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Last Updated: Oct 11,
2003
I am happy to answer questions about my patterns, applique technique or
preferences for quilting supplies. If you have a question you'd like
answered, please ask me (send me an email). I respond individually to all
questions; and those that are asked frequently, or that I think would be
of general interest to others, I'll also post on this page. The questions
and answers on this page have been grouped in the categoreis of "general",
"technique", and "supplies".
You may also be interested in
reading
the transcript of a "super chat" at which I was a guest on the #quiltchat
chat line, as I answered many questions during that event.
GENERAL
Are your patterns as difficult as they
look?
Most of my patterns aren't all that difficult because they have few inside
curves and inside corners, and those are the things that give most people
the most trouble when doing needle turn applique. My patterns may have
lots of pieces, and some of them are pretty small... but if you do them
just one at a time (and how else can you do them?) mere patience will see
you through.
My Zodiac pattern, however, would be more challenging for a beginner
if it's done by hand (it has lots of scrolls and inside curves), but still
it's fairly straight forward if done by machine. |
What applique methods do you use?
My love is needle turn applique. It does take a long time, though,
so sometimes I also do machine applique (using fusible web) with decorative
or satin stitches around the applique pieces. |
What type of fabric do you use for your applique? Do you
use much hand-dyed or batik fabric?
I have a pile of swatches I use for applique, and in fact not much of it
is hand-dyed or batik, but some is. Most of my applique pieces are
"fussy cut" from commercial fabric swatches with large prints. I
find that if I use too much hand-dyed fabric the quilts tend to look a little
flat. My backgrounds are most often solid black or some other mottled
dark color. |
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How do you choose colors for your applique
pieces?
When I applique I spread my stash of swatches and scraps around me and
select the fabric for applique pieces, one at a time, as I sew them. Some
people have difficulty with colors, but it comes naturally for me. If
you want to learn more about color, I'd recommend Nancy A.
Pearson's book "Floral Applique", in which she gives some
good advice on using light and dark values, creating balance and focus, and
other basic design principles.
An alternative, of course, for those that think they may be beyond hope,
is to buy fabric kits with patterns. Many quilt shops put kits together
with fabric that closely matches that which was used in the orginal quilt.
You're pretty much assured of having great results if you buy kits
from reputable quilt shops. |
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TECHNIQUE
How do you trace on a dark background?
I do *a lot* of applique on black backgrounds, and find that the only way
to mark applique and quilting designs is to use transfer paper; it does leave
faint markings, though, so I remark the pattern on the fabric with a white
pencil after tracing on the transfer paper. |
How do you make your points so "pointy"?
First I finger press the applique piece on the seam line, and baste
the applique piece in place with applique pins. I start stitching towards
the point, and when I get to the point, take another secure stitch right
at the point. I then flip the applique piece open, so the wrong side
of the applique piece is upwards, and trim the seam allowance along the side
where I just stitched (be careful not to cut off the tip of the point!).
Then, using the needle, I turn under the seam allowance for the
other side of the point (be sure to pull the applique thread taught, as this
will give you the sharp point) and continue stitching. |
How do you do inside curves?
I find it easier to needle turn if I fingerpress the applique piece on the
seam line before I position it onto the foundation square. It also helps
if I keep my seam allowance small (about 3/16" or less in some cases). When
I do an inside curve (for example, if I'm stitching the inside curve of the
letter "c") I clip perpendicular to the seam line in a few places. As I needle
turn I use the tip of the needle to fold the applique piece on the seam line.
Sometimes I have to push the applique piece to fold further than the
seam line, to try to bring the fold back to the seam line if it has strayed.
That way I can get a very smooth curve. I also use tiny stitches,
particularly when doing curves.
When I teach needle turn I encourage people to be brave with their needles
and tiny sharp scissors: clip fast and stitch fast. You can't fiddle with
the needle in one spot and expect the fabric not to fray. |
Should I cut away the background behind the applique
pieces?
I normally don't cut away the background unless I want to quilt through a
specific area and that area happens to have many applique layers. Most of
my quilts are heavily hand quilted on the background where there's no bulk. |
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SUPPLIES
Tracing Paper
I transfer designs onto my dark background fabrics with dress makers wax
free tracing paper. The brands I like are made by "Dritz” (my
first choice) or "Saral". Either of these can be found at craft and sewing
supplies stores. |
Template Plastic
The template plastic I use is made by DBK. It comes in a roll, is
relatively inexpensive, and is much softer than other tempate plastic that
comes in hard sheets. Each roll has about a yard of plastic on it. |
Pencils and Pens
I like the following for marking applique designs on background fabric (after
initially transferring the design with wax free tracing paper):
Roxanne’s Quilters Choice (white and silver), and
Patricia
Campbell’s Fabric Markers (white). I also like using Clover’s
White Marking Pen (fine) which doesn’t rub off as easily as pencils,
is removable by heat or water mist, and doesn't require sharpening. |
Needles
I use size 12 quilting needles for all my quilting *and* applique. I
find that all the longer applique needles bend and are hard to control. I
can make much smaller applique stitches with a quilting needle. "John
James," and "Richard Hemmings and Sons" make excellent needles,
as they don't seem to break and bend as much as the others. |
Thread
I use Mettler 100% cotton (50weight/3ply) for hand applique, and YLI for
hand quilting. When I do machine applique I use Sulky (rayon and metallic)
for decorative stitches. |
Needle Threaders?
I can't thread my small needles without them! The problem with
needle threaders is that they break so easily, often on first use. My
favourite brands of needle threaders are "Roxanne's" and "Clover"!
They may be five times the price of the cheaper ones, but they last more
than ten times as long. |
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Copyright © 1999 - 2003 Aie Rossmann
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