in a quilt!
Let’s hear from you appliqué fans about this method. Is this your favorite? Any tips? Did I leave something out? Chime in!
Until next time,
Kay
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