I did bury the thread tails for the 4 appliqué blocks on the light turquoise fabric, but not on the dark turquoise borders. Just pulled those threads to the back, knotted, and clipped to about 1/4-1/2 inch tail. It didn't seem there would be a risk of the thread tails shadowing thru on the darker fabric.

I am having this issue as well and it seems to help to press the border every so often as the Soft Fuse does seem to lift quite a bit. I just finished a little wall hanging and all I had was some very old Heat and Bond lite, it seemed to work better, but I was using a lot of batiks so not sure If it's a fair comparison. I am going to test the Heat and bond with the next border. I am still working on the first border and my biggest problem is the self threading needles shredding the thread. I also don't really like the dark green color of the Mettler thread, it seems very dull looking but will carry on with it as I'm half done.

Are most of you burying your threads or just taking them to the back and tying off? This is really labor intensive so ive started just taking thm to the back and tying them and clipping rather than threading through the stitches.

I did a huge hand appliquéd quilt last summer and I must say I enjoyed the process a lot more than this!

Jeannine

The other advantage that batiks have for raw-edge appliqué is that the color penetrates the fabric on both sides. Parts of what makes the whiskers on woven fabrics noticeable is that the lighter color from the underside peeks thru. Laura Wasilowski recommends batiks for her fused raw appliqué quilts.

I have had only minor issues with edge fraying on this project, but have learned to handle the pieces very gingerly.

I took Sue Nickels' appliqué class last May, and had the chance to get up close and personal with her sample quilts, many of which were featured in her books. Despite the fact that they get schlepped all over the country, there was not a whisker to be seen!

I think turned edge and fusible have their own strengths and weaknesses depending on the project. SewDreamy, that is fabulous!

I like batiks best for raw edge too for their tight weave and fray resistance. I don't starch fabrics that I am going to fuse (assuming it didn't get starched as it went into the stash long before being chosen for a fusible project!) since I worry that the starch may interfere with a good bond.

Good blanket stitching or satin stitching (or even a decorative stitch) covers a multitude of whiskers.

I almost always do machine applique with fusible but usually do a satin stitch so the little lashes don't really cause a problem.

And this is an example of why I would not want to do without fusibles...LOL :shock:

Of course, I appreciate the turned edge too, when feasible. In fact, the edges of the mountains are turned and machine stitched.

Margo wrote: Think I will join you in that camp.

Just one reason why I don't like fusible appliqué .

Edyta Sitar wrote about this in her new book Seasonal Silhouettes.
Edyta said she uses these fusible webs most often with raw edge applique:
1. HeatnBond Light, which she says "gives a clean, sharp raw edge", but warns against over-pressing it, which can make quilting more difficult.
2. SteamASeam 2, which she says can be repositioned easily, but notes that over time it gives the edges a medium fray.
3. WonderUnder 805. She finds that edges fray the most with this one, but it is easy to trace on and quilt through. '

She says to experiment with different brands and weights.
I didn't know fusible web products were all so different.

Here are a few things I have learned.
Use a fabric with a tight weave. Batiks as a rule, have a tighter weave and tend to fray less than a lot of printed fabrics. (The exception to thi rule would be some cheap loosely woven batiks at chain stores that would be awful to work with.)
Some fusible webs come with instructions to prewash fabrics to remove any finishes on the fabric that might prevent a good bond.
Don't use fabric softener.
Be careful not to overpress the fusible and applique too long, especially with an iron that is too hot. This causes the applique to feel stiff and hard, and makes it harder to quilt through.
If I am raw-edge appliqueing and I have a fabric that wants to fray, I trim off the little tips of thread that stick out, and put a thin coat of June Taylors Fray-Block on the cut edge, let it dry thoroughly and then machine applique it down. I only put it on the cut edge. I like this brand, because it dries soft and flexible and dries clear with no discoloration.

Judy Austin

Thanks everyone!

What bothers me is that I followed carefully all the steps from the teacher (Sue Nickels) but since this happens before the stitching, it must be the way I handle the fusible. I removed the paper carefully, but not enough it seems. This doesn't happen with Lite steam-a-seam, so I think i'll do top border with this.

Once it is sewn with the blanket stitch, it seems pretty solid, except thoses little lashes that are coming out of the appliqué.... AHHHH this one needs a lot of patience!

Thanks again!

Andrée

Andreé I had this happen a lot with this project. I found that it was the Bondaweb (Wonder Under) that was the worst. The best solution I found was to do double blanket stitch around everything and that sorted most of it out. I did go back once I had stitched all the pieces down and used a tweezers to get any stray whiskers off. The other thing I will say to you is that if you are not using a Microtex needle maybe you would consider one. I use a 70/10 or an 80/12. These needles seem to pierce the fabric without splitting it. The other suggestion is to take your needle another thread over to the right as you are stitching so that it definitely goes into the background fabric only. I hope some of this helps. I finally got all my pieces ironed on the last two borders today - exhausting. Now I just have to stitch them all down.

Nancy has it right....if you score the middle and remove the backing from the center out (slowly and carefullly) there is less distress on the applique. Then when ironing, lightly iron it in place first, and when it's just where I want it, I give it a shot of steam. That makes it permanent.

I then use a much smaller, closer together, blanket stitch, or even double blanket stitch when stitching it down, running the edge close to the edge of the applique. This method usually makes the edges as invisible as if you turned them. If your blanket stitch is too big or far apart, or you leave a small gap between your fabric and the edge of the stitch pattern, you get those fuzzies. I did some testing just to see.

But if your applique is the type that could be easily turn-edged, then you can pre-turn edge them with stable stuff and glue or some such and stitch with a very small hem stitch and closely matched 60 or 100 weight thread and it will look almost hand appliqued. Hope this helps.

I don't usually do fusible applique just for this reason. I really don't like those little fuzzys. I will say that I believe the tighter the weave of a fabric, the less it happens. Anyone else have any thoughts?

Are these lashes at the point where you are starting to separate the paper from the fabric? How are you doing this? A lot of teachers tell you to score the center of the paper with a pin and start pulling the paper off from there. That reduces the handling of the edges of the fabric. Don't know if that helps.

Nancy