The blanket stitch is frequently used around the edges of applique. It can also be used as an outline stitch. My video was done around a small star so the blanket stitch doesn’t flow like it would over a longer line. If I hear it is confusing I’ll record again when I’m working on something less choppy.
This block from “A Stitcher’s Garden” by Bird Brain Designs shows the use of the blanket stitch as an outline. (These blocks have been on this site before.)
I put the finishing touches on two projects today. The first was a wool felt pillow. I’ve had the pattern and wool felt since either 2004 or 2005. I bought the pattern at the sewing expo in Puyallup one of those years and bought the wool felt at Fabric Depot in Portland on the same trip. I’m pretty sure I had intended to stitch it by machine when I bought it, but I’m into a handwork phase now. The only machine stitching was to sew the back of the pillow onto the finished front. I didn’t realize the pattern was from the same designer as the snowman in my last post until I was ready to write here. I think this is the first time I’ve used their patterns. The pattern is Warmin’ My Paws from Sew Wonderful Dreams.
The pattern directions said to sew the back on and stuff the pillow. Fortunately, I looked at the dimensions early on and realized that if I made the pillow either one inch bigger or one inch smaller, a purchased pillow form would fit. Since stuffing things isn’t one of my top favorite activities, I made the pillow one inch bigger.
I started the second project early in October, but just finished it. That’s alright because it can hang until the Christmas decorations come out. This is another pattern that has been in the stash for a few years. I actually thought I had purchased their Thanksgiving hanging, but apparently at the time I decided this one could hang for a longer period of time. The pattern is “No Crows Allowed” from Sweet Dreams. I’ve made several projects from their patterns and they are just fun!
I’m off to see what else I can dabble in.
Finished the July Bunny Hill BOM tonight. I think it languished because I just wasn’t that excited about it while it was in process. I’m fine with it now. I tied the buttons on with embroidery floss and then separated the strands. I was thinking fireworks when I came up with that idea. Whether or not I achieved that effect, but it does add texture.
Two more blocks have been released and another one will come out in 4 days. Ah well, it is about the process for me.
I’m still managing to use only materials I already own, including all embellishments. No additional money was spent in the pursuit of this project.
I went to the Rocky Mountain Sewing Expo in Denver today. I hadn’t bothered to go up for that show for several years because the last time I was there I was less than impressed. However, I didn’t go to any of the bigger shows this year so I thought why not? Based on the goodies that came home with me it must have been a fair show. I still have issues with paying $9 or $10 just to be able to go in and shop. Without any quilts to see that seems high to me. Oh well, it is recreation right?
Going to a show seems to make me feel I have permission to spend. Why is that? I can be quite controlled when I just go to a store, but put me in a show situation and I have a problem. Ah, I’ve managed the first step– admitted I have a problem. But it is so much fun I probably won’t get past the first step.
So what came home with me?
I’m always looking for something different to do in the embroidery hoop and It’s 2 Kuhl had patterns for dolls and the faces can be embroidered in the hoop (or painted). The clothing patterns also have freestanding lace designs for collars, pinafores, aprons, shoes and accessories. The clothes will fit an 18″ doll, not just a doll one makes themselves. The pictures shown here came from their website.
It's 2 Kuhl Embroidery Designs
It's 2 Kuhl Embroidery Designs
It's 2 Kuhl Embroidery Designs
It's 2 Kuhl Embroidery Designs - Rosebud
I only have boys, so apparently I haven’t outgrown dolls.
At the Crawford Designs booth they were offering a real deal. Buy a pigment dyed sweatshirt and get any pattern free. As many sweatshirts and patterns as you cared to purchase. I already had some of their patterns, but had never gotten around to buying the sweatshirts, so two shirts came home with me today. It looks like I will be working with wool some more. I chose these two patterns as my freebies (again the pictures came from their website).
Crawford Designs Snowpals Back
Crawford Designs Snowpals Front
Crawford Designs Whimsical Seasons Scarves and Bags
Can you tell I have a thing for snowmen? The last pattern says it is scarves, but I’m thinking along the lines of narrow table runners.
I took my finished Friendship Garden quilt top to show at the Bird Brain Designs booth and of course found another pattern I would like to stitch up (picture from their website).
Bird Brain Designs -- I Love Apples
Quilter’s Rule had a booth. It was much smaller than the one they have at the Machine Quilter’s Showcase, but still a lot of the products there were for the longarm. I knew there was something people on MQResource had been raving about after MQS this year, but couldn’t remember what. So asked Sonja (good name) what was new in the last year. Ah yes, it was the Nested Mini Circle Templates. I bought two sizes to try – there are four sizes available. If I like them I can always order the rest.
Quilter's Rule -- Mini Nested Circles
The last item was 1″ Mylar Hexagons to make a grandmother’s flower garden. A couple people in our Quilter’s Anonymous group are working on them. Ann is cutting templates from junk mail (interest postcards) on a die cut machine and Andrea had these Mylar Hexagons. I like the idea of the Mylar, although recycling that junk mail is a great idea. I found the size I was looking for today. It looks like another great hand project for lugging around and using up scraps.
We stopped at two quilt shops on the way home, but apparently I had spent enough. I didn’t buy anything at either store. So that was my shopping “therapy” for the day. I need to go do some customer quilts to pay for today!
I think I’m pretty much finished with my PowerPoint presentation for Thursday night. I didn’t have any good visuals for doing a satin stitch finish on fusible web applique. I really don’t use it much anymore except for when I’m machine embroidering applique. However, I wanted to be able to explain it.
So here is what I came up with:
For a satin stitch I prefer the stitch that looks like a lightening bolt rather than the standard zig zag. Using test pieces deterine what length and width you prefer. I always stitch cover stitches with the needle down function engaged.
The majority of the satin stitch should be on the applique fabric. The outside swing of the needle should fall just off the applique fabric on the background. The idea is to keep the stitches perpendicular to the edge of the applique. Pivoting is a little different from the blanket stitch cover stitch. These are the basics
For concave curves pivot while the needle is on the inside swing (on the applique fabric). The tighter the curve the more frequently the piece will need to be pivoted.
For convex curves the pivot point will be on the outside swing (when the needle is on the background fabric). Again the tighter the curve the more frequently the piece will need to be pivoted.
On inside corners the stitch until the satin stitch is the width of the stitch beyond the corner. With the needle down on the inside swing, pivot the piece.
For outside corners stitch all the way to the corner and with the needle down on the outside swing at the corner pivot the piece.
As one approaches a sharp point or corner it may be helpful to narrow the stitch. These are just the basics, but it is a start.
I’ve finished the 6th A Tisket A Tasket block, which marks the half way point.
I wanted to do a tutorial on mock hand applique for my presentation next week. I woke up this morning with an idea. So I ran with it, and created the following tutorial. I’m going to insert a disclaimer here. This would never be one of my top choices as a method for applique. I know some people love it, but there are at least three reasons I’m not wild about it. First, if I’m going to put this much prep work into something I’d rather do the stitching by hand. Second, I’m just not that accurate with the stitching on this method — it could be my eyes. Finally the backing has to be slit or cut away to remove the paper. I typically avoid doing that so that my finished quilt top is more stable. Having said all that, this is another method for applique so let’s take a look at the process.
1. I created my own pattern in Photoshop. There are many fun ways to use the computer for applique. It is so easy to do lettering. I’m fairly certain I left this jpg at full size so you could click on the picture and then print it for a pattern if you want. You certainly wouldn’t have to use this applique method!
2. I was very lazy today and instead of tracing the pattern onto freezer paper, I cut the freezer paper to 8-1/2 x 11 and put it through my printer. I did mirror image the design before printing it on the freezer paper.
3. I cut out the patterns with a craft knife (aka Exacto knife). Scissors would work, but for this project I ended up using both the pattern pieces and the cut away background.
4. Next a pressed the freezer paper shapes to the wrong side of the applique fabric.
5. I then cut out each applique piece leaving a scant 1/4″ seam allowance. I did clip curves and inside corners as close as possible to the freezer paper.
6. I covered my work surface with scrap paper and used a washable glue stick and a skewer (or tooth pick) to glue the seam allowance to the freezer paper.
A short video might show it better.
7. After all my applique pieces were prepared, I used the background from my pattern as a placement guide. I used dots of washable school glue on the back of the pieces to glue baste. I pressed with a hot iron to dry the glue quickly.
8. The next step is to stitch the pieces down. I used a blind hem stitch which I narrowed to about .7mm. The narrower you can get it and catch the applique fabric the better. I also shortened the stitch. The straight stitches should be on the background fabric right next to the applique and the bite of the stitch that swings in should just catch a couple of threads and then swing back to the outside edge. I think I may need the magnifier attachment for my machine, because this was not a fun process today.
9. After all the pieces are stitched down, the freezer paper needs to be removed from the applique pieces. Carefully make slits in the background fabric behind the applique. The glue needs to be gotten wet to be able to remove the paper. I just soaked the whole piece with water for a little bit and then removed the paper. You could also try laying a damp towel on the piece for a bit to loosen the glue.
10. Finally press the whole piece dry. I did it from the back. You will want to be careful using a hot iron on the monofiliment thread, because it can melt. Here is my final piece. I’m not overjoyed with the quality, but at least it showed the process.
I’m continuing work on the A Tisket A Tasket mystery block of the month. Once again I am slightly behind. I just finished the May basket today. I did modify it slightly. The pattern only had two pieces for each flower — the flower and the center. I made five complete petals on each flower. I’m happier with the flower, not so sure about the butterfly. He is growing on me, which is good since I’m not going to redo it!
May Basket
I took pictures of how to prepare nearly perfect circles for applique. The first time I used this method was over 13 years ago. I know that because I was piecing two of these Cars Cars Cars quilts from the book T.L.C Tender Loving Covers (bottom 5 rows are from the book, the cement truck and race car at the top were my own design to make the quilt longer.. I was pregnant with Jesse and Nolan was sitting on my lap while I was working on the quilt. At that time I was cutting up cereal boxes to make my circle templates.
These quilts are wearing out which is to be expected after over nine years of continuous use.
Later I discovered Mylar — a heat resistant template material — and cut circles from that. However, it can be difficult to cut a perfect circle. These days I use pre-made mylar templates.
Precut Mylar circles
The first step is to cut a circle from the fabric roughly a scant half inch larger in diameter than the template. It doesn’t need to be perfect.
Cut circles from fabric
Next baste around the outside edge of the circle. Any old thread will work. Then place the template in the center of the wrong side of the fabric and pull up the basting thread and knot it off.
3 more things are needed to press the circles — a hot iron, a small paint brush and either Sizing or Starch. I prefer Sizing because I don’t rush through my quilts or necessarily wash them when I am finished. Starch can attract insects, Silverfish in particular. They like to eat starch and will eat the fibers in the fabric at the same time.
Tools for pressing the circles
Spray some of the Sizing or Starch into the lid of the can. You could use a different container, but why when the lid is so handy?
Sizing sprayed into the lid
Now use the paint brush to saturate the seam allowance of the circle piece.
Saturate Seam Allowance with Sizing
Press the circle with a hot iron until it is dry. My iron was on the cotton setting
Press
Carefully snip a stitch in the basting thread.
Snip
Gently pull back the seam allowance enough to remove the circle template. The seam allowance will go right back into place.
Circles after template is removed
The circles are now ready to be stitched onto the design.
We gave Nolan a Kodak Zi6 for graduation. It is a very compact video camera. I’ve been eying it and finally snagged it today to try to do a video showing how to machine blanket stitch raw edge applique. It is a really cool little camera, but I’m struggling with getting the focus exactly right looking at the presser foot of a sewing machine. I can zoom in regular mode and it isn’t perfectly focused and the micro focus wants to be closer than I can set the camera and still sew. I need to play more, but for now here is a 5 minute video on stitching machine blanket stitch around applique pieces.
This is the latest UFO to be completely finished! I saw the pattern and a sample for this table runner in 2003 on my one and only (so far) trip to the Houston Quilt Festival. The pattern was designed by Prairie’s Edge Patchworks. I made the top early in 2004. I know, because I managed to get the same fabric for the background as shown in the pattern. It is perfect for the Northern Lights and I don’t think it can be found at this time. The top went together in short order, but then it languished because I just didn’t get around to stitching around that raw edge applique. It finally came to the top of the list because I wanted a finished sample of this type of applique for the presentation I’m doing at the beginning of next month. With that in mind a short tutorial follows. Please note the applique pieces are not the same as the ones in this table runner. I started another project that had been waiting for years to show the process. There will be some things that were not covered in my previous tutorial, but I also won’t go into some of the details I did in that post.
1. Trace the applique pieces on to the paper side of your preferred fusible web. (Be sure they are reversed from the end product.) You might notice I’ve traced trees into the center of other applique pieces. When a piece is large, I like to cut away the center of the fusible web to reduce stiffness. I’m cheap so I trace smaller pieces into the places I plan to cut away.
2. Rough cut the pieces from the fusible web. Notice the holes in the centers of the large pieces.
3. Following the manufacturer’s directions on the fusible web, fuse the pieces to the back side of the applique fabric.
4. Cut out the applique pieces on the drawn line.
5. An applique Pressing Sheet can be one of your best friends for fusible applique. I’ve had this sheet for around 14 years and am still using it. If you don’t have one and work with fusible web, you NEED one! It is placed over the pattern.
6. The applique pieces are then fused to the sheet. (This is for pieces that overlap.) After fusing to the sheet, allow to cool. Then peel the pieces off the sheet.
7. Now all these little pieces are one big unit when they are placed on the background fabric. Lay out your final placement and fuse in place to the background.
Unfortunately, at this point many of the people for whom I quilt quit. However, the pieces should be stitched down — usually with monofilament thread. I can almost guarantee when I get a McKenna Ryan quilt where the applique hasn’t been stitched down, the pieces are already starting to come off the background. Which means I end up quilting them down. I charge more than double my going rate when I have to do this. It really isn’t that difficult to stitch the pieces down and with the help of my 13 year old camera man, I made a short video showing the process.
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