General Applique
and Quilting
Hints and Tips
- Use fine scissors
to cut out your appliqué pieces to get smooth corners.
- Once applique
pieces are adhered to your background fabric trim any whiskers off the
edge of the appliqué piece for a cleaner finish.
- If hand stitching
around your applique pieces use an embroidery hoop at all times to keep
fabric taunt and stitch tension even.
- Make sure all
wrinkles and creases are ironed from fabric before starting a project.
- To prevent making
whiskers on the edge of your applique piece; remove the backing paper
with a pin and not your finger nails.
Forever Precious
Appliqué Wall Hanging
and Pillows etc
- For left handed
stitchers, if you have access to a computer scanner, scan any right
handed stitch diagram using the “ Horizontal Mirror ” mode and this will
change the diagrams to what 80% of left handed people would use. Or flip
over the page with the right handed instructions on it and hold up to a
lit window, then trace the diagrams you see through the back of the
paper to get a left handed version.
- If you are
thinking of changing the specified colours for a design, colour in the
placement guide with colouring in pencils to help you get a vision of
the new colour arrangement.
- Please remember
that all stitching you do is 100% better than the person who did not
try. Make sure you pre-read all the instruction and you will be fine. Go
for it!
Maori Bone Carvings
Appliqué Wall Hanging
and Pillows etc
- If you have to
trace a design onto fabric; the design can be centered and pinned under
your fabric. Tape the fabric and design to a window to see the design
through the fabric. Use a Blue Water Soluble pen or a light pencil to
trace your design onto your fabric.
- If top stitching
a sharp ended needle is best. The thread you us, should be able to move
freely through the eye of the needle. The needle used should be as thick
as the thread itself; making the thread pass easily through the fabric
after the needle.
Attend
Quilting Embellishment Classes
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- Place a sealed
plastic container with a slit in the top of it in your sewing area. Then
you have somewhere safe to dispose of broken sewing needles and pins.
Camouflage Gecko
Appliqué Wall hanging
- If you are doing
hand embroidery embellishment: When starting a new thread, weave about
3 cms (1-¼”) of thread under the back of existing embroidery and then
start stitching. If starting in a new area take needle through the
fabric away from the area to be stitched and then start stitching in the
area indicated in your project. This then leaves a tail of thread
through the fabric that can be woven into the back of your embroidery
when that strand of thread is finished. Finish all thread ends by
weaving for about 3cms (1-1/4”) under the back of the embroidered areas.
When starting and finishing a thread, follow the pathway of the
stitching on the back of the fabric to give a more uniform and tidy
appearance.
- If you want to
get a distant view of your project look at the project through the wrong
end of a pair of binoculars.
- If you are top
stitching or doing hand embroidery embellishment: Never use more than a
40cm (16”) length thread at one time. If your thread twists while
stitching hold, your embroidery upside down and let the needle hang and
the thread will untwist.
Kiwi Summer
Appliqué Wall hanging
- If both
centimeters and inches have both been provided in your project
instructions do not mix the two types of measurements, use only one type
of measurement for your project.
- Use a balloon
pump or a bicycle pump to blow the fluff out of your sewing machine.
- If you have young
children, have a box of fabric scraps so they can play while you play
with the real thing.
- If you get blood on your project place
some saliva on it to keep it from staining.
Deciduous Darlings
Appliqué Table Centre
or Lap Quilt and cushions.
View Janet's full range of Patterns
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