Appliqué

Quilting Before You Appliqué

I like to do fusible web appliqué or raw edge appliqué. It’s easy and fast, but the part I don’t like about it is quilting it. I don’t like having to work my way around the appliqués on the project. If you are doing a design such as crosshatching, having to stop and restart your quilting around the appliqué pieces can be quite time-consuming.

Why not quilt the background first and then add your appliqués to it? There are times when this method would work very well – and other situations where it might not be appropriate.

If you are doing a small, simple project, you may want to consider quilting it first then adding the appliqué. One consideration of quilting first and appliquéing later is that you will have to put the quilted project into your sewing machine to finish the edges of the appliqué pieces. If you are working on a small project, this shouldn’t be a problem.

If your project has embellishments, such as hand embroidery on it, this probably isn’t the best choice. The hand embroidery really needs to be done on an unquilted surface – it just isn’t as effective if you are embroidering over a quilted area as the two techniques will compete with one another and detract from the overall effect.

 
 

This method of quilting first and appliquéing second wouldn't work if you were wanting to accent the appliqué. In this situation, you usually densely quilt around the appliqué, pushing down the background fabric which allows the appliqué to pop. Obviously, the appliqué would have to be on the quilt already so you could quilt the background around it.

If you are making a big project, this method might work if you are using a quilt-as-you-go method. You’ll be quilting a section at a time and adding the appliqués a section at a time as well, so again, you won’t have a large quilt to maneuver through the throat of your sit-down sewing machine. 

If you have a large project that is going to be all quilted first, this method probably isn’t your best choice either. Once you had quilted the sandwich, you would then have to add the appliqués and finish the edges which means working that large, quilted project through the machine throat. While this is difficult enough, you may find that the appliqués not yet stitched down may lift off as you move the quilt around.

 
 

If you want to try this method of quilting first and then adding your appliqué pieces, keep these situations in mind and choose the one that will work the best.

Click on the image below for more information on when it’s okay to quilt first and appliqué last.

Have you ever tried this technique? Leave me your thoughts in the Comments below.

Creatively,

Kim's signature small aqua.jpg
 

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Product Review: Huion L4S Light Pad

After years of tracing appliqué designs onto fusible web without the aid of a light table, I finally gave in and purchased a light pad to make it easier to do this. While I’ve been using a window, when required, this doesn’t work very well at night, so I thought that having a light pad would be a big help.

I hadn’t looked at light tables or pads for several years and was pleasantly surprised to find that there have been big improvements in this area. Previously light tables were thick and bulky and were rather pricey. In searching for a light pad, I discovered that there are now a variety of choices in different price points making it easy for you to find exactly the size you want at a price with which you can be comfortable.

 
Image courtesy of www.amazon.com

Image courtesy of www.amazon.com

 

I chose the Huion L4S light pad due to the price point and the size. While I do have to plug it into the USB port on my laptop to use it (I could’ve bought a battery option, which was quite a bit more expensive), I don’t find that this is an inconvenience.

 
Image courtesy of www.amazon.com

Image courtesy of www.amazon.com

 

Once I’ve plugged it into my laptop, I press the button to turn it on and hold my finger there until it reaches the desired brightness. The nice feature of this light pad is that the light on it is dimmable. By simply keeping my finger on the on/off button, the light on it will dim. A nice feature to have! The Huion L4S light pad is also surprisingly lightweight and thin. This makes it easy to transport and store as well.

 
Image courtesy of www.amazon.com

Image courtesy of www.amazon.com

 

I found that the light on the Huion L4S was bright enough, not only for me to trace through fusible web, but also to trace on freezer paper. I hadn’t expected that and was pleasantly surprised by this ability.

I’m happy with this purchase and look forward to putting it to use on my next fusible web appliqué project. If you are considering purchasing a light table, I can definitely recommend the Huion L4S light pad.

To see more features of the Huion L4S light pad, click on the image below to watch a video on my YouTube channel.

Creatively,

Kim's signature small aqua.jpg
 

P.S. Did you know that you can sign up to receive FREE emails full of quilting goodness? Just click here to receive FREE content directly in your email inbox every few weeks from Chatterbox Quilts. I know you'll be glad you did!

P.P.S. I am an Amazon affiliate and will receive a small amount of compensation if your purchase a product by clicking through links in this blogpost. This allows me to continue to provide you with FREE content each week. Thank you.

Product Review: Pilot Frixion Pen

Looking for the perfect pen to use on tracing appliqué or embroidery designs on fabric? Well, the truth is that there isn’t one perfect pen: there are air erasable, water erasable, chalk, etc. and each of them have their pros and cons. My favourite temporary marking pen to use is the Pilot Frixion pen. It creates an easy to see mark that can be erased later by the heat of an iron.

There is one possible problem: there are rumours that the marks might come back when exposed to cold. To see if this was true, I decided to put the Pilot Frixion pen to the test.

I could easily remove the marks made by the Frixion pen with my iron as the ink is removed with heat. Remember, these pens were originally designed to be used on paper and not for fabric (don’t use a Frixion pen to write a cheque!). While the marks came off easily using an iron, I wanted to see if they would come back when exposed to extreme cold.

After tracing a few designs onto cotton fabric, I put the sample in my freezer and left it overnight. I thought that this would probably be the coldest that my fabric might ever get – and hopefully it never gets this cold in my studio! The marks did come back on the fabric, but I could still easily remove them again with the heat of an iron.

There can be similar issues with other types of temporary fabric marking pens, so always be sure to do a test before you use a product on your fabric and find out that the marks come back and can’t be erased again.

To learn more about using Pilot Frixion pens on your fabric projects, click on the image below to watch a video on my YouTube channel.

If you haven’t tried out the Pilot Frixion pen, I would encourage you to do so. They are inexpensive and readily available in most office supply stores or you can click here to get some for your studio.

Creatively,

Kim's signature small aqua.jpg
 

P.S. Did you know that you can sign up to receive FREE emails full of quilting goodness? Just click here to receive FREE content directly in your email inbox every few weeks from Chatterbox Quilts. I know you'll be glad you did!

P.P.S. I am an Amazon affiliate and will receive a small amount of compensation if your purchase a product by clicking through links in this blogpost. This allows me to continue to provide you with FREE content each week. Thank you.

Fusible Web Appliqué Overview

Fusible web appliqué, or raw edge appliqué as some people call it, is the easiest form of appliqué, at least in my opinion. It's easy and fast and perfect for an appliqué beginner. The only thing you need to remember is that wrong is right! You are working with the wrong side of the fabric for your appliqué pieces, not the right side. Keep this in mind as you work through this technique and everything will turn out just fine.

 
Fusible Web Appliqué used to construct designs in Tweet-Heart pattern by Chatterbox Quilts

Fusible Web Appliqué used to construct designs in Tweet-Heart pattern by Chatterbox Quilts

 

You don't need many tools to do fusible web appliqué: some fusible web, a marking pen or pencil (I like to use a Sharpie Extra Fine Point Permanent Marker) and the appliqué template. You just need to trace the appliqué shape onto the fusible web, cut the shape out and then press it to the wrong (back) side of the fabric. Next you cut the shape out exactly on the drawn line, remove the paper lining and iron the appliqué shape to the background fabric. Simple, isn't it?

To give you an idea of how to do this type of appliqué, please watch the video below or on my YouTube channel.

I use fusible web appliqué in all my patterns and the sample I'm using in the video is part of the Community quilt which I made for a quilt along that I hosted.

Have you tried fusible web appliqué? Let me know your thoughts on this simple technique in the comments below.

Creatively,

Kim's signature small.jpg
 

Telecast Thursday - Colouring Appliqué

Welcome to a colourful Telecast Thursday! I've been having fun using QuiltFusion for appliqué designs, but have found another way to use this amazing program. 

Do you like to colour? or color? Many adults have taken up this children's activity again since it is so relaxing. No thinking, just playing with colours - how fun is that?! I decided to try some colouring too, but rather than searching for colouring pages, I turned to appliqué patterns.

My favourite tool to create appliqué patterns is QuiltFusion. I looked through some of the designs I had created to find one that I thought would work well as a colouring project. 

To see how I did coloured appliqué, watch the video below or on my YouTube channel.

This was so fun and quick to do and my daughter enjoyed this activity as well (she's not a quilter, but loves to colour). 

If you're looking for a relaxing activity to try this fall, why not try colouring appliqué - no fabrics necessary.

Creatively,