How to do a trapunto type applique

[Betty J.]

I am wanting to make ice cream cones appliqued onto a quilt, but I want the ice cream to be puffy, or dimensional using batting underneath. But if I do that I can't fuse down the ice cream piece. Any suggestions on how to do this? Would I do it by basting down the ice cream with the batting underneath it on the quilt top then trimming and satin stitching around?? Any other suggestions?

[Sue R.]

Laura,

In the class I took with Sharon Schamber, we had a lofty batting under the quilt top--we used wool--and then quilted the shape we wanted the trapunto section to be using thread in the top and water soluble thread in the bottom. Then we quilted around the shape a 2nd time. The batting was then trimmed. Once the backing and another quilt batting are layered together, the trapunto section will really stand out. When you wash the whole quilt, the water soluble thread disappears and all you have to do is remove the upper thread from your 1st line of quilting.

I just did a quick look to see if there were any videos of Sharon doing this, but didn't see any now. She does periodically post different videos to her free section on her website.

Did Patsy Thompson use a similar method in one of her videos here ?

[Sue R.]

Yes, she did, but this method works for something directly on the quilt top. I want to do a small applique piece on the top that will be satin stitched down. I suppose you could do it almost the same way if you put the batting under the applique piece, basted around it, then trimmed the batting really close to the applique edge and satin stitched it down.

[Sue R.]

How about trying "texture magic". It would make the cones look like sugar cones and you could then satin stitch around them. For the ice cream part you could put a piece of batting under it, use a glue stick to make the batting adhere to the fabric and then do needle turn to attach it. Once it is in place you could satin stitch around it.

[Sue R.]

Here's something that might work. I think I saw Eleanor Burns do this on her show. It probably works best on less-detailed applique pieces...

Trace your applique shape onto a piece of light-weight fusible interfacing (the kind with little dots of fusible on one side). Lay down your piece of fabric right side up. Layer the piece of fusible on top with the "dots" facing down. Stitch along the traced line of your shape all the way around the piece. Trim around your stitching leaving about 1/4" or less seam allowance and clip rounded edges where needed. Cut a slit in the fusible and turn the piece right side out. Cut out a piece of batting in the shape of your applique piece and slip it into the slit in the back. Then you can fuse down the piece and stitch around it. Good luck!

[Sue R.]

My fish on the 'After Daniel Merriam' quilt is very poofed out. I did him by appliqueing him on with batting between him and the top of the quilt. I still wasn't happy after I had done all the stitching so I made the tinniest of holes in the back and used thin tweezers to place toy stuffing in the right places then carefully stitched the hole closed. Hope that's some help.

[Margo C.]

Use Ricky's STABLE STUFF! Draw the shape on Stable Stuff. Stitch just inside the outline to attach the trapunto batting to the Stable Stuff then trim the excess close to the drawn line which gives you a kind of trapunto pillow. Cut the appliqué fabric about 1/4" larger than the pillow and use Elmer's Washable School Glue stick to glue the seam allowance to the back of the Stable Stuff. You have a complete appliqué shape ready to stitch down.

[Margo C.]

Thanks everyone, what great ideas! But the baby quilt is on the back burner as DD and I went shopping, she needs maternity tops and she and DGD need winter coats. No quilting for me for a few weeks but I'm definitely going to try these ideas out.

[Betty J.]

Use Ricky's STABLE STUFF! Draw the shape on Stable Stuff. Stitch just inside the outline to attach the trapunto batting to the Stable Stuff then trim the excess close to the drawn line which gives you a kind of trapunto pillow. Cut the appliqué fabric about 1/4" larger than the pillow and use Elmer's Washable School Glue stick to glue the seam allowance to the back of the Stable Stuff. You have a complete appliqué shape ready to stitch down.

Margo, this is exactly what I needed to figure out for the sails on a clipper ship I am making. Thank you!!!

[Rita C.]

This lady's technique is also interesting and might be of use. And she is a TQS member from Romania.

http://cadouri-din-inima.blogspot.ro...to-quilts.html

[Rita C.]

I did a semi trapunto applique thing recently. I cut the shape from my fabric, then cut the batting just a smidge smaller (not even a full 1/4" smaller), used Elmer's Glue Stick to stick the fabric to the batting, then to stick the batting to the top (where I was appliqueing it), stitched it on with a regular straight stitch, and then went around it with a tight zig zag (like a satin stitch, but my machine doesn't have that, so I do a super tight zig zag instead). You could adapt this to Margo's way of wrapping the fabric around/tucked under the batting as well.

I used a batting with I think it is called scrim on one side so it was more firm/sturdy than regular normal batting.