Beginner's Guide To Quilting - UK (2020-04)

All about...

APPLIQUÉ

T

he word appliqué comes from

the French verb ‘appliquer’,

which means ‘to apply’. In a

craft context, it’s a technique used in

many different areas, from pottery

and cake decorating to sewing and

quilting. Sewn appliqué involves

cutting out a small shape from one

material and then stitching it to a

larger base fabric.

Appliqué can be done by hand or with

a sewing machine, although as this is a

beginner’s guide we’ll stick to the simpler

hand techniques! We’ve covered two ways

to hand appliqué – choose the method

that suits your project and that you feel

comfortable with.

GETTING STARTED WITH APPLIQUÉ

First, choose what shapes you want to

stitch on to your quilt top. These can be

hand drawn or printed from a computer

to create a paper template. Ready-made

plastic templates are also handy. Draw

around the shape onto the wrong side of

the fabric, making sure the shapes are

cut as neatly as possible. One of the

trickiest parts of appliqué can be holding

the shapes in place on the base fabric

while you sew them on. Many stitchers

find pins, tacking stitches, basting spray,

fabric glue or fusible web helpful.

Fusible web is a man-made fibre

backed with glue – essentially a fabric

version of double-sided tape. When it’s

placed between two pieces of fabric and

ironed it becomes sticky, so it’s ideal for

appliqué. There are several types

available – choose one that has a similar

weight to your appliqué fabric.

RAW-EDGE METHOD

This is the simplest appliqué method, but

does require neat stitching when you sew

it on. In this method, the edges of the

shapes are left to fray, as the stitches

holding them in place are sewn just

inside the edge of the shape. This can

create a decorative finish as the fabrics

develop a ragged edge over time. For a

neater effect, try the turned-under-edge

method (see below), which is also used in

our ‘Spinning in orbit’ quilt (you can find

the project on page 135).

REVERSED IMAGES

If your shape isn’t a regular circle or

square – for example, a letter of the

alphabet that will only work in one

orientation – then you’ll need to

reverse it before stitching in place.

Simply trace your chosen shape onto

tracing paper then turn the paper over

and draw over the lines on the back.

Use this reversed pattern shape on the

wrong side of the fabric to make sure

the finished appliqué shape will have

the right orientation.

Adding appliqué elements to your patchwork will give

your finished quilt a unique feel. It’s easy and effective!

Adding Texture

132 Beginner’s Guide to Quilting

TURNED-UNDER-EDGE METHOD

With this technique, the edges of the appliqué

shapes are hemmed before being stitched onto

the main base fabric. The best product to use for

this is freezer paper, but if you’re just starting out,

you can use any thick paper instead.

(^1) First trace the appliqué shape onto paper,
making sure you leave space between shapes so
there’s room to cut them out. For freezer paper,
trace the shape onto the non-shiny side.
(^2) Cut out the shape, then cut the fabric ¼in
(6mm) bigger than the paper shape.
(^3) If you’re using freezer paper, lay it shiny side up
on to the wrong side of your appliqué fabric.
Appliqué involves cutting out a shape from one
material and stitching it to a larger base fabric
(^4) Turn the edges of the fabric over onto the paper
and iron into place, snipping curves and corners
as you go, if needs be. (See Fig 1, right) The shiny
side of the freezer paper will stick to the fabric. With
ordinary paper, just tack the edges in place.
(^5) Continue turning the edges over in this way
until you’ve worked all round the shape (see Fig 2).
(^6) Turn the shape over to the right side of the fabric
and pin, then iron it into place onto your base
fabric. If you’re using freezer paper, the shiny side
will hold it in place. Stitch it on using small neat
stitches just through the very edge of the turned-
over appliqué fabric, taking care not to stitch
through the paper (see Fig 3).
(^7) Finally, remove the backing paper, which will
need to be pulled through the fabric. You can do
this in one of two ways:
a) Leave one edge of the appliquéd shape
unstitched, undo the tacking stitches and pull out
the paper. Then turn the edge back under and finish
stitching it to your base fabric.
b) For more intricate shapes, make a small snip in
the base fabric behind the centre of the appliquéd
shape and carefully remove the paper through
this hole before stitching it up. This is a very useful
technique when adding appliqué to a quilt top,
where the wadding and backing fabric will hide
these secret stitches.