Stick With It . . .

Here we are, after a little break to stretch our fingers, back to the applique tutorial. At this point, all of our pieces are prepared--the fabric is ironed onto the freezer paper and the raw fabric edges have been ironed under and are stiffened with starch. Time to talk a little bit about the other important part of the applique block: the background.

Some designers like to keep their backgrounds simple and some designers like to design pieced backgrounds. For instance, Anne Sutton of Bunny Hill often designs pieced backgrounds, while the Shabby Fabrics/Country Cottages blocks I've shown you are all of one piece.

For backgrounds that are all of one piece, I like to cut them a little larger than the pattern specifies and trim them to size after I've added the applique. Why? Because the process of stitching the applique to the background, often in layers, tends to shrink and slightly distort the background fabric a bit, so by cutting it larger than needed, I have an opportunity at the end to trim the block to the right size.

With pieced backgrounds, there aren't any good options--we simply need to piece the background as directed by the designer. On the positive side, pieced backgrounds often lend more interest to the finished quilt. On the negative side, after it's appliqued, the block may not be exactly the correct size, so we need to take a little extra care in adding the applique to ensure the background isn't distorted.

Another question we must consider is whether to trace the applique design onto the background. Designers usually include a layout page showing where each piece belongs on the background, and using a light box, the layout can be traced onto the background. Alternatively, we can simply eyeball the position of the pieces when we "audition" the layout on the background. Normally I make the second choice and lay out the applique pieces where it looks like they go. Why? Because it often seems that when I trace the pattern onto the background, the pieces don't line up just perfectly and my choices to correct the problem are somewhat limited. I have, in the past, ended up completely re-doing applique pieces so they will fit better, and that feels like wasted time to me!

Now that we have backgrounds figured out, let's get back to the next part--the glue part. Here's what I use--a water soluble applique glue and wooden toothpicks to apply the glue. That's it.

Using the water soluble glue means that I can wash the glue out if I make a mistake. It should also wash out of the finished product later. I like that.

Before I start, I like to lay out all the applique pieces in the position they'll go in--just like I laid out the freezer paper pieces before. Once I've made sure I have all the pieces, they all fit together, and the fabrics are correct, I'm ready to begin. First, we need to remove the freezer paper. I do that piece by piece, just as I'm ready to use it.

The starch should hold the edges under, but they can be touched up with the iron before gluing if the seams aren't flat.

Next, lay a few pieces in place--and remember to check back to the pattern to see if the pieces are numbered because you'll want to start by positioning piece number 1, followed by piece number 2, then piece number 3, etc.

When you know where the piece will go, apply a slight bit of glue along the seam allowance. Don't apply the glue too close to the folded edge, though, because you'll need to applique the edge, and pushing a needle through dried glue isn't easy. And be sparing with the glue--you just need enough to hold the pieces into place for sewing--think about how pins will secure something without pinning every little bit, right?

You might want to glue a couple pieces in place and then applique those pieces before moving on. Or you might want to glue ALL the pieces in place before sewing them down. Much of the time, I glue first and then sew. Here's a photo of an Autumn House block with all the pieces glued into place and ready for stitching:

And that pretty much concludes all of the prep work for the freezer paper and starch method of applique. Would you like me to do a post or two about hand applique, techniques, and tips? I'm not an expert, but I've taken some classes and might know a thing or two I can share. Let me know if you'd like to hear more.

Keep Going . . .

Continuing on with the applique tutorial . . . . Note that some of the photos are of Imelda demonstrating while I snap the pictures and some are of me demonstrating while the Wild Child does the honors.

Once the freezer paper templates have been traced and cut, you'll need to iron them onto the back of the fabric you want to use. In order to try to minimize frayed threads, I try to position the templates so the "valleys" (the inward points) and curves are on the bias of the fabric as much as possible because the bias edges fray less and stretch more.

In the above photo, Imelda is using her iron--this is one she uses for applique. In a minute, I'll show you the supplies you'll need, and you'll see my iron, which is a little different. Either style is fine.

For this first step, you can use a regular iron. On a regular cotton setting, iron the shiny side of the freezer paper template to the wrong side of the fabric--it magically sticks! Freezer paper templates can be used over and over several times.

Next, trim the fabric, leaving about a 1/8" to 1/4" seam allowance--this is the "extra" fabric that extends past the freezer paper template.

Now for the specialized supplies you'll need for starching and turning the fabric:

Most important, maybe, is a pressing surface. My friends and I like these little portable "book-style" combination pressing surface and cutting mats. Sure, you can use a regular ironing board, but these take up only a little space and can be used anywhere. And there's my iron--long and thin and different appearing than the one Imelda used in the photo above. And that pointy metal thing in the plastic container just under the iron? That's pretty important too! It's called a Trolley Needle, and you can see Imelda wearing one in the photo where she's demonstrating her iron. It's a handy tool that allows us to turn fabric and work with the iron without burning ourselves. Finally, you'll need starch--either spray starch or a liquid pressing starch, but not a concentrate--just the strength you'd spray on clothing. The starch is kept in a small, airtight container. I like to apply the starch with a paintbrush, but Imelda has this handy "pen" applicator--

It's called a fabric folding pen. Why? I'm not sure. And it's made for something else, but it will hold liquid starch and the tip applies it evenly.

Back to the applique. You'll want to clip into the "valleys" and inside curves. Some people like to clip the outside curves--the ones that will pleat or overlap a bit. I don't bother with that but it's a personal preference.

Here's Imelda trimming her pumpkin piece as I've described above.

Next she uses the starch pen to apply starch to the seam allowance close to the edge of the freezer paper template, but trying not to get the paper too wet, and working only a couple inches at a time. It's easiest to fold and press fabric that's damp from the starch, but if it dries, it will still work, or you can apply a little more starch.

Now, using the iron and the trolley, she manipulates the damp fabric over the edge of the freezer paper template and irons the seam allowance into place as she goes. Because the fabric is starched, it will stay in place.

(I told Imelda we'd have to do the photos over because her rather large diamond reflected the flash and whited out the shots. She believed me for a second.)

The first few times you try to fold over the fabric and iron at the same time, it will seem very awkward, especially wearing a long stiletto on your finger. But you'll "get" the technique fairly quickly. Another thing to watch for: Because the freezer paper gets damp too, sometimes it will fold with the fabric. If you find this has happened, just press the fabric back out, press the fold out of the paper, and begin folding and ironing again.

And here's Imelda's pumpkin! Want to see what happens next? Come back tomorrow!

Oh, and one final word of warning: When you're wearing a Trolley Needle, try not to forget you have it on and rub your eyes. NOT a good thing!

Let's Begin

I thought that tonight I'd start the applique tutorial I've been promising you. The method I'll demonstrate is the one I prefer, but there are many, many methods and variations of hand applique--none are wrong and none are exclusively "right"; it's just a matter of trying methods and finding the one you enjoy the most. This method is usually referred to as the freezer paper and starch method.

An applique pattern will look something like this:

The main supply you'll need for the first part of this method is freezer paper. Note that freezer paper has a dull, paper-textured side and a shiny, somewhat waxy side. You'll also need a pencil or pen--I prefer pencil because I don't want to worry about ink transferring onto the fabric. You might like to use a light box, but most of the time, I don't find I need one for this part of transferring the pattern onto paper. An acrylic ruler comes in handy too.

Each pattern designer has his/her own way of writing patterns, and the patterns should come with instructions. Bunny Hill patterns--and this is one I'm using to demonstrate--are very helpful in numbering the pieces. The pieces are numbered in the order they'll be placed onto the background. The pieces are usually drawn with a solid line, but dotted lines signify that portion of the applique piece will be underneath another, and the edges of the piece don't need to be turned under.

If you look at the first picture above, you'll see the two pumpkins. Piece 7--a stem--is placed first, and piece 8, a pumpkin, is laid on top. See the dotted lines showing what part will be under another part? Same thing for piece 9, another stem, and piece 10, a second pumpkin. And if you look again at the dotted lines, you'll see that pumpkin 10 overlaps pumpkin 8, right?

The first step is to place freezer paper over the pattern, with the dull, paper-textured side up. Trace all parts of the pattern that would look the same going in either direction. For instance, the pumpkins aren't facing in any particular direction. If the pumpkins were turned over and the right sides became the left sides, they would look pretty much the same. All of the pieces I traced below are pieces that don't have a particular direction.

If part of the applique piece will be placed under another piece and the edge doesn't need to be turned under, you may want to make some type of mark on the freezer paper template that will alert you that particular edge doesn't need to be "finished." I normally finish most of the edges whether they need to be or not, so I don't bother marking my paper pattern. I know I'll remember not to turn under the major ones--like the top of the birdhouse where it lies under the roof. You may also want to mark the pieces with the number so you remember which pieces to lay down first. Marking details such as these are a matter of personal preference. See what works best for you.

When I want to trace a piece with straight lines, I use an acrylic ruler to help keep the lines straight. Usually the pattern can be seen through the freezer paper, but if not, placing a light box under the pattern will help in accurately tracing it. Here I could see the pattern lines, so I didn't use a light box. (A window during daylight hours can serve the same purpose as a light box.)

For pieces that DO face a particular direction, in order for them to turn out facing the same way as the pattern, we need to trace them onto the shiny side of the freezer paper. I know it's harder to see, but I've traced a bird on the shiny side of the paper, and the pencil is just visible enough for our purpose--cutting out the shape. (Sometimes pattern designers will provide a mirror image of a directional piece so it can be simply traced onto the dull side of the freezer paper--check the instructions to find out if the pattern has already been reversed for you.)

Once all the applique pieces are transferred onto freezer paper, cut the shapes on the drawn lines. Usually I like to lay them all out at this point, just to make sure I haven't forgotten any of the pieces.

To test to make sure the pieces are all facing in the correct direction, lay them out with the shiny side of the paper facing up. Does the layout look like the pattern? Then so far, so good! If any of the pieces are facing the wrong direction, redraw them onto the other side of the freezer paper and recheck the layout.

In the next step, we'll move from working with the freezer paper to the doing the starch part of the process, and the block will begin to look like this:

See you back here tomorrow!