Needleturn Appliqué

[Renata L.]

I am using a moistened toothpick to push under the fabric as I'm working through the needleturn appliqué but just remembered something my mom had shown me last year when she was giving me the hands-on "basics" lesson and it really works well for me so I thought I'd share it: with the toothpick at the edge of the appliqué design line, I lightly twirl the moistened toothpick as I'm pushing the fabric down. The twirl motion pushes the fabric under smoothly and there is less distortion of the fabric and fewer puckers.

Also, I think Sherry alluded to wanting to look at how Liuxin Newman holds the needle after I mentioned that is what I was doing. I simply hold the needle as most of us do, between the index finger and thumb with the end of the needle gently resting against the middle finger. The important thing here for me, is to ensure I put the needle perpendicular to the fabric as it goes down into the background, then I bring it up on a slant like everyone else does.

Finally, my mom taught me to bring the needle up and pull the thread away from me, not towards me when the stitch is completed: this will make it less likely that your thread will twist.

Hope this is helpful to someone. They are small details but I'm finding that in needleturn appliqué, especially since I'm doing the half-size quilt, details can matter. Back to my needleturn!

[Judith A.]

Renata,
When you have time, could you possibly post a picture of how you hold your needle?

Judith

[Renata L.]

Judith, here's the picture. Please note that I'm just holding the needle not pushing it into the fabric. If I were pushing it into the fabric then I would make sure the needle was perpendicular to the fabric simply by moving my hand into that position but holding the needle between my thumb and index finger exactly how I am in the picture. You notice that where the middle finger is right now--not on the needle or against it but when you're actually sewing you may lean that finger against the needle so it does not move around, or you may not use it at all. Let me know if you need more pictures of specific things. Hope this helps.

[Sherry B.]

Renata, I think it was Elly Sienkiewicz who mentioned using a moistened toothpick. I learned a lot from her show too. Great picture of how you hold your needle - it looks like the same way I do it.

[Renata L.]

I hope my point wasn't lost by mentioning the moistened toothpick... my point was about twirling the toothpick, which my mom taught me and makes a huge difference in helping me get the fabric pushed under nicely.

[Rita C.]

I watched the show with Liuxin this afternoon while stitching my appliqued pieces to my big version. The size and perfection of her applique is stunning. I would love to try one of her thimbles. Renata, that is exactly what I do with the toothpick too, but didn't realize it until you mentioned it. I love doing this kind of hand work, even though it can be frustrating at time (that bloody scalloped facia on the roof for example :angry: )

[Rita C.]

Hope you haven't really got blood on your facia hmy:

[E.M. T.]

I've been using Luixin's thimble for a long long time....since Simply Quilts show !!! I love it !
I use her needles as well !! The Stainless Steel thimble is not too expensive..and her instructions
for getting the right fit are good. I have mail ordered from her...tho not in a year or so....and found
it to be good service and dollar exchange not bad. BTW, I use the thumb thimble as well.

[Lois B.]

Coming along here for the ride. Not sure I need more hand stitching in my life at this late date. But I did love doing it when I was younger. I am curious how the design of Luxin's thimble has helped you. Pictures would be great.

[Judith A.]

Renata,
Thank you so very much. I have tried needleturn a few times, but was terrible at it.
Your explanation and your picture are much appreciated. I will try them tonight or tomorrow. I will also watch the Luxian show tomorrow. Tonight I hope to finish up a watercolor portrait of my daughter, so I can clear all my watercolor stuff off the dining room table. DH barely has enough room to sit down to eat.

Idaho and MontanaGramma,
I appreciate the tips about Luxian's thimbles and Elly Sienkiewicz.
I will have to look into this toothpick thing.

Judith (from the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia - where it is going down to 12 degrees F. tonight)

[Rita C.]

Judith, did you see the videos from Piece O Cake I posted on another thread? They show how to do an invisible stitch and also how to do inner points. Here's a link just in case you didn't see them. She also uses the toothpick.
http://thequiltshow.com/forum/bom-2015-my-country-house/7316-new-group-created-for-2015-bom?start=15

[Sherry B.]

Judith, the first time I tried needle turn I didn't like it either (I felt like I would never be good at it). But there are so many different methods. I suggest trying them and see which you like. Lynette Anderson's way, using glue, might be the most precise (I've also seen liquid starch used this way), but I didn't enjoy it when I tried it. I think the way the Piece O'Cake gals do it is my favorite, but I have learned a lot from all the different shows here on TQS.

[Judith A.]

Rita and Sherry,
I will definitely check out the Piece of Cake video. I need all the help I can get! Thank you so very much!!!

Judith

[Renata L.]

Judith, I'm glad Rita just directed you to the Piece O Cake youtube video series because those helped me immensely. I also watched a TQS show with Becky Goldsmith of Piece O Cake. Other shows I watched on needleturn applique' were Liuxin Newman and Verna Mosquera (show 806), I'm going to turn to watch Elly Senkiewicz (sp. ?) now that Sherry mentioned it.

After I watched the shows, I probably made about six or seven little samples of the bird, stars and windows using different techniques. I concluded that this is how I like to work best:
(1) for items with a lot of square corners, like the door and windows, I like the fusible applique' paper approach. However, I did not like the glue so I used small drops of Roxanne's liquid basting glue further away from where the needle goes in to do the applique' work, i.e., I put the glue closer to the edge so my needle did not have to go through the glue.
(2) for items that had a lot of curves, outer and inner points, like the bird and stars, I prefer no applique paper, rather drawing the line on the front of the fabric and pushing it under with the toothpick as I go along, very similar to what Becky Goldsmith of Piece O Cake does.

Cheers from Fairfax, VA, where the temperature will hit 13F tonight and then we'll be enjoying 40F tomorrow morning. :huh:

[Judith A.]

Renata,
It never occurred to me that different methods might work best in different needleturn shapes/applications. Makes good sense. Light bulb moment!
I really appreciate all the tips and the recommendations about which shows and videos to watch.
I think I will print out the tips in this topic to make sure I don't miss anything.

Sherry,
Thank you for the encouragement and the good advice to try them all.

Thank you,
Judith