judithrs wrote:
Bottom Line by Superior works for me! Just be sure to secure the beginning and ending stitches with about 1/4" of teeny-tiny stitches, or tie-off and bury the tails.

http://www.superiorthreads.com/shop/category/monopoly/description/

Hi Margo,
If I use Mono Poly on top what thread would you use in the bobbin?
Judy

Margo wrote:
That is good advice, Margo, thank you. I was mentally committed to doing it by hand, but now I am rethinking it again! Well, I still have a week or more before my fabric arrives, so I will continue to ponder.

could you print the entire thing on paper, and then use a thin stabilizer behind the paper for parts that require it?

heartnsoulquilts wrote: Yes, I did! I was quite surprised that I got my order after hearing that he was out of stock! Like I said, good Karma!

I also use the glue sticks, and they work great with Stable Stuff!

Maggie in E. central Illinois

heartnsoulquilts wrote:
2L, since I started using glues about 5 years ago, I hardly ever use pins for applique! I like the Elmer's Washable glue sticks and the Elmer's Washable School Glue (liquid) and use a LOT of them, so try to stock up on them when school supplies go on sale in the fall!! And I use a LOT of STARCH! Of course, I know that my quilts will be laundered as soon as they are quilted to get all the stiffeners washed completely out of the fabrics.

heartnsoulquilts wrote:
Here is some yardage: http://cottonmillthreadworks.danemcoweb.com/shop/product/ricky-tims-stable-stuff-yardage/

and some pre-cut sheets: http://www.thesewphisticatedstitcher.com/ritiststpo.html

Maggie, did you order it from Ricky's website? I looked there the other day, and it said it was still out of stock.

Thanks Margo, that quilt looks really nice! I can see it's just a tiny bit, not like trapunto. I like the idea of turned edge invisible machine applique... I know this will never get done if I try to hand applique it!! LOL

Did you use some kind of fusible or glue to hold the appliques in place as you stitched? Or good old pins or thread basting...

Monica33 wrote:
Monica, I quilted this quilt on my HandiQuilter (mid-arm machine) and all of my machine applique quilts are HEAVILY starched while I am working on them. If I were going to quilt a large appliqued quilt on my domestic machine (which I did before I got my HQ) with all this starch and stabilizers, I would stay-stitch the entire outer edge of the quilt to secure the seams, then gently hand wash it to remove the starch and soften the stabilizer before I ever put together the sandwich with pins. That would make it much more manageable with a domestic set-up. It is definitely do-able.

It must have been good karma, but I received my order for Ricky's Stable Stuff on Saturday, and I am using it for my paper piecing. I have paper pieced with all kinds of papers, but this is a dream to work with! I was a little "skeered" of sewing together those circles, but they really came together fantastically! I am attributing that to the Stable Stuff, as it stayed stable and didn't tear, giving good support to the fabric! I have posted my finished center in show and tell. I am off to work on the log cabin triangles!

Maggie in E. Central Illinois

Margo wrote:
Margo, how was this quilted? I would consider machine applique if I thought I'd be able to quilt it on my domestic machine with all that stabilizer in it. Any advice?

Michelle, I don't know how much you can tell from this photo, but all of the applique in this quilt has Stable Stuff foundation with turned edges and machine appliqued with a small zig-zag stitch done with MonoPoly. There is a little dimension to the pieces, but it does not look stuffed.

(You can click on the photo two times for a closer look.)

It seems the more I read this posting, the more confused I become! LOL

Let's see if I get this:

For the plain paper piecing parts, regular paper is fine. (Like the center star and the log cabin style points in month one)

For the applique parts (not embroidered), a stabilizer like Ricky's Stable Stuff is recommended. And then, after it's printed, it needs to have a fusible added onto the back of it before cutting it out to use. But how does the applique fabric stay on the stabilizer? Should that be fused onto the fabric and then run through the printer or fused on after it's printed? Then does more fusible need to be on the other of the printed stabilizer so it can be stuck to the background fabric? (I am thinking of the dots on the ring in month one) And where are the templates for the 18 dots for month one? Should we be printing off a second copy of the template rings to use for the dots?

Oh my, I think I am confusing myself even more!! :shock:

Another thought about Stable Stuff: If we use it and leave it in the quilt, will it be noticeable in the areas it is in -- meaning will it look a bit filled. So we should only use it in those areas we want that look in, not in the flatter or 'background' fabrics. Just thinking here... which might be a scary thought in itself!! LOL