kfstitcher wrote:
Hmmmm...I'm assuming so, but it may be worth shooting off an e-mail to check before we order it!

Is the applique stabilizer the same as what she was calling applique foundation? I was wondering about that before I buy it.

Go to the "store" on her web site. She sells her own brand of stabilizer. I haven't used it, but I have used Ricky's Stable Stuff, and it will work, too, as soon as they get it back in stock in the TQS Shoppe.

OK, I need a little advice! Sharon's site recommends a light weight foundation for the applique method that she uses..... does anyone have a brand that they recommend for light weight foundation? Thanks!!! Mary Kay

Wanda - Thanks for the lead on the Sharon Schamburg site. After getting on the star onto my January blocks (with some real rookie applique methods!!!) I watched Sharon's applique videos and have some good thoughts on improving upon what I have been doing. Thanks so much! Mary Kay

hestia wrote:
That is Eleanor Burns' method and works well for larger pieces, but for really small pieces some other methods will work better.
Check out The size of the pieces that Sharon Schamber demonstrates hand applique on! Amazing!

http://sharonschambernetwork.com/index.html

Oh Wanda Thanks! I haven't looked at Sharon S. site for awhile and didn't know about this new video. It couldn't have come at a better time. I had just about decided to cry " Uncle" and give up on the needleturn. With my Parkinson's I'm dealing with a couple issues along with the tremors but I won't go to plan B yet without trying her methods. I am re-energized and ready to start again. Jan. BOM here I come! Woo Hoo. Karen

Well said, Heather. I think a lot of quilters talk themselves out of doing a project before they ever begin by piling up all the potential problems! I've done machine applique for years, (see my 12 Days of Christmas quilt on my profile) and really enjoy it, but I also love the slower PACE of hand work. (The Anniversary Quilt)
I think that the main thing is to find a technique you like, and just do it! If you really want to do it, don't just wait until you FIND the time....you need to MAKE the time. Schedule time on your calendar. Maybe it will help to re-evaluate your priorities? Is it time to say "No" to some projects that your heart really isn't in?

The finished product is just tangible proof of how much fun you've had!

Another note I should add....
Another good way to do machine applique but make it look like it was needle turn is to use wash away thread. Now bare with me people.
You sew your shape rightside together with wash away thread.
You have your fabric you are going to use, and then a piece of something else, such as muslin, and you sew the shape. then you cut a tiny slit in the muslin and turn your shape inside out, you then press it, and then soak it with a spray bottle of water. You spray it so the thread dissolves then you press it again. It gives the appearance of needle turn without doing the needle turn.
Then you sew it down. You can machine stitch it or hand stitch it.
I did a whole bunch of quilt block in this fashion. But it takes time just like the needle turn does.

Heather in UT
http://www.aquitingwewillsew.com

Margo,
At first the needle turn was awkward, and I thought I was never going to finish it. But the more I worked on it, the fast and better I became. I quite enjoy it.
I only work on it in the evening while sitting on the couch with my bird. I sew, she plays with her beads. Once in a while my birdie decides she has other plans and wants to help, so I have to set it down, so I don't always get to work on it. But it is nice to have something to do while I am giving her attention as well.
I really like it, I always thought I should be doing something while I am just sitting around, and now I feel like I have found that empty space I had.

Machine applique takes time and patience as well. For instance, I just finished up my Quilt Diva, which can be viewed on my website, and I did her under my machine. If the project is big, it is hard to keep moving it around and takes time to get all your stitches even (Depending on the stitch you use). Sometimes I dread doing machine applique cause you have to fold up your project to turn it under and around your needle and machine.

So I guess its a win win or maybe a lose lose situation with either one you choose.
Quilting & sewing aren't fun if you hurry and rush and get frustrated. Its an art and should be taken at a slow pace if you want it to be something viewed by others. LOL It should be something that you look forward to doing and your hobby should be something that relaxes you. If it doesn't then why are you doing it.
oh gosh, I am so good at rambling, sorry about that.

I guess what I am trying to say is that there are pros and cons in doing it either way, if you look hard enough you can find enough cons to make you stop doing it all together.

Heather in UT
http://www.aquiltingwewillsew.com

thanks Wanda, there is some great info on there... maybe that's the method I'll try for April, since I've done 3 different ways on the 3 blocks so far A bit like turning around freezer paper templates, but don't have to cut into the back to remove.
Although, I must admit, I don't really think needle turn is boring, but WATCHING needle turn certainly isn't exciting... guess that's why I'm always doing something else along with... watching TV, waiting in the car or dr. office, etc.
Lots of good tips on curves, etc., and visual helps a LOT!
Florence

WOW! Thanks for the heads' up, Wanda! Those videos are GREAT!! And they include some great tips that are completely different from what my tutorials show. Again....there is no right way to do applique...just different techniques to try. Find something that works for you!

Sharon demonstrates on tiny applique pieces, using teeny-tiny stitches that make mine look like I'm a kindergardener drawing with fat crayons! She does beautiful work, and it's easy to see why she's winning the big prizes at the big shows!

ENJOY THE PROCESS!
Margo

FYI to everyone,

Just left the Sharon Schamber site. She has a new, free video for needle-turn applique that makes it look so easy. This is a wonderful tutorial. Here's the site:

http://sharonschambernetwork.com/free_area/free.html

I know that for me, seeing it on video makes all the difference!

WandaM

Heather, do you find that you are enjoying the pace of needleturn? It is much slower than machine applique, and a lot of people find it difficult to adjust to the slower pace.