Monday, July 23, 2012

Trying something new...

I have a quilt in mind that I would like to make.  Sure, there are several other quilts that I should be finishing for the FAL or even cutting as I have the pattern and fabric purchased.  Oh, no.  This is one of those quilts that has just occupied my brain for the past week and I need to get stuck in.

In all honestly, this quilt has been bouncing around in my head for well over a year.  Two maybe?  It's just recently, though, that that voice in my head went from a rumbling "that would be nice" to "how will I go about this?".

This quilt will be all appliqué.  I nearly just heard you all shout WHAT!?!?  Yes, appliqué.  As you know, I wasn't exactly blown away with appliqué when making Cúchulainn, but that was mostly because of the mind numbing satin stitch  Here I want use a raw edge appliqué.  Problem is, I've never done that before.

So, I made a little mug rug mock up of a portion of the quilt...


It's Galway so we always have a little rain out there.  We have a little airport too, so you couldn't leave that out....


And a little bird, a snail and happy trees.  


All in all it went reasonably well for a first try.  I really need to practice, but I think I can get there.  The things that are really bothering me about the mug rug are things that will disappear as the idea is scaled up.

Here's where I need your help.  Could you guys tell me: 

1. When you do raw edge appliqué, do you use a fusible or interfacing?  I mean, do you use a double sided Steam a Seam and just weld it all together or do you use the single sided interfacing type fusible that you might use to stiffen a purse?  I like the softer flexibility of the interfacing in a final project, but the Steam a Seam would be great to hold everything in one place. Do you hold the interfaced piece down with glue?

2. How do you stitch down each piece?  I went with FMQ using invisible thread.  I'll use a matching cotton in the final quilt, but for simplicity here I went invisible.  Anyway, I used a FMQ through the center of each object to echo quilt the edges.  Now, I know folks use a stitch like numbers 35-39 below.  What do you use?  


Thank you all so much for your help.  If there are any good tutes out there, please do point me in the right direction.  I can use all the help (and practice) I can get :)



21 comments:

Canadian Abroad said...

I'm no expert but the little raw edge I have done I have used bondaweb and then fmq'd with a straight stitch round the edge of whatever was being appliqued. The only stitching I did within the appliqué was if it was to enhance the look - ie. wings on a bird, wood effect on a fence post, etc.

And that is the limited extent of my knowledge.

memmens said...

Like Susan I use bondaweb for all mine and depending on the effect I want depends on my stitch, if I want/don't mind fraying I just use a staright stitch, otherwise I go for satin stitch. Looks like a fun project!

Anne said...

I haven't done much applique but, when I do, I just use iron-on interfacing on the pieces and I've used the 505 spray glue to hold on the pieces rather than pins. I did use Bondaweb on a Christmas hanger many years ago and that Santa is as hard as a brick - not a good feel for a quilt, I would have thought.

As for stitches I would just use a straight stitch. On the odd occasion when I tried some of those fancier stitches, it tended to get a bit awkward on the wee bits and turning corners can look strange in a fancy stitch.

I love the look of the mugrug. Good luck with the quilt! :o)

Dolores said...

I don't bother interfacing little pieces and I use a glue stick since it's much faster. I do have a double sided steam a seam type product which I have used a couple of times since my glue stick ran out. I also just sew a straight FM stitch close to the edge and go around a few times since I like the sketchy look of that. The two blogs that got me started on raw edge applique & embroidery are Aneela's blog & Stolen Moments. Your mini looks really sweet!

Tomomi McElwee said...

Lovely applique piece you made.
For applique I prefer needle turn but that is too much work isn't it.
You have to use some kind of interface to stop fraying. I use bondaweb because it is easily available. And free-motion stitch on the edge because you can do whatever you want. Good luck with further project!

pippablue said...

Hey Cindy, you should chat to Ger as she does this all the time with the baby blankets. She uses bondaweb, but will also sometimes use a very soft interface. Just a thought as she really is brilliant doing machine applique!

Sarah @ FairyFace Designs said...

I used Bondaweb for applique, pretty much the whole time, to stop too much fraying. And I either zig zag around the edges, or I do free motion stitching around the edges sometimes in a contrasting thread.

I LOVE this, its fab :-)

Kati from Kati's Quilting said...

Really cute mug rug, I love the idea to represent your town :) Unfortunately I haven't done much applique, yet raw edge so can't give advice on the topic :( I can wish you good luck though :)) Looking forward to future posts to see your progress in the quilt!

Lynne said...

Cute mini-quilt. Do I get the feeling someone wants to fly away from rainy Galway? ;-)

Sarah said...

cute :-) I've used the bondaweb stuff (thats the stuff where you stick it to the fabric, draw on it, cut it, peel the paper off and stick it, right? there's so many I get awffy confused) Worked well. I tried applique spray, which I thought worked fantastic, but it doesnt help with cutting and your cut bits once sprayed end up pretty stiff so not brilliant for a soft quilt.

Mrs Flying Blind... said...

Bondaweb if it's big, a little snip of the stuff for hemming is small.
As for the stitch - free-motion 'rustic' running stitch!
The mini looks great x

Lynette said...

What a great idea to mock it up in a mug rug. I have a morphous idea that's been trying to come out, but I'm having trouble really gelling it, and this might help me. I love how some of your trees have smooth-cut edges and others are pinked-cut. Lovely effect!

Leanne said...

It is very cute, I am going to watch as you go. I am new to applique so am interested in what others say too.

Sooli said...

I use fusible web and I usually do satin stitch but I have seen some great raw edge applique using free motion straight stitch but instead of going around the piece carefully once, they went around each piece 2 or 3 times in a more random style.

Katy Cameron said...

I use Bondaweb, but if you want it to be soft, maybe look into the interfacings that dissolve in water, then it'll be stable while you sew, and disappear in the wash afterwards. I've used both zig zag and regular stitches for mine, depending on the look I'm after :o)

Rachel said...

I use Steam-a-Seam Lite, which seems to give a softer finish than bondaweb.

Sophie Belle Designs said...

Mug rug idea is fantastic, and it looks super cute too. I appliqué quite a bit and I use different methods for different results. I use satin stitch as well as straight stitch in a FMQ style. As for securing it to the fabric, that depends. If it's a small piece then there's no need as the stitching itself secures it. If it's a larger piece then I use the double sided bond where you iron it on, peel the paper off and then iron it into place. I use 3 different strengths of interfacing depending on the 'feel' I'm trying to achieve. I came across a super lightweight one by mistake and it's great for something that you don't want to be too stiff. I also use none in a project where the frayed look is required. :)

Beezus said...

Steam a seam all the way baby. And I use either a plain straight stitch or a really tight zigzag, depending on the object. With this little mugrug, I wanted the outline of the black thread (like thread painting, really) around the bird and in the feathers. But the J needed to be down for good, so it got the tight zigzag in matching thread. http://www.flickr.com/photos/25602112@N07/6071286123/in/set-72157627070153912

Cheers!

Two Wednesdays said...

I've only done a little - and have used both bondaweb and steam-a-seam lite 2. I've used free motion straight stitch around it several times - referring to Poppy Treffry's book and also Kellie Wulfsohn's blog (Don't Look Now! i think it's called). The mug rug looks great.

Teje Karjalainen said...

Hi Cindy! This is so beautiful and fun! Thank you for sharing your photos from the quilt show - fantastic quilts! x Teje

Nancy J said...

Hi, I use steam-a -seam, then on my Bernina QE, the stitch #23, that goes on an angle, invisible grey thread top and bottom, with the lower one threaded through the hole in the bobbin holder, giving a slightly tighter tension. Hope all the ideas will help, from previous comments to you, I now have some help too. Cheers, Jean.

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