Applique

This lesson on needle turn applique will take some time to write..... weeks.  So, if you are reading this and following along, take your time.  Be patient with me as I write, take pictures, and post.  And, if you have any questions or need more personal help, email me.  jdquilts123@yahoo.com.  I welcome your questions and comments.  I try to be clear and concise but you'll let me know if I'm not being clear, right?  Okay, here we go!

So you've decided that you want to learn applique?  There are so many different kinds to choose from.  I do love the primitive look of the buttonhole stitch around the edges of a sunbonnet sue quilt.  But, my favorite kind of applique is the old fashioned needle turn applique.  And that's the kind I like to teach. I fell in love with Baltimore Album quilts the first time I saw them.  So, we'll start slowly here and I'll add to your lessons each day or few days.  Keep watching and I'll walk you through the entire process.

First, you need to pick out a pattern, some fabrics and thread.  To begin, you need a fairly simple pattern that will give you the look you want but will give you different skills to learn.  Pick something that has curves  and points both outy and inny.  Tiny pieces are harder to do so pick something that you like but doesn't have teeny tiny pieces.  You'll be able to do those later on as you practice the technique.

What about fabric? You really need to stick with 100% cotton fabrics for applique. If you're a quilter, you probably already have fabrics to choose from.  I always keep scraps from things I'm sewing and store them in boxes by color.  If I'm doing a fall quilt with lots of greens, golds, and deep red for leaves, I can pull out those boxes and find something that will work.  I do have a good supply to pick from.  But, I steer away from fabrics that fray easily like homespun types or even some cheaper fabric that you can almost look through it's so thin.  And, I like batik fabrics for applique, too.  It's a little harder to turn under for a beginner but it sure does add a lot to your project.  I don't use plain colors for applique.  They just look flat ... no depth at all.  You certainly can use it if you choose but I don't care for it myself.

Thread for applique has always been a big controversy. Many say use silk only and what about using grandma's threads from her old sewing box?  Well, you need to understand a bit about thread to make a wise choice.  First, you need to remember that the thread is supposed to disappear when you stitch on the applique piece so having a very thin thread is a good idea.  And, thread is made in many sizes.  50 is the size for regular stitching.  Look on your spool.  You should be able to find the 50 somewhere.  The smaller the number, the thicker the thread so I'd steer away from a thread size 40 or less.  40 is for quilting.  It's thicker.  Most silk threads are size 100.  Okay, that's a thin thread but silk is very expensive so you're probably not going to go out and buy lots of different colors at one shopping trip.  Silk does tend to disappear when it's used for applique so getting a light, dark, and middle tan or grey will work for most things you're going to applique.  I have seen some heavier silk out there, too.  So, pay attention to what you're buying.  If you do embroidery, that thread is usually a size 60.  Okay, that's thinner than regular thread but not as thin as silk.  It works fine, too.

If I do use grandma's old thread, and I've done that from time to time to get the perfect color, I make sure it's strong enough to stand the test of time.  I remove the entire outer layer of thread and then I pull it to see how much strength it takes to make it break.  If it breaks easily I don't use it no matter how perfect the color.  I can do that breaking test on a newly purchased thread to compare how strong the old thread is to the new thread.  I have had to restitch an applique piece after a quilt has been washed using old thread when it was too weak but 99 times out of 100 it's okay.

Okay, silk is great to use for applique and cotton works well, too.  But, what about other fibers?  You probably have polyester thread in that sewing box of yours.  Can you use that as well?  You can.  I don't care for poly only because I know it is super strong, so strong that it might cut your fabric if pulled really hard.  But I know there are many that would say that's silly and it won't ever happen.  Try it and see if you like it.  I'm never one to say you have to do everything exactly the way I do it.  You need to do what works for you.  Use a good thread though.  Cheap thread is really hard to work with when you're doing applique.

I guess now would be a good time to tell you that the thread should match the color of your applique piece, not the background fabric.  You're going to have a lot of different spools of thread if your project has a lot of different colors. And always, just like when you learned sewing, slightly darker thread is always better than something too light.  Too light will show up more.

One last thing before we start stitching, you really need to use the right needle for applique.  I use betweens size 10-11.  Another lesson on size and numbers here.  The bigger the number of the needle, the thinner the needle.  And, you want a thin needle.  Big needles leave big holes and you want your stitches to disappear with tiny holes. I have small hands so a 10 or 11 needle is fine for me but if you have trouble with a needle that small, try a 9.  When you get to a 7, those are really too thick to work well.  And I'll tell you, get a good threader.  Those thinner needles have tiny eyes. By the way, sewing machine needles are sized differently.  There is so much to know.

What about the type of needle.  There are sharps and tapestry needles, emboidery ones and betweens. Betweens are the ones I use because you get better control with a short needle.  Think of trying to write your name with a pencil vs a yard stick.  Which will give you better control?  The pencil, of course because it's shorter.  It's the same way with needles. You need all the help you can get so buy yourself a pack of betweens.  Get the various sized betweens first and then you'll know which ones work best for you.

So, I've picked out a pattern now with some points, inner curves and outie curves, selected some fabrics and threads and I have my needles at hand.  Let's look at the pattern and trace the pieces onto some freezer paper.  Having a light box is really nice but you can use the glass window wall on a sunny day or make up something like putting clear Chrsitmas tree lights in a 9"x13" baking pan and putting a piece of glass over top.  Trace the exact lines onto the paper.  And, if you notice carefully, some of the pieces will be tucked underneath other pieces.  Look at the petals on the cone flowers above.  They will get tucked under the rounded flower tops.  So, you need to extend those petal ends so they actually go under the flower tops and don't just meet it.  It looks so much better that way.  So, I draw a little dotted line where I need to extend the template to remind me not to cut it too short.  You can trim it later if you need to.

Now,  cut  out the templates on the lines.  I like to number my pieces.  A lot of little applique pieces look a lot alike and you don't want to waste time trying to figure out which piece is which.

Now here's a big question.  Should you trace the outline of the templates onto the applique fabric that will get sewn on or should you trace the pattern onto the background fabric.  Well, here's what I suggest.

If the pattern you've chosen doesn't have a certain place for each applique piece to fit perfectly, I trace the lines to turn the fabric under onto the applique piece.  But, if I have a design that needs to have the pieces in certain places like my cone flower applique that I've chosen for this project, I will trace the design onto my background fabric.  I will have to be careful when placing the applique fabric onto the background fabric so I will have enough to turn under all the way along the lines.  But I don't trace both the applique piece of fabric and the background fabric.  It's way too hard to match them both up perfectly and for a really good look you don't want those lines to show.

Okay, here's another big decision that you'll need to make.  What should you use to trace either the template lines onto applique fabric or the design onto the background fabric?  My experience tells me that you need something that will give you a clear THIN line.  Frixion pens are good for this and when you touch a hot iron to the markings they will disappear.  Okay, you have to be careful not to press anything until it's all sewn down.  But there is one problem with Frixion pens.  They were not made for fabric and quilting.  The lines go away with heat but come back with cold.  I tested all the colors and they all came back when I put the fabric into the freezer.  I know, we're not going to be putting our quilts into the freezer but you might transport them in the car to grandma's house or ship them to a show in the winter.  The lines will come back.  You can re-press and the lines will disappear.  Cold will bring them back again every time.

And, what about tracing things onto really DARK fabrics?  Dark Frixion pens won't show up on anything dark.  What I use are those white pencils that you can find at the quilt shop.  The two brands I've found are Fons and Portor and Bohn.  They are the exact same thing.  And, you can buy refill leads in white, yellow and pink.  At least, that's what I've seen available.

Now, there is one last thing before we start the turning and stitching.  Did you notice that I didn't trace the stems onto my freezer paper to make templates for that?  Any time I have a stem that appears to be the same width thoughout, I use my Clover bias tape makers and make a bias piece to use instead of turning the edge under.  Bias is always better for curves and unless there is some reason not to have my stem uniform, it's just easier.  So, I'll use the 1/4" bias maker for the green stems on this project.  If you put a flower or leaf over the ends or have the end secured in a seam, it's all good.  Turning under those ends can be a bit tricky..... it's possible but not something you want to do for a first project.

This pattern came with the template pieces numbered in the order that they need to be sewn on.  Not all patterns come that way.  Look carefully at which pieces get sewn under which things.  Anything under something has to be sewn on before the item that goes over top.  Okay, we're ready to start cutting out the applique pieces of fabric and stitching.

I like to use different fabrics for different petals or leaves.  That gives a bit of a funky look but it also gives interest to the piece.  So, I pin the template to the right side of the applique piece and cut the fabric about  3/16" to 1/4" bigger all around.  If you are tracing the lines onto the applique piece, do that before you remove the template.  I'll be tracing onto the background so no tracing onto the applique piece for me this time on this project.

Gather your sewing tools at this point,  thread, needles, a very sharp precise pair of embroidery scissors and round wooden toothpicks.  Yup, you're gonna need round wooden toothpicks.  We'll use our fingers for heat and pressure, too.  Your fingers are great tools.

At this point I double check the placement of my applique piece to make sure I have enough all around to turn under on the line.  I pin in the middle of the piece and check all around where it will get sewn on.

Let's start with the stitch.  You'll want to pick a straight area of your applique piece to begin.  Knot your thread and put your needle through the applique piece on the back side right where you're going to start turning the fabric edge under.  I'm stitching the 1/4" bias stem here.  That's pretty straight.  The needle and thread is coming out of the fabric on the edge of the turned fabric.  The needle goes back into the background fabric almost underneath where the thread is coming out.  Then, take a tiny stitch and come out in that edge once again.  You just make that same stitch over and over to get an even look to your project.  If you put your finger on top of your stitches and give a slight tug, those threads will snug right into the fabric and become almost invisible.

Now, when do you use that wooden toothpick?  Well, put the  toothpick in your mouth to give it some moisture.  The grain of the wood will swell and act almost like sandpaper to grab the fabric when you're trying to turn the applique edge under.  Use the side of the toothpick, not the point.  I only use the point when I'm trying to get a glob of fabric under when it's necessary.  I try to not use the point much at all.

Okay, now it's a matter of practice, practice, practice.  Let's talk about the 2 things that seem to give people the most trouble, inny points and outy points.

Outy points aren't as difficult as they seem.  First, you need to stitch the applique piece on right up to the point and take a 2nd stitch right at the point.  Don't try to turn anything under past the point yet.  You tuck under the fabric like you were stitching a straight line.

Now, let's sneak up on that point by going right past it and starting the turning under a little farther than the actual point.  Now, using your toothpick, turn the applique fabric under back towards the point.  When you do this, a little flag of fabric forms and you can tuck that under for the perfect point.  I do tons of leaves this way on lots of projects.

Inny points are just a bit more tedious.  You're going to have to snip right down to the inny point that you have.  Be careful to snip exactly at the point and right to the point. And, I never do that snip until I'm right there, ready to stitch. Okay, that's scary because now those threads of the fabric don't have any support.  You have to build that support by sewing a little dam of thread to keep everything from coming apart.

About 1/4 inch from your snipped point, turn the fabric under up to the point and start taking your stitches farther into the fabric. These stitches need to be closer together, too.  If your thread color matches the applique piece it won't be as noticeable while you build up that dam of thread.  When you get to the point, you're going to take an extra stitch or two to secure everything and then, tuck under the other side of applique fabric and stitch forward getting closer and closer to the edge of the turn once again.

Well, there you are, the basics of needle turn (or maybe I should call it toothpick turn) applique.  I call this Part I.  Part II will be the techniques for making those more complicated things where the applique pieces have to match perfectly to form a bird or a basket of flowers.  Keep watching.  That information will come in the future.  Until that time, practice your basic stitches and send me pictures of the projects you're working on.  Have FUN!  That's what it's all about.