Quilts, Quips, and other Nearsighted Adventures

I belong to several quilt groups, and one of these bees meets every Tuesday night, nearly without fail.  This group is the continuation of the Tuesday night Sit and Sew which met at Dragonfly Quilt Shop when it was open.   I love this group of women.  They can be brutally honest when you need them to be and unfailingly supportive when you need that.  This is also a great discussion group about everything from soup to nuts and of course, quilts.  The topic was raised a few weeks ago about “What Makes a True Quilter.”  One member of the group stated that she had heard you couldn’t call yourself a “True Quilter” unless you had made a Dear Jane quilt, Grandmother’s Flower Garden quilt, and a Cathedral Windows quilt. 

This hit me kind of hard – I’ve made a Dear Jane (and am now gathering fabrics for my second one) and am in the middle of a Grandmother’s Flower Garden (by hand, may I add).  A Cathedral Windows Quilt is nowhere on my horizon.  But I consider myself a true quilter.  So, after much thought, to borrow a phrase from MASH’s Colonel Sherman Potter:

Making one, two, or all three of these quilts has nothing to do with me or anyone else titling themselves a “True Quilter.”  What does this even mean?  Does it mean you quilt eight hours a day?  Does it mean you only make challenging quilts?  Does it mean you quilt most of your quilts by hand?  Could someone….anyone… out there give a definitive answer on what it means to be a “True Quilter?”

I’ll wait….

Chances are there, if I waited long enough, I’d get as many different answers as there are quilters.  I do understand the reasoning behind the statement that any quilter who makes these three particular quilts has reached a certain level of proficiency that should be admired.  Those quilts – the Dear Jane, Grandmother’s Flower Garden, and Cathedral Window – require a fairly advanced set of sewing skills.  Yes, there are patterns out there that have certainly “dumbed down” these quilts, but if sewn from the original designs, these quilts are on the difficult end of quilt construction.  To reach this proficiency level, you either A) Are extremely talented or (more than likely) B) You’ve quilted a long time and have acquired a certain skill set.  There is also significant handwork involved with these quilts.  Dear Jane can be machine sewn, but there is applique and embroidery involved that should be done by hand.  Grandmother’s Flower Garden is hexagon after hexagon and was originally designed to be hand-sewn.  I’m hand-piecing mine.  I’ve seen GFG’s done by machine, but they’re not nearly as lovely or accurate as the ones done by hand.  Cathedral Windows is a toss-up.  I’ve seen lovely ones done completely by hand and equally beautiful ones done on machine.  And if you want to get really down and dirty, Cathedral Windows isn’t a “true quilt” anymore than it makes a quilter a “true quilter” – it has no middle layer.  That’s right.   Not one scrap of middle filler is involved and a quilt – by definition – has a top, middle, and back. 

Besides the skill level and handwork involved, the other reason construction of a Dear Jane, Cathedral Window, and a Grandmother’s Flower Garden seems particularly important is the amount of patience each of them requires. 

None of these quilts are weekend projects that could be started on a Friday night and be completed by Sunday bedtime.  These are project that need months – if not years – of steady commitment.  If a quilter can start and finish at least one of these quilts, it is a great achievement.

So, when we consider the skill level, handwork, and patience involved with these three quilts, it’s easy to see why some quilters believe those are the ticket to True Quilterhood.  However….let’s back off from these and reconsider that thought.  There are other quilt patterns that involve the same level of skill sets these quilts have.  What about Sue Garman’s Halo Medallion?  Or the Caswell Quilt?  Or Patchwork of the Crosses?  Would anyone out there call these quilts particularly easy?  I don’t think so.  These quilts involve time, advanced skills, and patience. 

I don’t think anyone can absolutely define what a True Quilter is.  I think it varies from quilter to quilter.  I do think that there are certain characteristics that “True Quilters” (whatever that is) have. 

We know it’s not just a hobby

Yes, it relieves stress and help us relax.  But it’s more than that.  Our sewing area is our happy place, filled with colorful chaos and creativity.  If we choose to make quilts for different organizations that need them, it’s a hobby that helps us give back to our community.  It’s a way for us to give a tangible gift to someone we love  — a gift  that is imbued with our prayers and thoughts.  It’s a place where we feel okay by ourselves or with a community of like-minded crafters.  It’s somewhere we know we can have a few minutes of fun at the end of a trying day.  Sometimes knowing I can go home and quilt is the only thing that gets me through my day.

We always strive to do our best work

I have mixed feelings about the word “strive.”  It sounds almost like a battle front – that the work is difficult and we’re exhausting ourselves just trying to get it done.  But it’s the best word for this characteristic.  Quilting certainly isn’t a battlefield at all.  It’s something we enjoy.  However, most quilters I know put their best effort into every quilt they make.  Our quilts are never perfect, but we work hard to get them as close to it as we can.  Many times this propensity carries over into other areas of our lives, and this cannot be a bad thing.

We want to learn new skills

The quilters I hang around with love learning new things.  Whether it’s a different way to use a ruler or a new quilting method or a class that teaches different skills – we’re all in.  And this is a good thing in so many, many ways.  The American Medical Association has told us that as we age, it’s just as important to keep our brains active as it is our body.  Learning new quilting skills not only keeps our brains churning, it also works both halves of our brain – the mathematical, logical side and the creative, word-driven side.  And this can ward off dementia and Alzheimer’s.

We want to learn how to make our acquired skills even better

Most of the time quilters won’t settle for mediocrity.  Whether it’s color choice or technique, we want to do it better.  We’re always looking for ways to make a better four-patch or pinwheel.  We want to make our hand quilting stitches smaller and our applique stitches invisible.  True quilters, in my opinion, won’t settle for the status quo.  We want to take what we know and push it one step closer to perfection.

In closing, let me add that part of this year’s theme of “Level Up” will take some of the basic concepts and push them just a little closer to perfect.  And some blogs will introduce techniques that you may not have heard of before or have heard of, but never tried.  I hope this series will encourage you to hone your skills and enthusiasm just a bit more.  However, let me also caution all quilters, everywhere:

1.  Don’t judge yourself or other quilters.  This is so easy to do.  I quilt with some outstanding quilters.  It’s so easy for me to compare my work to theirs and condemn myself for coming up short.  And it’s just as easy to look at another quilter’s work and think about what you would have done differently or how you could have done better.  Don’t. Go. There.  Just don’t.  As I said in the first blog of this series, this is about your quilt journey – not anyone else’s.  Celebrate the variety in quilts and quilters.  Celebrate another quilter’s journey, but embrace your own.  You may never make any of the three quilts we’ve talked about in this blog, but you know what?  That’s okay.  They may never be part of your quilting journey.  And the fact that they’re not does not in any way take away anything from the quilts you’re making. 
2. If you’re learning more, and working to make each quilt better, then you’re a true quilter.  Those three quilts – Grandmother’s Flower Garden, Cathedral Windows, and Dear Jane are just quilt patterns.  Yes, they are difficult, but so are a lot of other quilt patterns out there.  If you’re striving (there’s that word again) to make your quilts better and eagerly learn new concepts and techniques, don’t worry about what another quilter says.  You’re in the True Quilter Fellowship.
3. If you love to share with other quilters, you’re an awesome person and an awesome quilter.  The one quality that strongly impressed me when I began to quilt was the willingness of other quilters to share with me anything they had – time, knowledge, fabric, tools, books (because I started quilting before the Internet Age).  Quilters are some of the most selfless folks I know.  They open their homes, their hearts, and their sewing space to others.  They listen and share and pray for you.  And I’ve seen this over the entire spectrum – from the very impressive quilt judges and designers to the newest member of a bee or guild.  Quilters are simply the best people.

In 2020, let’s push ourselves to learn one new skill and to become better with at least three we already do.  I’d like to ask you to share those with me along the way and if I have enough, at the end of the year, we can make a list.  Above all else, I want you to embrace your quilting journey.  Enjoy it.  Spread the love.  And just quilt.

Until next week, Level Up those Skills….

Love and Stitches,

Sherri and Sam

Once upon a time, when my quilt top was finished, the next item on my list was the backing.  I’d either piece it or pull a whole quilt back from my stash.  Since this was BLM (Before Long Arm Machine) you know what I didn’t think about at this point?

The batting.

In many ways, the batting is always an afterthought with a lot of quilters.  What’s on sale?  What do I have?  What does my long arm artist have in stock?  Does the Joanne’s 40% off purchase coupon on my app cover batting this week?

Before I had a long arm, I was right there with you.  I honestly didn’t give it much thought or effort.  Most long arm artists seemed to like the 80/20 and had plenty of it in stock.  Unless I was making an applique quilt that was show bound, I really didn’t care too much about what was in the middle of my quilt sandwich.  But like I said, that was BLM.  Once I started quilting 99% of my own stuff, suddenly batting became as important as pattern and color choice.

Let’s take today’s blog and look at batting a little more closely, starting with its history.  In England and Australia, it’s commonly called wadding.  In America, it became known as batting.  Before commercial batts were available, it was up to quilters to make their own.  Cotton was grown, picked, and laid out in front of the fireplace to warm.  The warmth was important, as it made picking the seeds from the cotton bolls easier.  In 1793, Eli Whitney invented a little machine called the cotton gin (short for engine), that separated the cotton seeds from the cotton fiber.  Once seedless (by either method), the cotton fibers were combed with combing cards like this:

The combs separated the fibers.  Once the quilter had enough combed cotton fibers for a quilt, they were spread out on the backing of a quilt, and the quilt sandwich was made as normal.  These early batts were not one piece like we have today, but literally handfuls of cotton fibers spread as evenly as possible over the quilt back.  For this reason, the quilting stitches had to be close together to keep the batt from migrating and clumping up. 

Now that you’re thanking the good Lord for Eli Whitney, the cotton gin, and commercial batts, let’s discuss what to look for in a suitable batt for your quilt.  The first decision that must be made is what size should be purchased.  Fortunately, pre-packaged batts come in crib, twin, double, queen, king, and California king sizes.  This is handy if you don’t quilt many of your own quilts by either domestic or long arm machine.  If you do a great deal of your own quilting, I’ve found it much more economical to purchase batting by the yard, or better yet, batting by the roll.  Storage space does become an issue, especially if you purchase more than one roll at a time. 

But no matter what the form the purchased batting is in, you need to spread it out and let the folds relax for a day or two before making the quilt sandwich.  If I have some stubborn folds that just won’t go away, I will steam those out with an iron.  And always remember the batting should be three-to-six inches larger than the top (as should the backing).  Sometimes there is a little shrinkage in the quilting process.  A quilt that will be long armed will need the larger margin.  A quilt quilted on a domestic machine can make do with the smaller margin. 

The next item up for consideration is fiber content.  Most battings are made of cotton or a cotton/polyester blend.  However, today’s batts may also contain wool, silk, or bamboo fibers.  Some batting is all organic and some is made from recycled fibers.  There is no right or wrong decision here – what matters is personal choice, what the quilt will be used for, and how you want the quilt to look.  The batt you chose for the quilt that goes on your bed may be entirely different from the batt you may chose for a crib quilt.  With fiber content, loft also must be given some consideration.  Loft is a fancy-schmancy way of saying thickness.  If you chose a thicker batt (higher loft), the quilting stitches will be very visible.  If a flatter batt is used, the piecing will show more predominantly, rather than the quilting.  While we are talking about loft, let me also throw this in here:  low loft works generally works best for quilting done on a domestic machine or an embroidery machine.  A high-loft batting can be difficult to maneuver through those machines.  Most long arms can handle just about any loft without major problems. 

Now that we’ve covered size, loft, and fiber content, there still are a few batting terms I want to define for you before we move into brands and appearance.  We see these terms on the batting labels and it’s important to know what they mean, because these characteristics affect the quilting plan and the quilt’s appearance. 

Quilting Distance – Some batting will specify an optimal quilting distance between rows of stitches.  Take a look at your quilting pattern and use this information to your advantage.

Scrim – This is a light layer or grid of woven fibers added to some cotton battings.  It acts as a stabilizer and helps to hold the batting together while quilting.  This can be a good safeguard if you’re a beginner quilter or prefer a design with wider spacing between the quilting lines.  If you use a cotton batting without scrim, you’ll need to plan to make your quilting lines close together, so the fibers won’t separate in the wash.

Bonded – Some battings contain a type of glue or bonding adhesive, which means the batting fibers may get looser once the quilt is washed and the glue or adhesive is rinsed away.  This usually requires close quilting lines to make sure the quilt holds together over time.  However, if a batting is bonded, it generally won’t beard. 

Bearding – This term refers to wispy fibers that eventually seep out of the quilt top.  I can’t begin to explain how annoying this is – and disheartening.  You spend months on a quilt and then more time (and perhaps more money) for the quilting, only to have batting wisps make you quilt look as if it needs a good shave.  The way to avoid this is to use quality batting.  Trust me, you’ll regret using the cheaply made stuff.

Fusible Batting – This is great for small projects!  It can be ironed temporarily to secure it into the middle of a quilt, which saves time because that means no pinning or basting.  However, personally, I’ve never been able to successfully use it in large quilt projects without it wrinkling on me

Needle-punched Batting – Needle-punch batting is mechanically felled together by punching the batting with a lot of needles.  Because of this process, it’s a firm batt and it is denser than other batting.  Needle-punch batting is a great choice for quilts that will endure a lot of harsh abuse (such as a play quilt or a chemo quilt).  It’s also great for quilted apparel. 

Moving on, now it’s time to address brands and desired appearance. 

Quilters, as whole, are a pretty loyal bunch.  Once we find a designer, tool maker, or any particular brand we really like, we tend to stick with that product and go into deep mourning if the manufacturer goes out of business.  Batting is no different.  There are several stellar batting manufacturers out there (Hobbs, Warm and Natural, Mountain Mist, and Pellon to name a few).  I base my choice on customer service and consistent value for the dollar – just as I do any quilting-related purchase.  And my very favorite batting brand is Hobbs. 

They have just about any kind of batt you could want, in any size you want, with just about all the fiber content available.  I’ve never had an issue with bearding and their customer service is wonderful.  Warm and Natural and Quilter’s Dream come in close seconds.  And I will use Mountain Mist polyester batting for hand quilting.  But what works for me may not work best for you.  Try different brands out to determine which one works for you.  That’s what is really important. 

Let’s look at each type of batting and what kind of look it gives your quilts.

Cotton Batting – This is made from 100% cotton fibers and is about 1/8-inch thick.  When quilting on a regular sewing machine or an embroidery machine, this is probably the kind of batting you want, as it doesn’t create a lot of bulk you have to deal with when maneuvering the quilt through the machine throat.  This batting gives great drapeability and is the kind you want to use when you want the attention to be on the piecing and not the quilting.  It is not the best batting to use for hand quilting, though.  Cotton batting comes in two colors, white and natural.  Care must be given when using the natural color.  It’s kind of an ecru shade and if you’re using light colors or white as the background or neutral, it can make those colors appear dull.  Overall, white is generally the best choice for almost any quilt that you plan to use a cotton batting.  One more word of caution, before putting the quilt top on the quilt sandwich, peruse the batting for any cotton seeds that somehow slipped through the manufacturing process.  These can be oily and eventually leave a small stain on your quilt top or back.

Polyester Batting – Like polyester thread, polyester batting has come a long, long way over the years.  Polyester batts used to have incredibly high loft and have thin patches here and there in the batt.  No more.  Today’s polyester batts hold its shape and thickness better than almost any other batting, but is very light.  It has nice drapeability, and if the quilt you’re making is one that may spend significant time in the washing machine, (such as a crib quilt or child’s play quilt) this is probably the kind of batting you want.  It stands up well to such treatment.  The loft is a bit higher on polyester batting (it can run from 3/8-inch to 1-inch thick), which means your quilting stitches will show up more than with a thinner batt and it adds warmth without weight.  Another plus is that polyester batting is mold and mildew resistant.  Polyester batting is my go-to batt for hand quilting.  It needles beautifully. 

Wool Batting —   I love wool batting.  It has a higher loft, running about ½-inch thick.  This is my go-to batting for applique quilts.  The higher loft emphasizes the quilting stitches, which in turn defines the applique better.  And despite the thickness, it’s incredibly light weight.  It is also very warm.  This batting is excellent for hand quilting or the long arm.  It is a bit bulky for domestic machine quilting.  It also ties beautifully.  Because of the ½-inch thickness, it doesn’t drape as pretty as a polyester or cotton batt, but you’re trading that off for definition of quilting stitches – your quilting with be front and center with a wool batting.

Cotton/Poly Batting – Like the name denotes, this batting is a blend of cotton and polyester fibers.  It’s commonly called 80/20 (80 percent are cotton fibers and 20 percent are polyester), and this is generally the staple of all long arm quilters.  It’s a great all-around batting.  This batt has all the  characteristics of a cotton batting, with the loft of a polyester one.  It quilts well and washes great, too.  The drapability is good.  While I will always prefer a wool batt for my applique quilt, this is my go-to batting for cuddle quilts, throws, and play quilts. 

Bamboo Batting – This batting is still fairly new to the quilt market.  It’s comprised of 50 percent bamboo and 50 percent organic cotton.  In order to make this batting, the bamboo is processed into fiber using pollution-free methods with little waste — so it’s a “green” quilting supply.  The pros to this batting are it is very breathable and holds up well to machine quilting of any kind.  It’s machine washable, with a 2 percent to 3 percent shrinkage.  The cons to this batting are I have always found it a bit stiff.  It doesn’t drape as well as the other batts.  And there isn’t enough history behind this batting to determine how well it holds up to time, use,  and the elements. 

Silk Batting – If I had to name a favorite kind of batt, this would be it.  It’s great for hand or machine quilting – needles slips through this like a hot knife through butter.  It’s appearance in either pieced or applique quilts is spectacular.  It has a bit of a higher loft than cotton batting, but it is so light that the extra bulk isn’t a problem.  Like bamboo batting, silk batts are a recent addition into the batting market, so it doesn’t have a great deal of history, either.  To stabilize the silk fiber, it’s blended with polyester. The silk batting you purchase is really 90 percent silk and 10 percent polyester.  It’s also important to buy a bonded silk batt to prevent any bearding.  Silk batting maintains its loft, it’s light as a feather, and it’s warm in the winter and cool in the summer.  It can be machine washed, but any quilt made with silk batting should be laid flat to dry.  This quilt batt shows off your quilting stitches like no other batt and has the best drapability of them all.  It is simply the best.  The only drawbacks to this batting are the price and availability.  It is more expensive than the other batting and is generally only available through web sites.  I’ve never found it in a quilt store. 

Black Batting – Besides white and ecru, black batting is available, generally in the 80/20 blend.  If you use a lot of black in your quilt – say black is your background or neutral, you will probably want to use black batting.  However, if your quilt is a pretty equal mix of black and a light, or there are large patches of a light (such as in setting triangles when the quilt is set on point), you will want to forgo the black and stick to a white.   In this situation, the black would “gray-down” your light and probably not give the quilt the appearance you really want.  However….if you’re using a lot of bright, saturated colors (especially with batiks), you may want to go with a black batt even if you’re not using a lot of black in the quilt.  Black batting beneath these bright colors makes them look even brighter.

By now you should know your way around batting terms and types.  The best advice I can give you is to try the different brands and see what works best for the type of quilting you do.  If there is a brand I would personally always have in my stash, it’s the 80/20.  Of all the batts, this is the most versatile.  However, no matter what kind of batting is used, two situations will arise – scraps and shortage.  Every quilter has run into the situations where he or she has large, left-over batting pieces they don’t know what to do with (and they’re too big to justify throwing away), or you’ve finished piecing the quilt only to  discover you’re a few inches short on batting.  Here are a few ways to deal with both of those situations. 

Let’s talk scrappage first.  Quilters will always have leftover batting scraps, no matter how carefully it’s purchased.  I can never bring myself to throw away the large pieces of remaining batting scraps, no matter how hard I try.  I’ve discussed how to tame your fabric scraps, now I want to tell you how I manage my batting scraps.

The most important thing to remember is don’t mix your batting scraps.  With our fabric scraps, we know that all the material is 100% cotton and it’s all either prewashed or not.  However, with the exception of cotton batting (it has its own very distinct look), it can be difficult to tell the 80/20 from the 100% polyester.  Keep the different kinds of batting in different tubs and label the tubs.  The reason behind this will become apparent in a few more paragraphs. 

The large scraps – say 12 x 12-inches or larger – can always be used for projects such as mini-quilts, placemats, table toppers, or pillows.  Wider and narrow pieces of batting are good for wall hangings and table runners.  Smaller pieces can be used for coasters, Christmas ornaments, or mug rugs.  It’s always great to have these scrap options on hand for such projects so you don’t have to cut into a whole batt to get the size you need.  It’s a wise use of resources and money.  Those are the most obvious scrap-use options.  But what about the smaller pieces?  There are some organizations that will take certain sized smaller batting scraps.  These organizations use these scraps to make washable sanitary napkins for women.  You can google these groups and research what size they need and send your smaller batting leftovers to them.  There are also a few “unorthodox” uses for these scraps.  I have found they work wonderful on my Swiffer Sweeper — they pick up tons more than the regular dust mop cloths.  They also do a beautiful job polishing furniture. 

Now let’s look at a fairly common scenario.  You’ve pieced your top.  You’ve got your backing pressed and ready to go.  You rummage through your batting to find what you think is a large enough piece, only to discover is just a bit too short or too narrow.  Before you head to the store to buy another batt, let’s look at your batting scraps.  You may have enough to add to the large piece of batt you have so you won’t need to purchase any extra.  However, you don’t want to add two different types of batting together.  For instance, you wouldn’t want to add a cotton batt to an 80/20 or a 100% polyester batt.  Not only would the lofts be different, it would also give different appearances in the quilting stitches.  And if you wash the quilt, the cotton batt would shrink more than either of the other two, thus altering the quilt’s appearance even more.  This is why it’s important not to mix your batting scraps.

Piecing batting is not difficult. Place two pieces of batting together, with an overlap of about ½-inch on your cutting mat. 

Once the batting edges are lined up and overlapped, they will need to be cut.  Place a ruler over the overlapped area and cut down the center.  When you remove the little scraps, you’ll have two straight edges that will butt up together perfectly. 

When piecing batting, you don’t want a seam, so you don’t piece right sides together.  The batting pieces will butt up against each other and you will sew along the edges of the batt. 

The sewing does not have to be super-secure.  Basically, you’re simply basting it together until the actual quilting is done, which will hold it permanently into place.  I use a wide zig-zag stitch and a thread color (both in the bobbin and on top) that matches my batting.  Be sure not to let the batting pucker.  Some sewing machines seem to struggle moving the batting over the feed dogs.  If you’re machine seems to have this issue, try using a piece of tissue (the kind you use in gift bags) beneath the batting.  This will easily tear away from the batt when you’re finished.  If you have scraps of wash away stabilizer, those work great, too. 

There is this quilting product:

With this fusible tape, you cut your batting as described above, cut a piece of tape the length you need, and fuse it onto the butted edges.  I have used this product and it works great.  The only problem I have is that my iron doesn’t like to press directly on the batting.  I use a press cloth over top and have no issues.   I have also heard (but I have never tried) lightweight fusible webbing (such as Heat-n-Bond light or SewKnit) also does a wonderful job in this process.  The directions state to cut a piece of the webbing ½-inch wide by the desired length and press according to directions and in the same matter as you would the fusible tape.

It’s always a great thing to save money, and by sorting and storing your battings scraps, we can do both.  It also keeps a great deal of batting out of landfills.  So, this is really a win-win for everyone.  And just in case you’re wondering, I have found no difference in the quilting process with either a pieced batting or a whole one, on either Big Red, my mid-arm, or my long arm.

Until next week, Level Up Your Quilting!

Love and Stitches,

Sherri and Sam

Most all of us have them…

I certainly do.  I bet if I were to check out your sewing space, you have them, too.

You know what I’m talking about….ugly fabrics.

I know, I know, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but honestly, some fabric seems to be beyond help.  You know…the kind of fabric you look at and wonder what in the world was the designer thinking when they came up with that?

In my quilting world, I have one way I get rid of most of my ugly fabric – I put it on the free table at guild meeting and walk away quickly.  At this point, one of two things happen.  Either someone decides (for whatever reason) they just have to have that fabric and takes it home with them, or I manage to sneak out of guild meeting before someone waves me down and returns it to me because literally no one at the meeting wants it.  If the second option happens, either the fabric goes to Good Will or our charity quilt stash, or it’s thrown in the circular file.   I can’t bring myself to throw chunks of any perfectly good fabric away because it bothers my conscience; however, I have no qualms about someone else throwing my fabric away. It can bother their conscience. 

Nevertheless, ugly fabric is the topic I want to address this week – ugly fabric and what to do with it.  I do realize that what is ugly to me may be perfectly appealing to another quilter.  So, to give that fabric to a new home (see free table at guild reference above) is a completely acceptable alternative to allowing it to take up room in your stash.  Because we all know how that works.  It’s shifted around so much it finally ends up at the bottom of the heap, hopelessly wrinkled and still just as ugly.

However, if you can’t bring yourself to give it away (maybe dear Aunt Sue left it to you in her will or something), there are some things that can be done to minimize the unattractiveness and emphasize the use.  After these suggestions, maybe you can breathe new life into that homely fabric.

Use it for quilting practice – If you have a long arm and it’s a nice, big piece of fabric, you can always use it to hone your long arming skills with.  If it’s too small for that, use it to practice quilting on your domestic machine.  Make some quilt sandwiches and stitch away.  If you have enough to make a stack of small sandwiches, you can set those beside your sewing machine and have them ready for several practice sessions a week.  This is a double bonus – you use that ugly fabric up and you get better at machine quilting. 

Use it for leaders – Sometimes as you’re starting a seam out, your machine wants to “chew” your fabric.  It gets lodged in your feed dogs and when you finally dig it out, there’s a hole in your good quilting fabric.  Cut your unattractive fabric up in 2-inch squares, fold it double, and begin your stitching on this piece of material.  This allows your feed dogs to go ahead and engage before your good quilting fabric goes over them, thus eliminating any “chewing” of the good stuff.  You can reuse each leader several times before you need a new one.

Cut it up into small pieces – Sometimes a little of the ugly stuff works better than a lot of the ugly stuff.  Most of the time, small pieces of the homely fabric will work in a quilt much more effectively than large chunks of it.  I think it was Bonnie Hunter that said if the fabric is ugly, cut it up into small pieces.  If it’s still ugly, you haven’t cut it small enough.

Calm it down with a neutral – And this neutral will usually be either a white, black, or gray solid or a tone-on-tone print that reads as solid.  Ecru may work equally as well, but I’m not an ecru fan (so seriously, this could be a personal preference thing).  The neutral will work surprising magic on making that ugly fabric appear not quilt so unattractive. 

Find a quilt pattern that can take advantage of its ugliness – There are a few quilt patterns that work well with fabric we have no idea what to do with. 

The first one is an “I Spy” quilt.  I Spy Quilts are quilts (generally made for children) created with pictorial or novelty quilting fabrics —fabrics printed with objects that might not be obvious from a distance but can be identified during a closer look at the quilt.  If your fabric has printed objects on it that are easily identifiable, it may be perfect for this kind of quilt.

If it is a large print that has regular repeats, it may be perfect for a Stack and Whack or Kaleidoscope quilt.  These quilts amaze me for a couple of reasons.  First, you can take the fabric, align it, cut it, and make your quilt.  Then one of your quilting friends could take the same fabric, go through the same process, and neither quilt would have more than one or two of the same blocks.  The other reason these quilts astound me is that they revel in ugly fabric.  The uglier the fabric, the better the quilt looks.  If you have a homely fabric with fairly large, regular repeats, try a Stack and Whack.  You’ll be amazed. 

Turning Twenty is another quilt pattern that can use almost any type of material, even ugly ones.  The pattern is designed to fit a fat quarter.  Each quilt block is made of only three pieces, so this is an easy quilt for even a beginner, particularly since there are no curves or points to sew. The completed quilt takes 20 quilt blocks made by mixing the fabrics.  If you mix your unattractive fabric with some better-looking ones and throw in a neutral here and there, you’ve used up the material and made a nice quilt.  This is a great pattern to use with stellar fat quarter packs…and those fat quarter packs where only a few of the materials are stellar. 

Now let’s kick it up a notch.  Let’s really look hard at that fabric you don’t find so appealing.  I gave you some easy solutions about what to do with ugly material at the beginning of this blog.  Let’s level this process up a bit.  There are applique possibilities in those fabrics.  You’ve just got to know what to look for and how to picture it.  I can tell you my process – how everything works for me – and then it’s up to you to work it out in your own quilt studio.

For me, the process begins with my stash.  We’re starting with what we have before we fabric shop.  It’s always better to use up what you’ve already bought – it’s good stewardship and saves you money.  With my stash (and I’m referring to fat quarters and everything three yards or less), those are arranged by color.  Any fabric that is smaller than a fat quarter (and isn’t a precut) I consider a scrap and those are sorted by color and stored in bins.  When I am designing my applique, I go to these sources first.  Some parts of an applique pattern are easy to figure out – like leaves and stems.   If’ I’m prepping these, I pull out the greens and make some decisions. (And let me throw in here, I only keep scraps that are approximately 8-inches square, so I don’t become overwhelmed with my scrappage). 

But some other items require a little more imagination, and this is where pushing yourself to think outside the fabric box works in your favor.  For the sake of illustration, let’s think about baskets and birds.  In traditional and modern applique, both of these items get some serious play time.  Now I want you to think about how often you see a variety of material with either a basket weave or feathers.  I’ll wait a minute or two while you mull this one over….

(Cue music from Final Jeopardy….)

Times up.  The answer is, “Not often.”  It’s easier to find landscape fabric (material printed with bricks or stones or grass, etc.) than it is to find a piece of material that is printed with a basket weave or feathers.  I truly “lucked out” with this small quilt:

I had a scrap of basket weave material I saved from back in the 1990’s.  That’s nearly 30 years ago.  Situations such as this – when you need something to give the impression of an object but don’t have the exact fabric to do this – is when you have to use a lot of imagination and a good pinch of creativity.   This is where the ugly fabric can come into play.  Sometimes that ugly fabric is exactly what you need to give the impression of baskets or feathers or rocks, or even flower petals.  Let’s look at some examples. 

For example, take this fabric:

This is kind of a bold print, and I’ve had it in my stash for a while.  I’ve hung on to it for applique because you know what this would work well with?  Birds.  When I’m making an applique quilt that has critters on it or floral work, there are two ways these patterns are generally presented.  The first is a stylized way (the kind of applique I’m using on my Language of the Flowers quilt) where the applique pieces are imaginative but not true to life.  The second approach is a very realistic way in which the applique artist works to make the berries, birds, baskets, etc., look as accurate as possible. 

Let’s say I wanted the birds in my block to appear as blue birds or blue jays and I wanted them to look as lifelike as I could get them.  This material would be perfect.  We all know that blue birds or jays aren’t solid blue or even only blue.  They are created with different colors. 

Next, let’s go back to leaves.  A long time ago I urged everyone to try to always think creatively and if you find yourself stuck in the creative process, go for a walk.  Look around at all the greens and browns that nature has provided.  Leaves aren’t solid green.  Stems aren’t solid greens, either.  Neither is grass.  These fabrics:

Would work perfectly for them, if you’re approaching your applique from the realistic point of view. 

You’ll notice that none of this material is particularly attractive.  In fact, if you saw it in a fabric store or quilt shop, you may not even give it a second glance unless it was on the clearance table, because we’re all going to check out the clearance table…This is the point where we, as quilt artists, have to start thinking out of our box.  Leaves are more than just green.  Birds are more than just red or blue.  I can tell you in all honesty this process takes time and practice.  I began training myself to do this anytime I had to purchase material for applique or was rummaging through my scrappage/stash to begin the quilt.  If my quilt was leaning toward the very realistic end of things, I pulled everything that could possibly be used and spread it out on my cutting table. If I was looking for fabric to make leaves out of, I’d cut a reverse  template:

Then I would lay that template down on the material to see how it would play as a leaf.  I would do the same for flower petals, stems, birds, bunnies, berries…whatever applique pattern played a dominant role in my block, I’d make a reverse template and try it out on all the fabric that could be used in that quilt.  Over a period of time – several years, actually – I could look at a piece of material and begin to see the possibilities it had in it. 

One purchase I would encourage every applique quilter to make is ombre fabrics.  I’ve touched on these before.  These are so versatile and can run the spectrum of one color or several colors that undulate throughout the material. They hold endless possibilities for flowers, leaves, flower centers … just about anything you need.  Another purchase I have found helpful is fabric depicting the item you’re appliqueing – such a material printed with leaves on it for appliqueing leaves.   Make a reverse template and use it to help fussy cut your leaves.   The veins in the leaves are already there most of the time, so it certainly helps make your applique look realistic.

Let me offer this word of caution here.  Don’t mix stylistic applique and realistic applique together in the same block or the same quilt.  Mixing those two styles makes the quilt look off-balance.  While you can certainly mix applique techniques, don’t mix the two styles. 

I hope this blog has given you a new appreciation of your ugly fabric, and maybe has even moved it from the realms of hideous to the area of endless possibilities.  The more your practice thinking outside the box with those unattractive fabrics, the easier it gets.  And this makes you a smart consumer of quilt fabric.

Until next week, Level Up Your Quilting!

Love and Stitches,

Sherri and Sam

As promised, this week we’re looking at paper piecing with freezer paper.  I love paper piecing, especially for complicated blocks.  You just can’t beat its accuracy.  While it is a trade-off between fabric and precision (it takes more fabric, but it’s way more accurate), it does make short work of difficult blocks with lots of pieces.  And no matter what you use as the paper medium for this, nine times out of ten, the paper has to be removed before the quilt is quilted.  However, this blog deals with that one time out of ten…the one time you don’t have to remove the paper from the quilt top before quilting because it’s already been removed.  When you paper piece with freezer paper, the paper is peeled off as soon as you sew the pieces together.  There are a couple of different methods that deal with using freezer paper as the medium in paper piecing.  We’re looking at both this week.

The first way is what I call the “standard” method.  This is the one most commonly used and the easiest to understand.  This technique uses the same numbered pattern that you use in regular paper piecing, but you don’t stitch through the paper.  Instead, you pre-cut the freezer paper templates, press them onto the fabric, and cut the shape out, adding an extra ¼-inch of fabric for the seam allowance.  Then you sew along the edge of the freezer paper as a stitch guide.  This helps you get the really super-sharp points.  When the block is finished, you simply peel the freezer paper off.  There is no stubborn paper to wiggle out of places where seams are joined or other tight spots because you don’t sew through the freezer paper.  This is a simple process and it’s easy to learn.

However, there are couple of cons to this method, the first one being accuracy.  Because you’re not stitching directly on a line, you won’t have the same level of precision as you do in regular paper piecing.  The second drawback is the amount of prep time this method takes.  Instead of simply printing parts of the block (or the entire block itself) out on a piece of paper and cutting just those out, each part of the pattern printed on the freezer paper must be cut out individually.  This takes more time.  However, if the quilt block has no tiny, sharp points or isn’t too complicated, this method works well, despite the amount of prep time.  The process goes like this:

1. Start off by transferring your pattern templates onto freezer paper.  The easiest way to do this is to copy or print your pattern via your ink jet printer onto the 8-1/2-inch by 11-inch freezer paper that is printer compatible.  If you have to use a roll of freezer paper from the grocery store, you’ll have to trace the pattern onto it.  Use a ruler to keep your lines straight and trace carefully.  Cut each template out on the solid lines.  Don’t include the seam allowances on the templates.  Mark each piece with the pattern numbers or letters and make note of any special instructions —  like where to place the pattern along the grain line of the fabric.

Press each freezer paper template shiny side down onto the wrong side of the fabric.  Lay out pieces with enough space between them to allow a ¼-inch seam allowance on each piece.  Using a ruler and a rotary cutter, cut out each piece with the added ¼-inch seam allowance all the way around each piece. 

Pin two units together, inserting a pin through a point in one piece, and matching it up to the point on the second piece. 

Stitch the seam, working slowly and carefully, to avoid stitching on the paper.  Stitch very closely along the edge of the paper.  Unlike regular paper piecing, there is no need to shorten your stitch length, since perforating the paper isn’t necessary.  An open-toe foot, such as an applique foot, is a wonderful option for this part, as it allows for better visibility.

Press the seam open but keep the freezer paper in place.

Continue adding pieces in this same manner matching points, stitching along the edges of the paper, and pressing seams open.

When you’re finished, simply peel off the freezer paper and sew the units together.

The next  freezer paper method is a little more complicated.  If I want to use freezer paper for paper piecing and accuracy is a complete must (in other words, there is no “fudging” whatsoever in what I’m working on – like a border), this is the method I use.  The one of the difference between this method and the “standard” freezer paper method is freezer paper will be used for a master foundation pattern, as well as for individual templates.  This method works really well for compass designs (such as Mariner’s Compass) or blocks that have super-angular, thin points, such as New York Beauty.  To begin, make two copies of the pattern on the dull side of the freezer paper.  One copy will be used as the master foundation patterns and will not be cut apart.  The other will be used as individual templates.  The master patterns should all of the individual units a block requires.  Cut the master foundation pattern out, leaving a margin of paper around the outer edge.  Set this aside.  Take the template patterns and place them on another sheet of freezer paper.  Make sure the shiny side of the freezer paper is facing down for both sheets, and press them together with enough heat so that they bond securely together.  This makes your templates a bit sturdier. 

Cut out the paper piecing units, leaving a margin of paper around them.  Then cut the individual units out on the solid line.  Now you have your templates.

Press the templates to the wrong side of the fabric, leaving about one inch of space between the templates.  Cut them out, leaving about ½-inch seam allowance around each side. 

The dotted edge (the edge with a small dotted line) is the side that we need to turn.  Go ahead and plug in your iron (a small travel iron or a mini-iron works best), gather some spray starch and a small brush.  With the brush, paint some of the starch on the dotted edge fabric  seam allowance.  While the starch is still wet, fold the seam allowance over the template and press until dry.  Pull the template off and press again if you need to.

Repeat this process for all dotted edge seam allowances. 

Take the master foundation pattern to your pressing surface and place it shiny side down to the pressing surface.  Pin the first template piece that you’ve prepped with fabric onto the surface, wrong side up.  Make sure the fold aligns with the seam line on the master foundation pattern.

Place a thin line of basting glue on the fold line of the first piece.  Make sure to place the glue only along the edge where the second piece will overlap it. 

Place the second piece, wrong side up, on the master foundation pattern.  Be careful that the fold of the second piece aligns with the seam line of the master pattern.  Heat set this. 

On the second piece, put a fine line of basting glue on the fold where the third piece will go.  Place the third piece the same way you did the second piece and heat set. 

  Continue in this manner until you’ve assembled all the pieces in a unit.  When you get ready to give it final press before sewing, because there are no papers involved, you can press the seams however you need to (and to the darker fabric as much as you can).  But if you need to reduce bulk so it can be quilted easier, you can press the seams open or to the light side if you have to. 

Now you have to sew the units together.  The numbers on the patches in the master pattern indicate the sewing sequence.  I do shorten my stitch length a bit.  My default stitch length is a little long (in my opinion) for any piecing, so I always shorten it a bit.  A quarter-inch foot or an open-toe embroidery/applique foot works wonderfully for this.  Put your needle in center position and if your machine has an up/down option, program it for needle down. 

Lift one of the units off the master pattern and open the first seam until you can completely see the crease left by the fold.  Sew slowly and carefully directly on  this fold.  After completing the seam, trim the seam allowance to a scat ¼-inch.  Following the numerical sequence, continue sewing the seams in this manner.  Once all the units are made, you’ll need to check it against the master foundation pattern one more time.  Take the master pattern and press it onto the right side of the pieced unit, making sure to align the pattern lines with the seams.  Trim the completed unit so that the outer seam allowance measures ¼-inch.  Make as many units as your block needs, then sew the units together to make the block. 

A couple of hints at this point.  On average, the templates can be used seven to ten times before the edges get too soft and won’t give you a crisp fold.  If you make several sets of templates and set this process up as an “assembly line,” you’ll find this goes pretty fast.  I mentioned before in my blog on hand applique, that it’s important to use a type of basting glue that doesn’t your fabric stiff.  That’s important, here, too.  Even though you’re sewing with a machine, and that has lots of power behind the needle to go through layers of fabric and glue, you don’t want to have it leave the fabric feeling stiff or possibly breaking your needle.

I hope you consider one (or both) of these methods the next time you need to paper piece a block.  With a little planning and some extra prep time, you may find you really like this method.  Bonus…when you’re through, there are no pesky papers to remove.

Until next week, Level Up Your Quilting!

Love and Stitches,

Sherri and Sam

It’s not all about the quilts.

It’s about the quilters – the fellowship. 

It’s about sharing the good times and the bad.

It’s about multiplying the joys and halving the grief.

It’s about taking the scraps life hands you and sticking your finger in fate’s eye when you make something beautiful out of it.

That’s what quilting is all about.

–Sherri Fields, May 2012

When I decided the theme for 2020 was “Leveling Up,” a lot of thoughts ran through my mind.  I knew I could emphasis more advanced quilting techniques.  I knew I could push daring color choices and placement.  I spent Thanksgiving week pouring over blog ideas I had never written about because I didn’t know if my reading audience would follow them.  I re-read books and articles that had challenged me to become a more advanced quilter.  Then I made a list of 45 ideas for this year.  And at the top of the list was you – the quilter.

There are all kinds of quilters in this world.

And thankfully, there is enough fabric, thread, and (generally) acceptance for all of us. 

This year, along with talking about some complex quilting techniques, I want you to focus on you, too.  We all wear lots of different “hats.”  We’re mothers and sisters and daughters and employees and employers.  We’re sons and fathers and brothers.  We’re in-laws and significant others and professionals and retirees.  We’re at various stages of life.  Some of us are taking care of small children and some of us are taking care of aging parents.  Some of us are widows, some of us are childless, and some of us are raising our grandchildren.  Some of us are dealing with a sick spouse or with our own health issues.  We’re all at different stages and at different places.  But the tie that binds us together is quilting and all of its creativity, chaos, and color.  No matter what technique or designer or fabric line we like best, get a bunch of quilters in a room and the talk quickly turns into the Fellowship of the Quilt. 

This is important.  And that’s why we need to take care of us as much as we take care of our fabric.  What do I mean by this?  I want each of us to define our quilting journey as uniquely ours and not compare it to anyone else’s.  I could never design quilts like Kim Diehl.  But you know what?  That’s not my quilt journey.  Each and every quilter has his or her own creative path they carve out for themselves.  My path is not your path.  I (almost) visibly cringe when I hear another quilter say, “I could never quilt like you.”  Know what?  You shouldn’t.  You should quilt like you.  And you should cultivate what makes you great as an artist and strive to make each quilt a little better than the one before.  What you shouldn’t do is compare yourself with other quilters. 

When I started quilting back in the mid-eighties, it became all-consuming.  During that time, I had small children and still made all of their clothes and most of my own.  I worked and my spouse worked out of town a lot.  This meant that my quilting time was limited.  I primarily followed patterns or took Saturday classes.  Once Target opened in my city and , my made children’s clothes a relatively cheap purchase, my sewing time freed up more, and I started to seriously quilt.  I began to take patterns and put my twist on them.  There were quite a few failures, but there were a few successes, too.  And I soon found out that I enjoyed “doing my own thing” much more than always following the directions.  I began to play with proportions and settings and color placement. 

Here began my creative path as a quilter.  These were the days before the internet, Facebook, and Instagram.  At this point in time, I had never heard the word “blog.”  The local public library was my Google and Hancock Fabrics was my quilt class.  Consciously or unconsciously, I was exposing myself to more quilts and quilters.  My interests began to expand.  I dabbled in art quilts.  I tried new techniques.  I wasn’t afraid to fail, and I didn’t know enough to be too intimidated by another quilter’s quilt.  I refer to this period in my quilting life as “Free Fall.”  I’d try just about anything and didn’t mind spending time with my seam ripper if things didn’t go as planned. 

This year, along with learning new techniques and playing with color and patterns, I want everyone to become sensitive to their creative process.  If you need to hit the pause button on your quilt journey, do so.  Sometimes time away from quilting is what you need to “reset” yourself as a quilt artist.  Sometimes that pause means leaning solely on patterns or kits just so you don’t have to think so much.  We’ve all been there, and usually the quilt mojo returns (either in a trickle or in a flood), and we release the pause button and hit play again. 

It’s also important to document your muse.  In other words, keep those things that inspire you near you.  The cell phone is actually a great help in this.  Take pictures of flowers or trees or buildings that inspire you.  Quilters are often inspired by non-quilty things.  A catalogue that comes in the mail.  Paint chips from the hardware store.  A design on a scarf, in a tile, or even in a wallpaper that we just have to reproduce in fabric.  Any and all of these things can push us towards our next quilt.  I keep pictures in a file on my phone.  I have several Pinterest boards.  I also keep a physical file folder with clippings and such that stir my muse.  Sometimes it’s color.  Sometimes it’s texture.  Sometimes it’s a pattern.  But it’s important to me that I keep them accessible.  They help me in two strategic ways:  If I am planning a new quilt, they give me inspiration.  If I am pushing my way through a project, they give me an added desire to finish it so I can move on to other ones.  It’s equally important to note that you need to document what inspires you.  What works for me may not stir any inspiration in you.  With me, it’s all about color.   Nine times out of ten, it’s colors that that inspire me.  Patterns make up the other one-tenth.  What works with your muse may be something entirely different.  And that’s okay. 

This year as we are challenging ourselves to try more complicated techniques and patterns, let’s stay sensitive to what inspires us as well as to what challenges us.  As we each carve out our own quilt journey, let’s not compare ourselves with each other, but encourage each other and hold that individual quilt path as nearly a sacred experience.  Next week we really begin our Leveling Up when we will look at a new way to paper piece.  Have your freezer paper center front and ready.

Meanwhile, don’t be afraid to try something new!  Level it up!

Love and Stitches,

Sherri and Sam

Here we are at 2020.  I don’t know about you, but 2019  flew by so quickly, it’s hard to believe we’re in a New Year. 

New Year.

New Goals.

New Theme.

But before we get into all of that, let me give you my State of the Quilt thoughts and go into the predictions I had for 2019, as well as my thoughts about what may be happening in the 2020 quilt world.  I had three predictions for 2019: 

1.  A Return to Traditional Quilting
2. More Acceptance of Embroidery Machines as Part of the Quilting Landscape
3. The Layout of Fabric Stores and Quilt Shops will Continue to Change

Let’s take them one at a time.

A Return to Traditional Quilting – I think I was dead on with this one.  Last year I thought it there would be a resurgence of traditional blocks, hand piecing, and hand quilting.  If there was one niche in the quilting world that specifically backed up this prediction, it is the explosion in popularity of English Paper Piecing.  While personally I don’t enjoy this technique, obviously hundreds of other quilters do.  With this revival of EPP, certain traditional quilt patterns and blocks also enjoyed shaking off the cobwebs and basked in the glow of popularity.

More Acceptance of Embroidery Machines as Part of the Quilting Landscape – Not only did embroidery machine work earn a place at the quilting table, but hand embroidery also has garnered a good deal of exposure this year.  Many quilt patterns incorporated hand embroidered blocks.  Not to be left out of the party, many applique patterns encouraged details performed with hand embroidery.  And embroidery machine programmers designed programs  for the embroidery machine that will allow you to quilt your quilt in a hoop. 

The Layout of Fabric and Quilt Stores will Continue to Change – This is one of those good news/bad news issues.  The landscape of the retail quilt world continues to evolve and unfortunately part of this evolution includes shuttering more of the brick-and-mortar quilt shops.  The biggest of these in 2019 was probably Keepsake Quilting. 

When I began quilting in 1986, Keepsake was at the forefront of the quilt world.  If I couldn’t find what I needed in Hancock Fabrics or one of the local quilt shops, the next place I’d look would be Keepsake.  Those were the days before the internet.  I’d hang on to the old Keepsake catalog until a new one came out.  Through the years, Keepsake changed hands a couple of time, until fairly recently one of “my” local quilt shops purchased it – Pineapple Fabrics.  They kept it open for a while but the distance between Keepsake and Archdale, NC (where Pineapple is located), as well as declining sales coupled with increasing costs of the brick-and-mortar establishment proved to be too much.  Like many quilt shops, Keepsake will live on in the internet world, but the shop itself if is closing. 

Okay, that’s the bad news.  The good news is the quilting world is keying into the next generation of quilters, while trying to keep us long-established ones happy.  The costs of sewing machines is declining, as technology continues to get cheaper.  Fabric manufacturers are still churning out their goods, but the colors are changing and growing somewhat brighter.  And there are more “niche” fabric producers, such as Spoon Flower that allow you to design your own fabric and have it printed.  With this sensitivity to the younger generation and their shopping habits, there are more available on-line stores to purchase your fabric.  And while I still encourage, urge, and push quilters to buy from their LQS, it’s nice to know that home-bound quilters now have everything at their fingertips. 

However, I do miss the days when I could go to a fabric store and see two or three of my friends there or make new quilty ones.  And I really miss the days when I could run into Hancock Fabrics and purchase machine needles at 8 p.m. on a Friday night after my last one broke and I was in the middle of a project.  Now I must Prime them because there are no fabric stores in High Point. 

None.  Not one. And I’m not counting Hobby Lobby.

Now my predictions for 2020….

Technology will continue to change our quilt world, both for the good and the not-so-good.  I believe that on-line classes and how-to YouTube videos will increase more and more as the next generation of quilters step up to the plate.  They’re the group that seems completely at ease with on-line teaching, as many of them have had this type of instruction in undergrad and grad work.  For us older quilters, this is awesome because it allows us to plug into designers that may never make it to our area.  The downside to this is there will be fewer “physical” classes.  With more and more brick and mortar stores closing, we quilters are losing precious classroom space that is difficult (if not impossible) to re-gain.  And in this process, we are losing one of the most valuable parts of quilting – the fellowship with other quilters. 

More technology means cheaper price tags on things like sewing machines and long arms. It also means more competition between brands and manufacturers.  And this means quilters will be able to afford machines and gadgets they never thought they would be able to purchase.

Quilt groups will become smaller.  With the rise in quilty technology, the number of on-line groups will continue to grow. The results could be the possibility of shrinking membership of physical bees and guilds.  This possibility bothers me a great deal, as quilt bees, guilds, and groups are a vital part of our quilting heritage.  If we have to wage war against any of these predictions, this is the one we should choose. 

This year may be the year that there is a resurgence in quilt preservation.  I am old enough to remember our bicentennial year – 1976.  With America’s 200^th anniversary, there was a rising interest about quilting and antique quilts.  From that point in time, well into the 1980’s, many states had groups of quilters organize to document and photograph old quilts.  I have North Carolina Quilts book from this time.  It’s one of my prized possessions. 

I think with this new decade, we may very well begin to hear some rumblings from quilters that “We need to do this again.”  God knows its time – some of the quilts that weren’t eligible for the last round of documentation (because they weren’t old enough), would be up for it now.  This should be done.  If it’s not, we’re on the precipice of losing a good chunk of our quilting heritage.

And a side benefit of this may be an increase in numbers of folks that are interested in quilting. 

Predictions now out of the way, it’s time to announce the 2020 blog theme!  In 2017, we Quilted Fearlessly.  I urged you to get out of your comfort zone and try new things…harder things…stretch yourself as a quilter.  In 2018, we Quilted with Excellence.  I wrote a lot of “teachy” blogs, emphasizing the basics and encouraging you to embrace each step of the quilting process with your best work.  If I remember correctly, there was a lot of math involved in some of those blogs.  And those blogs still receive a lot of hits – especially the ones involving quilting and the Golden Ratio.  This past year, we Quilted with Passion, throwing our whole selves into the craft we love.  All three of these years have been a build up to 2020’s theme, which is:

Level Up!

What does this mean?  Well, if you or someone in your life is into any type of video gaming or games like Words with Friends or even Solitaire, you’re aware you “level up” – or go to the next level – after so many points are scored or certain skills are attained.  After Quilting Fearlessly, Quilting with Excellence, and Quilting with Passion, we are ready to push our quilting to the next level.  We’re ready to “Level Up.”  Details will be examined, reasoning will be questioned, directions will be dissected, and new skills will be tried.  I’m excited about this.  So, pull out your fabric, fire up those sewing machines and in 2020….

Level Up!

Love and Stitches,

Sherri and Sam

Isaiah 9:6 King James Version (KJV)

⁶ For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

My favorite Christmas scripture is found in the Old Testament – Isaiah 9:6. And while I realize that there are other really good Bible translations available, somehow the Christmas scriptures just sound better when they’re read in the Old King James Version.  I guess this is a throwback to my childhood when all scriptures were read in this version. 

Since this is the week of Christmas and I know that A) either some of us are sewing like mad people trying to get those last stitches in gifts or B) we’re too busy wrapping and shopping and baking to read a blog,  consider this my Christmas card to you.  As you have yourself a Merry Christmas, don’t forget that all the problems and troubles in this old world were really solved when a baby’s cry was heard in a manger in Bethlehem.  As the heaven’s rang with angelic praise and shepherds and wisemen made their way to a cold stable, an exhausted new mother cradled the King of Kings and Lord of Lords as He began His earthly journey. A journey that would, after 33 years, end on Golgotha and triumph in an empty tomb.  We had to have that first Christmas so that we could have an Easter.

So, as we exchange gifts, hug necks, and eat way too much, more than anything else remember the Christ Child.  He is the Reason for the Season.  He’s the Mighty God.  He’s the Everlasting Father.  He is the Prince of Peace.

Merry Christmas from my house to yours….

Love and Stitches,

Sherri and Sam

*Taken from the song of the Ghost of Christmas Present in The Muppet’s Christmas Carol.

A part of childhood we’ll always remember
It is the summer of the soul in December
Yes, when you do your best for love
It feels like Christmas

Last week I promised I would give some additional detail on the applique supplies I use. These are my personal preferences. One of the best pieces of advice I can give you is to try different applique tools out for yourself. Don’t plunk down a huge chunk of money for any one product. Purchase small amounts and decide what works best for you. Then invest in what you love.

Batting – If I plan to crosshatch my applique background, I do this before I begin to applique.  I mark the crosshatch grid lines on the background fabric and cut a thin batting piece at least one inch larger than my background fabric.  I use a bit of spray adhesive to attach the batting and then sew across the crosshatch lines on my regular sewing machine.  It just makes the quilting process easier.   If you want a more detail on this particular technique, see my blog Making it Mine published back in October.

          Water-soluble Glue Stick – There are literally hundreds of these on the market.  You can find them anywhere from a dollar store, office supply store, and the grocery store – not to mention the glue pens from quilting stores.  It is important that the glue stick be water soluble, so you don’t get a gummy, crumpled mess when the quilt is washed.  Even if the quilt is destined to be a wall hanging, water-soluble glue is easier to needle.  If you’re not sure if a glue stick will dissolve in water, look for the term school glue.  That about guarantees it’s not a permanent fix.  My favorite glue stick is this: 

It’s a glue pen, which I feel gives me a little more control with small applique pieces. This brand is from Apliquick and can be found on The Quilt Show’s website, Kathy McNeil’s website, and Amazon.  This glue tends to stay tackier a bit longer than other glues, so you generally don’t have to add more glue if you need to re-position the fabric. 

Applique Foundation Paper – Your choice in this medium is as personal as your favorite color.  I know fellow appliquers that prefer only the type sold by Apliquick.  I know other quilters that simply use the heavy-duty, iron-on interfacing used in garment construction.  Some folks like Alex Anderson’s.  I have tried them all, but my favorite is sold by Sharon Schamber.  You can find it here: http://www.sharonschamber.com.  It’s a little thicker than the other foundation papers, so I can “feel” it better beneath my Apliquick tools.  It turns to fiber when wet, so there is no stiffness to the applique pieces at all.  It leaves a super-soft hand.  My advice to you is order as small amount of each as you can and try them all.  What is my favorite may not necessarily work best for you.

Thread – I could spend literally days talking about thread.  Thread has come such a long way in the last 15 years.  If someone would have told me back in 1986 (the year I started quilting) that I would plunk major money down for thread, I would has laughed at them.  Coats and Clark was the name of the game and they were about the only game in town – with occasional glimpses of Mettler on the horizon. 

Concerning hand applique, you will want to decide whether to use silk thread, cotton thread, or a machine embroidery thread.  Each has its benefits and its drawbacks.  Again, this is a personal decision.  Silk thread is ultra-fine, and a few basic colors will cover all your applique needs.  It tends to snuggle right down into the fold of the fold of the fabric and makes your stitch nearly invisible.  The drawback to silk thread is that it must be knotted twice – once at the eye of the needle and then at the end of the thread.  If it’s not knotted at the needle’s eye, it will slip out because it’s so smooth and thin. 

Machine embroidery thread must be given careful consideration.  Much of this thread is thin, so it would work well for hand applique.  However, some it does not react well with heat.  Since applique pieces are ironed and blocked after completed, if you chose to use machine embroidery thread, make sure it’s heat resistant.

Cotton thread is my favorite. Yes, I have to match the color of thread to my applique piece, but there is no special knotting and I never have to worry about pressing, as cotton thread is heat resistant.  Use a fine cotton thread for this – remember the higher the number on the spool, the finer the thread.  I use a number 60 thread.  My favorites are the hand applique thread produced by Aurifil and Superior Threads.  You just can’t beat them. 

One thread you want to avoid in hand applique is monofilament thread.  This thread works great for machine applique, but it’s a bit much to handle for hand applique.

Water-soluble Basting Glue – Remember, this is different from the water-soluble glue stick.  This looks like regular glue and comes in a container like this:

Or this:

While it has more staying power than a glue stick, it isn’t permanent.  A basting glue that leaves fabric with a soft feel is a must, as often time you have to make a hand sewing needle go through it.  My favorite basting glue is Roxanne’s.

It comes in a variety of sizes and containers and it does not dry stiff. 

Dritz Liquid Stitch – I had no clue this product even existed until I read Sharon Schamber’s book Piece by Piece Machine Applique.  This handy-dandy little product comes in a tube with a pointed applicator tip.

I use a drop of this product when I’m prepping points.  I apply one drop on the edge of the point before I fold the fabric over. 

After I make the point, I heat set it and add another drop to hold the fibers in place and clip off the excess fabric.

Another handy-dandy thing about this wonderful product:  If you need a quick hem repair, this is an awesome thing to have on hand.

Hard Pressing Surface —  This is needed to press the edges and points of your applique.  A soft surface just doesn’t give you the crisp, clean edge like a hard surface does.  For years I used this:

This is simply a muslin sleeve with a thin, narrow piece of wood in it.  I believe it’s actually a piece of left-over flooring from a home renovation.  I left one of the short sides open so I could slip the sleeve off and replace if needed. 

I know some quilters glue a thin layer of batting to the wood before slipping the muslin sleeve on, but I don’t. 

Then a few years ago I purchased a wool mat.

This makes a perfect pressing surface for nearly everything, including applique.  I still have my wooden pressing board and use it in classes or on vacation when the mat may take up more room. 

Needles – The type of hand applique needles used is a very personal choice.  I was taught with the John James brand.  Since then I’ve had the opportunity to try several different brands as well as several different sized needles.  Remember, the larger the number on the needle package, the bigger the needle – longer length, thicker shaft, bigger eye.  Some appliquers – especially those that favor needle turn – like a longer needle as it really helps turn the edges of the fabric under as you applique.  The choice of brand and size needle is a personal choice.  I have small hands, so a larger needle literally feels like a sword in my hand and I find it awkward.  I use a small needle with any type of applique that I do.  However, I have found one brand of hand sewing needle I absolutely love and that is Tulip. 

What makes Tulip needles unique is their manufacturing process.  Most needles are spun off the machine in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction.  Tulip needles are spun off lengthwise, which means the grain of the needle matches the direction it’s being pulled – up and down.  This makes sewing with a Tulip needle so much easier.  And if you do a great deal of hand sewing, you can appreciate the stress taken off your fingers, hands, and wrists. 

Fortunately, needles aren’t expensive, so allow yourself the time and luxury of trying out several brands and several sizes to find out what works best for you.  Final word on needles – they do wear out.  I preach regularly about replacing your sewing machine needles after about 8 hours of use (you can go longer if they’re titanium).  Likewise, hand sewing needles should be discarded as soon as they get difficult to push through the fabric. 

Fabric Scissors – Every quilter needs at least two different types of scissors in their quilt studio – one pair for fabric and fabric only, and one pair for paper and paper only.  The ones used for paper can be just about any type, but I get really picky about the type used on my fabric.  And honestly fabric scissors really deserve their own blog post – there are hundreds of different types and brands.  However, for all of my applique I use these:

Karen Kay Buckley’s Perfect Scissors.  These have tiny serrated blades that act like teeny, tiny pinking shears.  Your applique pieces or quilting patches won’t fray hardly any as you clip and cut.  These cost a bit more but they’re really worth every extra penny spent.  Couple of words of warning here:  If you need to have them sharpened, tell the sharpening tech that the blades are serrated — yes, the teeth on them are really that small.  If you don’t tell the tech, he or she may not realize it and file the tiny teeth off.  Second, don’t be fooled by knock-off brands.  A few months ago, there was a cheap knock off floating around on Facebook and other on-line sites that claimed to be Karen’s scissors.  They were not.  Order directly from her site to make sure you get the real deal. 

Now my last word on hand applique.  While I love my hybrid method and use it most of the time, I don’t let my preference dictate my outcome.  In other words, how my quilt will look when it’s finished is my priority.  In the first blog of this applique series I defined the different techniques and when you may want to use each.  If I were making a Baltimore Album Quilt, I would opt for needle turn since those quilts were initially made that way hundred of years ago.  If I’m using one of Ester Aliu’s wonderful patterns, I’d use my method, as her quilts lend themselves to the final look achieved by my hybrid process.  And I’m absolutely not afraid to mix methods.  In my Language of Flowers quilt, the scroll work is raw edge applique and the flowers in the center are hand appliqued.  Don’t let other quilters tell you that you can’t mix techniques.  You absolutely can. 

When I am finished with a block, I “block” it.  If you knit or crochet, you are familiar with this term.  It simply means you make sure the block is the correct size and then heat set it to make sure it maintains that size.  With an applique block, this process starts at the beginning of the block.  After I’ve cut the background fabric at least one inch larger than the required size, I stay stitch around the block (stitch all the way around the block about 1/8-inch from the edge).  This prevents any raveling and helps the block keep its shape.  Once my applique is complete, I spritz it with water, pin it face-side down to my ironing board, and press it dry.  Here’s where the beauty of not having prewashed the background fabric comes into play – when this process is done, the background fabric shrinks a bit and literally pulls your hand stitches beneath the applique piece, making your stitches invisible.  And that, my applique friend, is beautiful.  Then I trim it to the specified unfinished size on the pattern.

I hope above all else, this blog encourages you to try at least one type of hand applique.  This technique soothes my soul and I love and enjoy it so much!   Start small.  I hope you become as addicted as I am!

Standard disclaimer applies as always…I’m not employed by any of these companies, nor do I receive any type of compensation from recommending them.

Until Next Week, Quilt with Passion!

Love and Stitches,

Sherri and Sam 

Before we jump into my hybrid Apliquck method, I would like to talk about a couple of other issues that are important to me before I begin the actual applique process.  The first of these is the background fabric. 

Personally, I dislike a plain, solid background.  While I don’t want the background fighting with the applique for attention, I think a plain, solid background (unless your applique block is super-small), is kind of boring.  I either like my background pieced from similar-colored fabric or I use a white-on-white, white-on-ecru, ecru-on-ecru or other small print. I may even use another colored background altogether.  

It just makes the block a little more interesting.  Once I cut out my background fabric at least an inch larger than the required unfinished  size, I draw a line with a Frixion pen down the center of the block, both horizontally and vertically. 

Then I draw lines diagonally from corner to corner.  If there’s a chance that I will iron the block and erase the marks, I will set my sewing machine to a basting stitch and sew across all of the lines.  I then mark my pattern in the same manner.  These lines will help me center and place my applique pieces correctly.

The second issue to deal is to prewash or not.  I get asked this question quite a bit in the applique classes and workshops I give.  It’s still kind of a hot-button issue for a lot of quilters believe me, I’ve seen near fights break out over this in guild meetings.   I’m going to answer this question here the same way I answer it in my classes and workshops:  I’m a prewasher.  There usually isn’t a piece of fabric that goes into any of my quilts that hasn’t been prewashed, line dried, ironed, and set with Best Press or starch.  Yes, this is the way I was taught, but most of all it eliminates any worries about crocking, bleeding, or uneven shrinkage.  For me, it’s worth the effort not to have to worry about any of that by simply throwing the fabric in the washer as soon as it comes through my front door.  However, for applique I do not prewash the background fabric.  I will explain why I don’t a little later.

And I also know that many of my readers are not prewashers.  So let me give a few words of caution at this juncture.  If you’re constructing a wall hanging or mini quilt that’s probably not ever going to see the inside of a washing machine, it truthfully doesn’t matter whether you prewash or not.  Nothing is going to get wet, so there will be no bleeding or crocking, or uneven shrinking.  All those quilts will do is look pretty.  But….

If you’re making a quilt that may at any point in time be washed, it’s a good idea to prewash all the fabric, except the background fabric.  This not only prevents bleeding; it eliminates any uneven shrinking.  Uneven shrinkage occurs when some of the fabrics have been prewashed and others have not.  With hand applique, uneven shrinkage can cause the pieces to wrinkle and even pull away from the background.  Yes, it’s an extra step.  Yes, fabrics that are manufactured today are much better than ones made years ago, so shrinkage is minimal.  But my train of thought is this:  Why risk it?  It would make me sick to my stomach to put in all the time and effort a hand appliqued quilt would take and then have it come to some catastrophe (big or little) in the washing machine. 

Now let’s discuss the way that I applique.  It’s kind of a hybrid version of Apliquick – I use that basic method and then throw in a couple of my own ideas to make it work for me. 

Here’s what you’ll need:

Background fabric cut at least one inch larger than the required unfinished size

Batting (more on this later)

Pattern

Fabric for applique pieces

Apliquick tools or orange sticks

Water-soluble glue stick (more about this later)

Small iron (My favorites are the Clover mini-iron or the Black and Decker travel iron)

Applique foundation paper (more about this later)

Thread (more about this later)

Water-soluble basting glue (more about this later)

Dritz liquid stitch  (more on this later)

Spray starch (not Best Press)

Fine grit sandpaper

Clip Board

Hard pressing surface (more on this later)

Stapler and staple remover

Needles (more on this later)

Fabric and paper scissors (more on the fabric scissor end of this later)

Wet wipes to keep your fingers clean

1.  The first step in my applique process is to trace the pattern pieces onto the applique foundation paper or freezer paper.  If you’re trying to decide about my method and don’t want to sink money into the applique foundation paper just yet, freezer paper is a good starting point.  You will probably want to iron two layers of freezer paper together to make the foundation piece a little sturdier.  And unlike the applique foundation paper, the freezer paper will have to be removed before sewing the applique piece to the background fabric.  In either case, if the pattern is not symmetrical or the directions do not state the pattern is already reversed, you will need to trace the pattern from the backside.  This is where a light box really comes in handy.  If you have to make multiple pieces of the same part of the pattern, trace the pattern onto one sheet of the freezer paper or applique foundation paper.  Then staple several pieces of the freezer paper or foundation paper together with the traced pattern on top and cut.  This way you won’t have to make multiple tracings.  Cut out the pieces on the drawn line.  If the applique foundation paper is fusible, be sure to draw on the dull side of the paper.

•  Working with the fabric is the second step.  If you’ve pre-washed your fabric, you may need to put a little sizing or starch back into it to give it a some body.  While a “stiff” fabric is difficult to use with this method, a “limp” fabric is just as awkward.  It needs to be somewhere in the middle.  If you’re using fusible applique foundation paper, read the directions that come with it to make sure you use the correct heat setting on your iron.  Press the foundation paper to the wrong side of the fabric.  If you’re using freezer paper, a dab of basting glue or glue stick can be used to hold it in place on the wrong side of the fabric.  Remember, freezer paper will have to be removed before appliqueing the piece to the background.  You don’t want to fight to get it out, and too much glue will make you struggle.  This can cause the piece to lose its shape. 

If the foundation paper is not fusible, apply glue from the glue stick to the piece and then use your iron to heat set the piece to the wrong side of the fabric.  Foundation paper does not have to be removed before hand stitching the piece down, so this method can be used for non-fusible applique foundation paper. 

•  Cut out the pieces, leaving about a ¼-inch fabric margin around them.  As you get more proficient with this method, you may decide smaller margins work better for you, but begin with a ¼-inch margin.  You can always trim it a bit if the piece begins to feel too bulky.  Remember if the pattern piece has curves or points, placing the pattern on the bias will make it easier to obtain smooth curves and sharp points.

•  Now we move to prepping the applique pieces.  Personally, I discovered a long time ago that a nice Netflix binge works well with this step.  When you’re prepping hundreds of leaves or circles, it’s nice to have something to watch as you move through this step. 

Take a sheet of the fine-grit sandpaper and put it on your clipboard.  This will help keep your applique piece from sliding around as you turn the edges under.  You also will want to heat up your mini or travel iron at this point.  Lay your pattern piece on the sandpaper with the foundation paper or freezer paper side facing up.  Grab your glue stick and your Apliquick tools or orange sticks.  At this point, you will begin to apply the glue in order to turn that  ¼-inch fabric margin over the freezer or foundation paper.  So now we need to discuss whether to apply the glue to the fabric or the paper.  This is kind of a personal preference.  I have applique friends that apply it to the fabric.  I apply it to the paper.  I do it this way because to me this is easier.  I have found that if I put the glue on the fabric and have to reposition it, sometimes I need to apply more glue.  The more glue that ends up on the fabric, the “gummier” the material gets and then it becomes difficult to work with.  Not so much with the paper.  If the glue simply dries on the paper, so if you need to apply more of it, it doesn’t matter.  Putting the glue on the paper doesn’t affect the fabric as much as applying the glue directly to the material.  And if the applique pattern piece is large, I don’t apply the glue all at once.  I will do smaller sections at a time. 

Whether you decide to apply the glue to the fabric or the paper, clip the curves after the glue is applied. Clipping works better after the glue is put on in either circumstance.  

•  At this point, it’s time to press the edges of the fabric over the paper.  If it’s a large applique piece, your fingers may work better (and faster) than anything else.  If you’re using the Apliquick tools, use the forked stick to hold the pattern piece in place and the other stick to turn the edges over the paper.  If you’re using orange sticks (cuticle sticks), use one to hold the pattern piece and the other to turn the edges over.  This takes a little time to get the feel of, but once you’ve begun to master the technique, it moves really quickly.  Try to smooth out any lumps or irregular bumps as you go.  Sometimes this means prying the fabric loose and repeating the process.  Once the applique piece meets your satisfaction, if you’re using applique foundation paper, use a mini or travel iron and the hard pressing surface to heat set the edges in place.  If you’re using freezer paper, remove the paper, tidy up the edges of the fabric if you need to, and then heat set. 

•  Now it’s time to position your applique pieces to the background.  There are several different ways this can be done.  You can make a transparent overlay out of clear vinyl.  If the background fabric is light, you lay the pattern diagram over a lightbox, then lay the background fabric on top of the pattern so you can see where all the pieces should go and use this to lay your pieces out.  Or, if you’re like me, and have more than several years of applique under your quilting belt, you may opt to simply “eyeball” it and lay it out. 

• Once you’re satisfied with your applique placement, now is the time to adhere the applique pieces to the background fabric so you can stitch them.  Some appliquers will pin their pieces into place and then stitch.  I find pins allow the pieces to “wiggle” out of place too much and the thread catches around the heads of the pins – even applique pins.  Some quilters will pin their applique pieces in place and then thread baste them down, remove the pins, and then stitch.  This works well if you’ve used freezer paper and have removed it before stitching. However, I find it’s a little difficult to work a needle through the fabric and applique paper.  I glue baste my pieces in place with basting glue.  Basting glue is different from glue stick.  Basting glue will hold longer than glue stick, and since you will be handling the block quite a bit, you will need that better adhesive quality.  Basting glue will wash out, and it’s important to use just enough to hold the piece into place – don’t coat the back of the applique piece.  This will leave it feeling stiff and difficult to hand stitch.

• Once every piece is glued into place, I let my block set for 24-hours before I begin to stitch.  This allows me to be sure that the glue has had time to dry.  If there are lots of layers in the applique, I will lightly press the piece with a dry, hot iron before stitching. 

And that’s it.  That’s the way I hand applique. Earlier, when I listed all the supplies needed to use my applique technique, I mentioned that several of the items I would give more detail on a bit later.  I will do that with next week’s blog.

Until next week, Quilt with Passion!

Love and Stitches,

Sherri and Sam

If you’ve followed my blog for any length of time, then you know it’s no secret my very favorite quilt technique is applique.  In the past, I have written some fairly extensive columns on the joys of raw-edge applique by machine.  However, I haven’t discussed hand applique in a while, and I promised a few blogs ago I would explain exactly how I worked my hand applique. 

I love hand applique.  Shortly after my friend and quilt mentor, Ellen, taught me how to piece, she introduced me to applique and it was love at first stitch.  I was initially taught the needle turn method, but after a few years I branched out into the other applique types and eventually developed my own “hybrid” method that I use on most of my applique pieces.  In this first of a three-part hand applique series, I want to define the different types of hand applique so you will understand what I mean when I throw out a term like “freezer paper method,” or “interfaced applique.”  I also tend to “mix methods” – I’ll use more than one type of applique in a quilt to get the look I want, and I would like to tell you how I make those decisions.  Frankly, some methods of applique are better for obtaining sharp points and others work better for curves.  With most blocks, I like my applique layered so the block has more texture and doesn’t lie flat.  There is no rule that you must use the same technique throughout the quilt.  Trust me, if the quilt police would show up for this one, I’d still be in quilt jail. 

The very basic definition of any type of applique is this:  Appliqué is ornamental needlework in which pieces of fabric in different shapes and patterns are sewn or stuck onto a larger piece to form a picture or pattern.  This definition applies to hand or machine applique.  Since I’m only dealing with hand applique with this blog, I want to take this definition and break it down into the five general categories of that type of applique. 

1.  Needle Turn Applique

This is a technique in which you cut a shaped piece of fabric and sew it to a background piece of material. You hand stitch the design and use your needle to turn the seam allowance under the design as you sew.  This is one of the oldest (if not the oldest) method of hand applique, as it was used for hundreds of years before things like freezer paper and Mylar were invented.  This type of applique tends to have a very “soft” look to it.  For instance, while you can get sharp points on your leaves with this technique, those points are not as sharp as freezer paper or Mylar applique.  I love needle turn applique on Baltimore Album quilts, most floral quilts, Mountain Mist quilts, and Sunbonnet Sue quilts.  I think the softness and antique look it leaves on these quilts just fit the patterns.  And while this technique used to be my hands-down favorite, it no longer is.  I still love it and use it but prefer my “hybrid” method more. 

•  Freezer Paper Applique

I’m not sure what quilter looked at a roll of freezer paper and decided “Wow…this would work great in quilting!” but he or she was sheer genius.  Readily available in most grocery stores (look on the aisle that has the foil and plastic wrap), it’s relatively inexpensive.  As a matter of fact, Reynolds touts the fact that freezer paper can be used in quilting on the box their freezer paper is packaged.  This paper can be used in paper piecing (more on that in another blog) and applique.  The applique pattern is drawn out on the dull side of the paper, ironed to the wrong side of the fabric, cut out with about a ¼-inch seam allowance or less, and then a small iron and starch is used to press the seam allowance over the edge of the freezer paper pattern.  There are even 8 ½ x 11-inch sheets of freezer paper (usually available in quilt shops or on-line) for patterns that can be run through an ink jet printer. The freezer paper is removed from the applique piece either before it’s sewn down (my favorite method), or after the hand stitching is completed, a small slit is made in the back of the piece and the freezer paper is removed through this.  This ink-jet friendly freezer paper can also be used for making quilt labels.

Freezer paper applique tends to lie flatter than other applique techniques because the fabric edges surrounding the freezer paper template are constantly starched and pressed throughout the process.  This method works well for larger applique pieces that may be awkward with needle turn applique and it is less expensive than Mylar applique.  It’s really easy to make sharp points with this method, but I find it difficult to make small circles or pieces with tight curves with freezer paper.

•  Mylar Applique

Some people use the word “Mylar” generically to refer to polyester film or plastic sheet. In reality, Mylar^® brand is a registered trademark owned by Dupont Tejjin Films for a specific family of plastic sheet products made from the resin Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET). The true generic terms for this material are either polyester film or plastic sheet.  And that is probably more information about Mylar than you ever wanted to know. What is important to know about Mylar is there are two types:  Heat resistant and non-heat resistant.  You want to make sure you have the heat resistant kind for applique, unless you really enjoy cleaning a gooey mess off your iron.

Mylar applique is similar to freezer applique in one sense – the way you make your applique patch.  You trace your pattern onto the Mylar, cut the piece out of the plastic, lay the template on the wrong side of the fabric, trace around the template and cut it out with a 1/4-inch seam allowance. Then use a small iron and starch to press the seam allowance around the edge of the Mylar (see why using the heat resistant kind is super important?), remove the Mylar and then stitch the applique piece down. 

Like the freezer paper method, the applique pieces lie flat and you can get sharp points with it.  Unlike freezer paper, I find Mylar difficult to use on large pattern pieces because it slips.  It’s also expensive.  One sheet of heat-resistant Mylar can cost as much as an entire roll of freezer paper (if not more). I use Mylar for shapes that I repeatedly use, such as circles or leaves.  If you don’t want to cut your own Mylar pieces, Karen Kay Buckley has a line of pre-cut Mylar shapes for leaves, stems, ovals, and circles.  If you love applique, these are worth the investment – especially the circles.  Piecing the Past also has several sets of Mylar templates for flowers, birds, circles, etc., you may also want to look at. 

•  Back Basting Applique

When you boil this technique down, it’s simply another type of needle turn method, just as the Mylar applique is really an off shoot of freezer paper applique.  There are three   basic steps to back basting applique:  Baste, trim, applique.  The technique works like this – Start by drawing the full-sized design on the wrong side of the background fabric.  Reverse the design if it’s asymmetrical.   Place the applique fabric right side up, in position, on the right side of the background.  From the wrong side of the background fabric, baste the pattern line with small, even basting stitches.  Turn it over and look at the right side.  The motif will be outlined with the basting stitches.  Trim the applique fabric, leaving a scant ¼-inch seam allowance to be turned under.  Remove a few of the basting stitches.  You should be able to see the holes left by the basting stitches to use as a guide as you turn the seam allowance under and proceed to sew into place. 

I like this method for a couple of reasons.  In my opinion, this the most accurate applique technique available.  If I’ve chosen a particularly detailed, exacting pattern, this is the method I use.  I also like it because there are no marks made on the right side of the background fabric.  I really don’t like to make any type of marks on the right side of my applique background fabric, as no matter what you use, these marks tend to come back and haunt you.  Being able to mark your background fabric from the back is a lot safer.  However, there are a couple of possible drawbacks to this method.  First, like regular needle turn, points can be sharp, but not as sharp as those made by the freezer paper or Mylar methods.  Secondly, because you’re literally cutting “chunks” of your applique fabric to fit over the design, it does use more fabric.  However, like paper piecing, you’re trading fabric for accuracy.

•  Reverse Applique

I get a mixed bag of reactions when I throw this out at workshops and classes I teach.  It seems quilters either love it or hate it – there is no middle ground.  The broad definition of reverse applique is an applique technique in which an outline is cut from a top layer of fabric and the raw edges are turned under and stitched to expose one or more layers of fabric underneath.  This technique adds depth and dimension to your quilt.  Reverse applique probably began as a way to patch worn areas on clothes.  There are cultures that have taken this method to great heights, such the use of this method in many quilts originating from the Hawaiian culture and the Kuna Indian women from Panama. 

I like reverse applique for a couple of reasons.  First, it works really well with curved edges that may give you issues if you use one of the other traditional applique methods.  For me circles, even small ones, are easier with reverse applique, as well as other curvy shapes as hearts, since it’s actually the background fabric that’s turned under rather than the applique material. The second reason I like it is that it adds dimension to my blocks.  And while I can’t use reverse applique for every heart and circle, with a bit of pre-planning, it’s a technique I can use in some patterns. 

•  Apliquick Applique

Admittedly, I was introduced to the Apliquick method years ago during my first trip to the AQS show in Paducah.  Previously, I had seen Alex Anderson and Kathy McNeil use this method on their websites.  Cognitively, it seemed like an accurate way to applique.  I purchased the Apliquick tools, glue, scissors, and interfacing.  Back in my hotel room, I pulled them out and gave it a try.  The two knitting-needle like sticks seemed heavy and awkward in my hand.  After about 45 minutes of frustration, I gave up, put all the Apliquick tools back in my suitcase, and decided to try it again when I got home.

Six months later, they had made it no further than the box I keep my applique supplies in.  I just simply couldn’t figure out the best way for me to use the tools.  And in the great scheme of my work life, family life, and quilt life, I just never seemed to have the time to learn this method – or the inclination since needle turn, freezer paper and Mylar appeared to be working just fine for me thankyouverymuch. 

However, I noticed this method being used more and more in award-winning quilts.  The applique quilts that were taking ribbons – those that had the teeny-tiny, eye-crossingly small pieces – were using Apliquick.  Not only were those little pieces eye-catchingly detailed, they also were amazingly accurate.  Circles were smooth.  Leaves had points so sharp they could pop balloons.  Once again, I took those tools out, but still couldn’t figure out the best way to use them.

Enter my BFF, Janet.  Janet likes to applique as much as I do.  Janet had figured out how to use the tools.  “Do you have these?” she asked.

“Yeah.  Sure,” I replied.  I knew she read the doubt all over my face.

“Then why the heck aren’t you using them?”

Janet is a former middle school science teacher.  She can smell a lie or even a false euphemism a mile away. She narrowed her eyes.  “You don’t know how.”

Busted.

And because she is my BFF, she showed me how she worked this method.  Her trick was to use a piece of sandpaper to hold the fabric in place while she used the tools and glue to fold the edges of the fabric around the interfacing.  I had tried the method on my tabletop, and everything just slid all over the place. 

The Apliquick method is everything it says it is:  It’s accurate and fast.  However, it is also an investment.  The tools can cost between $29 – $40 depending on where you purchase them.  Before you spend that kind of money, may I suggest you try a couple of orange sticks (those things you can use to push back your cuticles), and a glue stick that’s water soluble.  Both of these items can be picked up from dollar or drug store.  Try the method with freezer paper before investing in any of the interfacings or Apliquick papers.  Be sure to use a sheet of fine-grit sandpaper as your work surface.  If this method works for you and you know it’s a technique you will return to time and time again, invest in the tools.  You won’t regret it.

There is one more reason I like the Apliquick method – I don’t burn my fingers.  With the Mylar or freezer paper applique, a small iron must be used to with the starch to press those seam allowances around the edges of either media used. The smaller the applique piece, the more likely you’ll burn your fingers.  With Apliquick, you’re using glue.  No burned fingers. 

Okay…so there are the six categories of applique technique as I define them.  Admittedly there may be more, but those are the six I see and hear about the most.  Couple of disclaimers here:  First, my hybrid method may not be the best method for you.  The best applique method for any quilter is the technique that works best for you and the one you look forward to using the most.  Secondly, I’m not employed by any company that produces freezer paper, Mylar, or the Apliquick Tools, nor do I receive any type of compensation from any of these manufacturers.  These are strictly my observations after over 30 years of quilting experience. 

Mull over these types of applique.  Google them.  Search for them on Pinterest.  Next week we’ll talk about how I work my applique method.

Until next week, Quilt with Passion!

Love and Stitches,

Sherri and Sam