puzzled
#1
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Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Utah
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puzzled
So I am about to star a darlinh quilt with lots of applique, the instruction suggest I use a stabalizer on the back of the backround fabric, I have never done that, don't know what it is and am wondering if it will be fine if I just use my heat and bond and blanket stitch around. Any suggestions?
#3
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Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Ontario, Canada
Posts: 41,539
Are you doing fused appliqués? A stabilizer on the back helps to keep the satin stitching from " tunneling" and wrinkling the background. A stabilizer isn't as necessary if you are doing a machine blanket stitch but I have found over time that the appliqué with blanket stitch can get fuzzy or frayed edges.
#5
I've done several quilts with a lot of applique on them. I prefer to machine stitch, raw edge, by using Pellon 805 Wonder-Under which is paper backed fusible. I trace my designs on the wonder under, iron it to my applique fabric, cut it out, iron it to my block (or other area), blanket stitch around it all... they turn out great, wear well, etc.
Certainly try a couple of different methods (make mug rugs with your examples) to find the one that works the best for you!
Certainly try a couple of different methods (make mug rugs with your examples) to find the one that works the best for you!
#9
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Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Western Wisconsin
Posts: 12,930
What I do, instead of using paper or a stabilizer, is *heavily* starch the background fabric before cutting. I use a 1:1 solution of Sta-Flo laundry starch and water, paint this solution onto the yardage with a large wall painting brush, wait a couple of minutes to make sure the starch has had time to penetrate the fiber, toss in the dryer, then iron with steam. After that I cut the background squares for the applique, always cutting about an inch bigger than the pattern states in case there is any shifting (although I haven't had any using starch, even when the edges are satin stitched; it's just my safety policy). Starch stabilizes the background fabric so the bias doesn't stretch as you are sewing around the appliques.
As others have mentioned, doing machine applique without the background stabilized almost always results in some distortion of the finished square, tunneling, etc.
Edit: The starch method works equally well on washed and unwashed fabrics.
As others have mentioned, doing machine applique without the background stabilized almost always results in some distortion of the finished square, tunneling, etc.
Edit: The starch method works equally well on washed and unwashed fabrics.
#10
I have used spray basting on back of applique in a pinch. Worked fine but I was doing larger pieces not really small ones. Have also used glue sticks on tightly woven fabrics. It holds just enough to blanket stitch down. Have not satin stitched any with these methods though.
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