Quilting has taken a sharp right turn away from utility and serviceability – as in bed quilts. And has stepped across the threshold of art and self-expression. Many fabric artists have discovered that life is too short to labor over handwork on one quilt for a year (or years) when there are ways to make them less labor intensive, less time consuming and just as beautiful.
Over the years hand piecing has given way to machine; machine quilting has become its own art form, not to mention thread painting, and both share the stage with hand quilting. Appliqué has moved from labor intensive hand work to a quick flick of the iron and the pieces are fused together.
Using popular products such asStitch Witchery, Vilene Bondaweb also known as Wunder Under, environmentally friendly MistyFuse, or Steam-a-Seam, fabric artists adhere one fabric onto another saving hours, days, even weeks, of labor. Of all of the products, MistyFuse alters the flexibility and texture of the fabric the least. All come with easy to follow step-by-step instructions.
A more temporary alternative to these permanent adhesives are temporary fixes that will adhere a piece until it can be stitched in place. Some choices are a simple glue stick, fabric glue, or spray adhesive.
Finding Applique Patterns
As with any form of appliqué, the patterns can be found anywhere and can be as simple or complex as you choose. A child’s coloring book can be an inexpensive and fun source of adorable appliqués. Or trace around cookie cutters, alphabets, numbers, or basic geometric shapes such as circles, triangles, squares, etc. Simple shapes make interesting appliqué – the heart being very popular. With the new fusible products, it is easy to embellish clothing, home décor, wall hangings and quilts, or any textiles, with appliqué.
To Stitch or Not to Stitch
If the garment or project will be washed repeatedly, then by all means, stitch around the edges. Most artists prefer to stitch edges of a fused piece, just in case the adhesive fails or didn’t bond properly. In commercial fabrics, some of the sizing and finishes may cause the adhesive to deteriorate or not get a firm hold of the fabric fibers. Hand dyed fabrics often adhere better because they are free of these finish chemicals and sizing. But fabrics should be prewashed.
A buttonhole stitch, by hand or machine, zigzag stitch or one of the many decorative stitches found on most electronic machines work well as an edge finish. The stitches can be made with whatever thread you choose, usually one that matches the fabric. Or for machine sewing, perhaps an invisible or monofilament thread on top and a fabric matched thread in the bobbin. Many sewing machines balk when using invisible thread on the top and in the bobbin. Invisible thread hides a host of imperfections, too.
One tip, when threading the needle with the monofilament or invisible thread, you might want to take a felt tip marker and color the end of the thread – it truly is invisible. This aids needle threading immeasurably.
Tip to Trimming Bulk
Often the adhesive makes the fabric more firm and a bit inflexible. To cut down on that, or if you are layering one appliqué atop another as in a flower pattern and want to eliminate bulk, only use the adhesive product around the edges. If you are fusing a heart onto a background square, only adhere a strip around the outer portion of the heart and cut the center of the adhesive away before pressing it to the fabric. This also is helpful if you plan to add embellishments to the appliqué such as embroidery or beadwork.
Easy Project
Experiment with various shapes and designs; it is a quick-to-learn form of appliqué. A fun beginning project features the Amish tulip pattern and EZ Quilts offers the pattern and step-by-step instructions.
For more quilting techniques and tips. Check out: Begin Making Tessellating Quilts, Carol Soderlund Teaches Color Mixing for Dyers, Inchie Quilts.
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