florence wrote:
I use the freezer paper on top method. I tried the other way, but didn't feel as comfortable. Isn't freezer paper amazing? The first time I heard that it could be used in such a way I didn't believe it.

I'm logging my journey because I want my son to always remember these years. He's had an enormous amount of input, AND he's been such an encouragement.

Ruthann

Ruthann I took a look at your blocks and they are beautiful!! And your blogging/recordkeeping is amazing!
Question: are you using freezer paper on top or beneath?
Florence

Mirkwood wrote:
Chuckle!

I'm fairly new to quilting, although I've sewn all my life. Being the overachiever that I am, I jumped right into a Baltimore Album quilt (using Ellie Sienkiewicz's books as instruction and inspiration). I've completed 18 blocks (7 to go!), all by hand, which I love. I also love that I can keep my current block and supplies in a small sewing box and take it everywhere. It's very meditative. I have also moved beyond Elly's patterns and am designing my own (scenes and topics that have specific meaning to my family).

So here are my preferences:

Hand applique, freezer paper method, silk Gutermann thread, size 10 or 12 John James needles.

I tried machine applique, and it's OK, but definitely not as delicate as hand applique! Edited to add: And it's a pain dragging the Bernina everywhere, and particularly awkward in the dentist's waiting room!

Ruthann

I really like Beth Ferrier's method. Basically, freezer paper on the bottom, glue the seam allowance down onto the freezer paper, pin piece in place. I have used it for both hand and machine applique.

I love many kinds of applique. My favorite is needle turn. I use freezer paper templates and usually trace the pattern on the background. Sometimes I use a plastic overlay. I have done Eleanor Burns' meathod and liked it. It was easy like fusing, eliminated all the pins of needle turn but still turned out soft instead of stiff like fusing can be.

For intricate designs like McKenna Ryan, I love to fuse. There is just no other way to do a design like that with trees and leaves and tiny animals, etc. I use invisible thread to stitch the edges down.

A fairly new technique for me is Swedish Applique. It's perfect for landscapes like the lighthouse quilt I have in progress based on photgraphs my husband took. First make a line drawing from the photo onto clear plastic. Turn it over and make a photocopy, enlarging it if desired. Use this reverse copy to trace the whole picture onto the back of muslin. Now place pieces of fabric onto the front and stitch along the lines on the back. Trim away and place the next piece. When all the parts are covered with fabric, add details and outline everything with satin stitches, using stabilizer to keep it from puckering. Results in a very accurate copy of a photo without the stiffness of fusing. Very fun! But very time consuming. This quilt has already taken a year and will likely take several more. I have only completed 3 blocks and expect to make 10-12.

Machine: It depends on the item.

Sometimes I use doubled freezer paper templates, with spray starch to turn it down, remove the paper and baste glue it down.

Then I stitch with a very narrow, short stitch length blanket stitch using either invisible thread or silk thread. If the pieces are really small, I will cut a narrower edge, and a sew-in interfacing or stabilizer and glue down the edge over that. Then glue that down and sew it on.

If it's really complex edge, like small flowers cut out of fabric, I will use steam a seam and iron it down, but I still stitch over the edge to give it a finished look--sometimes with decorative stitching, sometimes with satin stitch, and sometimes just blanket stitch with invisible thread.

I don't like doing hand appliqué--it just takes too looooooooooong and I get frustrated when the points look bad. But I admire people who do it. I just don't think it has to be hand to be beautiful, though. It requires skill either way.

Just thought I'd let ya'll know I'm about 1/2-way thru February, and I am doing the back-basting method, and really enjoying it. Found this really good tutorial online for doing multiple layers, and the example is almost identical to the February BOM blossoms, thus VERY easy to follow:

http://theehandworks.typepad.com/thee_handworks/backbasting-tutorialmulti.html

there's also this one that's just the basic back-basting

http://theehandworks.typepad.com/thee_handworks/backbasting-tutorial.html

This is making the project much more portable than the starch/freezer paper method I used for January, as it doesn't require the prep to be done at home...
Now I'm just hoping I have enough "portable" time to get this done before March arrives!
Florence

Florence

KarenMarchant wrote:
Eleanor's technique is great for applique pieces that are fairly large and don't have much detail. Think simple leaves or circles or heart shapes or strawberries like on Bridget's quilt.
If you take two fabric shapes, put them right sides together, stitch completely around the edge the make a small slit in one to turn them right side out, you have the idea of her method. She just uses one piece of fabric and the other is a fusible INTERFACING so that when you have trimmed the seam allowance and turned it right side out, you can just fuse the unit in place and the edges are already turned under, ready to be finished. They still need to be stitched in place, however.
The main drawback is that the seam allowances tend to be bulky because you have the two (trimmed) seam allowances and the thread before you ever start to applique it down. It's also difficult to get small pieces turned, especially if they have any detail to their shape.

Fusible applique with a FUSIBLE WEB is different. That just covers the back of the applique fabric with a web of glue. Depending on the brand that you use, it can add a lot, or not so much, stiffness to the project. To eliminate some of that stiffness, you can cut out the center of the fusible web so that you only have it around the outside edges of your fabric shape. The web will control raveling at the cut edges of the fabric, but to make them secure, you still need to stitch around the edges.

Hope that helps!
Margo
Hope that helps.
Margo

ntrquilter wrote:
On my practice piece, I tried the Eleanor Burns method and it didn't work very well. The stems of the leaves is too tiny to turn.

Here's a link ladies....

http://www.mccallsquilting.com/lessons/applique/

I have used this method before (my profile has photos of it -- the quilts with applique in the borders) and was happy with the results! Good luck!

I also would like to know Eleanor Burns' technique. I plan to do the TQS BOM with machine applique and am trying to learn all I can before I begin. Sharon Schamber has a good article on this method in the January issue of American Quilter.

Nancy in NC

Where can I find out what Eleanor Burns technique consists of? I am trying to learn how to do machine applique using the wonder under type iron on paper that peels off.

Thanks,

Karen

Hand or machine?

Hand: never - I don't do handwork of any sort if I can help it!

Machine: always
I like to use a variation of Eleanor Burn's method, I don't use the fusible interfacing, I use a wash-away stabilizer and just dot some Roxanne's glue around the edges to hold it in place when I stitch
invisible thread edges mostly
raw edge applique for some quilts
fusible....... full templet or windowed I've done both

button holed if the quilt calls for it
or zig zag ditto - though I use a Satin Stitch or a scribble stitch rather than an "open" zig zag

JOY