Month 1, Part 2–The Applique Blocks

[Linda V.]

sandytn - Good to know! I did do a little soak, whereupon my lovely red applique bled, so, the block got a much longer soapy soak - no more bleeding, yay! but definitely still stiff. I've decided to embrace the stiffness and be ok with it! The stiffness does make the hand stitching more challenging, so I might try freezer paper applique for month 2 to see if it's any faster etc.

Linda

[Sandy F.]

Ivanderb - I haven't hand stitched the one I prepared last night with Apliquick and Glue and I'm concerned that the glue will make the fabric edge stiff and hard to hand stitch. That's why I only prepared 1 with glue to see how I like stitching it. My first attempt with Appliquick tools my glue stick was dried up, so yesterday (in pouring rain) I stopped at CVS to get a new glue stick. They did not have any. I then went to Big Lots, the did not have any. Went to Walgreens and got a glue stick. Got home and Amazon had delivered glue stick I ordered day before. I am going to try the freezer paper on one of the designs that have the same pattern used multiple times.

[Judith A.]

Sandy,
I admire your determination!

Judy

[Judith A.]

I am struggling.
I prewashed my fabrics with Synthrapol and made sure they would not run. So I got off to a slower start.
For my first block, I tried the Appliquick with glue stick and had problems with thick globs of glue at the points, which frayed badly in trying to get them turned exactly on the lines at the points. It dried with hard lumpy points.
I put that block aside and started over and tried back-basting applique on the second block. This is not going well. I like the back-basting technique, but I think these mirror-image papercut appliques with sharp points and narrow curves are not the best for beginning back-basting. You have to get everything right on the lines for it to look right. I think it would be better to learn back-basting with more natural shaped applique... like flowers.

So now I have to decide between two options:
(1) Keep going and accept "not perfect" blocks, hoping that by the time I am finished with the 39 applique blocks in this quilt, I should be a lot better at back-basting applique. This will take longer.
(2) Start over, choosing an applique method I am already experianced with. This will be quicker.

Judy

[Barbara B.]

Judy, use a very light touch with glue, not big amounts, tiny bits.

Only you can decide how perfect your blocks have to be to make you happy. Each method has advantages and disadvantages. I think it is good to try a variety of methods to learn your favorite. And some designs are better with one method over another. The symmetrical paper-cut style blocks are more fiddly then the blocks with larger shapes/pieces.

Try to enjoy the learning curve, you'll get there.

[Helen W.]

Judy, Sorry to hear you are struggling. Take the time to find sources that have you tubes on the parts of the process that you are struggling with. What type of
glue stick are you using? I use both Elmers school washable sticks and Fons and Porter glue sticks. The Elmers is a lot cheaper and I use on areas that are not
sharp curves or points. For the fiddly stuff I use the Fons and Porter because of small size is easier to control. Are you putting the glue on the fabric seam , on the stabilizer
or both? I usually just put it on the seam allowance. I learned a lot from Kathy McNeil about gluing. You might google her name and you tubes to watch how she does
it. Another person's you tubes to watch is Pearl Pierera from 3P Designs. She does the turned edge with starch but the process is much like glue. She is just
using a paint brush to put starch on the seams where we are putting the glue. As you get better and become happy with a process that works for you,
you might even decide to redo a few of the first ones. You can always swap them out later if in the end you think they detract from the final quilt. Keep us posted
on your progress. HelenW

[Helen W.]

Judy, One more idea for you to try on your applique. I ran across a you tube (2 min. long) for front basting by machine. If you type Liza Prior Lucy Fall 2010 Quilt Market and
the words you tube you will get it. She draws the sewing line. Cuts the applique shape out 1/4 inch bigger, then large stitch bastes by machine on the line.
She does needle turn by hand just pulling out a few basting stitches ahead of her needle. She says it gives the fabric a memory where the machine stitched and makes
it easy to do good needleturn. I have not tried it, but it sounds easier than back basting. HelenW

[Barbara B.]

Wow, Helen, what a great little video! I am going to try this on my next appliqué block—thank you!

[Jeanette C.]

I decided to use my batik collection for my blocks and was going to use invisible thread machine applique but have changed my mind. For the first block I did the flower head over a foundation and appliqued it down as one unit. Now I am using the freezer paper (doubled) and starch method. I can cope with the outer points but it I the inner curves that are proving tricky.

[Judith A.]

Barbara and Helen,
Thank you for your advice about the amount of glue to use. I can see that this is a major part of my problem. In my struggle to get some of the small sides turned under with gluestick and the Appliquick rods, I would get them down a little off the line (which looked bad with these formal mirror-shaped appliques. By then, the glue would start to dry and harden, and I would put more gluestick on, which just made it thicker and lumpier. Not good!
Part of my problem is that after removing some of the back-basting stitches and fussing with those little fiddly shapes, I could not tell where the turn/seam line was anymore. So basically I was ending up eyeballing where the turn/seam line was supposed to be, which didn't work very well with this type of applique.
I am using dark applique fabric. So yesterday after my quilt guild meeting, I took a few scraps of my fabric to my local quilt shop and bought some new markers to try on it. I bought a Clover white marking pen and tried it out at the store. It didn't work well at all.
The clerk let me try the white and yellow frixion pens at the store. Neither the clerk nor I could see the marked lines on the dark fabric, so that didn't work either. I also bought some white chalk markers, because I watched Becky Goldsmith's method in her TQS show, of using chalk around a template.
I went to Pearl Peirera's 3P website and watched how she does it, and learned a whole lot.
I also found a great little YouTube video of Suzanne Marshall showing Ricky Tims how to needleturn a sharp point. I found it on YouTube, but could not find the show on TQS. Looked like a good one.
This morning I found the Liza Lucy Prior front-basting video, where she machine bastes on the front by machine. That looks logical and promising.
So thank you, Barbara and Helen, for all your help! I am going to keep on trying. Can't help it. I have to master this. I don't care how long it takes.
Judy

[Barbara B.]

Suzanne Marshall is show #203.

[Pamela N.]

Suzanne Marshall's show is great and well worth watching. Suzanne is one of my favourite applique artists, her work is so wonderfully creative. More so, she is so wonderfully unassuming given her immense talent.

[Helen W.]

Pemela and Barbara, Just watched the Suzanne Marshall show again. I was never interested in needleturn applique in the past, but since
we have been chatting about in on this project, I am planning on giving it a try. It was a great show, and I immediately recognized her quilts even
though I don't remember watching the show but I think I have watched all the shows. HelenW