How
do I make one of these quilts?
What is Piecing by Appliqué?
How should appliqués be stitched?
Who invented this method?
What is the Squares on Fusible Interfacing method for watercolor quilts?
How Many Panels Do
I Need?
Click here to see a handy
reference chart listing number of panels required for each pattern and size.
The Panel Guide will open in a new browser window. It is an Adobe Acrobat .pdf
file which means you need to have the Acrobat Reader installed to see it. 99%
of computers have the Acrobat Reader, but if yours doesn't, visit Adobe.com/acrobat
to download it. (It is free.)
How do I make one of these quilts?
Click
on a photo for an overview of that method.
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Watercolor: An
Easy Approach
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Double Wedding Ring
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Drunkard's
Path
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Eight Point
Star
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Mary's Flower
Garden
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Medley
Opus I
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Rob Pete
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Snowball
(Qtr Circles)
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Kapa Hawaii
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Lone Star
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What
is Piecing by Appliqué?
Piecing by appliqué is a term we use for techniques which solve problems by
replacing piecing with a streamlined appliqué method.Illustrated below is one
traditional technique for curved piecing. Effort and patience are required
to get a finished piece that lies flat, has no puckers, and has a nicely shaped
smooth curve.
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Cut shapes
using
templates
or patterns
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Turn edges
under.
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Hand stitch
them together
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What
if we were to use a facing piece to turn the edge under for us? And
what if the pattern was printed on the facing, wouldn't that eliminate the need
for templates? What if we could hold the pieces together with a simple machine
stitch? And what if the two pieces could be held in position by ironing?
Ahah! Now we'd be piecing by appliqué!
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1. Cut
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2. Stitch |
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| 3. Trim & turn |
4. Fuse |
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| 5. Zigzag |
6. Trim
excess background (optional)
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How
should appliqués be stitched?
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Appliqué. Don't
let this word scare you, it is French for applied. In sewing it
means to stitch the piece to the background or, used as a noun, it means
the piece itself.
For Quiltsmart's
pieced-by-appliqué methods, we recommend a simple zigzag stitch with invisible
top thread. This technique is fast, forgiving, and gives a pieced look
to the quilt.
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- Use
100% cotton thread in your bobbin and invisible thread (Nylon monofilament)
in the top thread. If you can find it, Bobbinfill thread is good for this
step for two reasons. First, the weight matches that of the monofilament thread.
Secondly, the fiber content matches. I find that I get a better looking stitch.
- You
may need to loosen the top tension a bit to prevent bobbin thread from being
pulled up through the fabric.
- Stitch
so most of the zigzag stitch is on the appliqué (used as a noun) and only
piercing the background fabric.
- Practice
the stitch on a layer of two fabrics with a scrap of interfacing between to
simulate your appliqué.
- The
narrower the zigzag, the more invisible the stitch. Stitch length should be
about 10 stitches to the inch. Try to achieve a zigzag about 1/8th inch
wide in the beginning, and as you practice you will be able to get it much
narrower, even to the point that it is barely a zigzag.
- No zigzag?
No problem. You can use a straight stitch as close to the edge of the appliqué
as you can sew consistently and without "falling off." Match the thread to
the color of the appliqué piece and use a stitch length of 12-15 stitches
per inch.
There are
several other ways to appliqué. The ones most commonly known tend to be the scariest
to the beginner quilter. These are not generally recommended:
- Invisible
stitch by hand A technique of inserting and pulling the needle through the
cloth so that no thread shows from the top. This give a hand crafted look
to your quilt … but be prepared to invest a lot of time.
- Blind
stitch hem A few straight stitches followed by one zigzag. The problem here
is that you won't wrap the edge of the appliqué well enough to keep the pieces
down.
- Satin
stitch zigzag stitches very close together forming a solid satiny looking
row of thread. Satin stitches require a good deal of practice and patience.
Who
invented this method?
We don't
really know, but here's how it evolved. Another technique, often called
double appliqué, has been around for a long time. In it, an appliqué
shape is drawn onto muslin -- cheap, unprinted cotton fabric -- then this cloth
pattern is placed onto the appliqué fabric and stitched through both layers.
Trim the seam allowances, slit the muslin, turn right sides out, and press the
edges flat. This piece may now be pinned in place and stitched down.In
the 1980s, someone (we don't know who) determined that fusible interfacing can
be used for double appliqué. We have seen references to this as early
as 1985. Fusible interfacing brings the added advantages of eliminating
pins and adding less bulk than muslin. In the early 1990s, Eleanor Burns
recognized the value of this innovation and published books such as Dutch
Windmills, Dresden Plate, and Sunbonnet Sue Visits Quilt
in a Day. The latter, for example, calls for tracing Sue's bonnet,
dress, feet, and arms onto lightweight fusible interfacing.In 1993, Mary Henderson
(owner of Quiltsmart) attended a class at Quilt in a Day. Mary suggested
eliminating the repetitive and imprecise tracing by printing the patterns onto
fusible interfacing. "After all," she reasoned, "they can print on paper
towels, why not print on interfacing?" Mary immersed herself in the world
of industrial printing. She soon had a process for accurately printing
onto a delicate non-woven fabric that has heat-sensitive adhesive dots on one
side.Mary knew the possibilities offered by piecing by appliqué. Her interest
was especially drawn by the potential for simplifying classic quilt patterns,
especially the Double Wedding Ring. In 1994, she published her first book,
Double Wedding Ring in a Hurry. She became a publisher the following
year with Drunkard's Path and Mary's Flower Garden. And
as they say, the rest is history!
What
is the Squares on Fusible Interfacing method for assembling watercolor
quilts?
In the early 1990s, Bonny Tinling was making a watercolor quilt using delicate
fabrics that had a tendency to shift and stretch ... she needed to stabilize
them so her squares would remain square. She began experimenting with
fusible interfacing as a foundation. She eventually hit upon the idea
of drawing a grid on fusible interfacing, placing the interfacing on her design
wall fusible side out, then designing with fabric squares aligned on the grid.
By ironing the piece, the squares were fused in place. Instead of taking
her squares two-by-two to the ironing board, hundreds of pieces could be stitched
as a single unit. And to top it off, Bonny figured out how to make perfect
butted seams that are as thin as possible with a perfect match at every intersection.
Here's how:
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1. Arrange
squares, fuse in place
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2. Fold
& stitch horizontal rows.
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3. Snip
intersections
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4.
Stitch vertical rows. Keep seam allowances in opposite directions.
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Quiltsmart's
gridded interfacing is available in several sizes: 1", 1-1/2", 2", 2"
On Point, and 2-1/2".
The information
on this page has been reproduced with the permission of Quiltsmart
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