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From: Cant-sew-a-lick
Date: 12-30-2005, 08:25 AM (1 of 10)
Hi everyone! I don't have an embroidery machine but I would like to learn to machine applique since I will probably never get an embroidery machine- $$$$$  Here are my questions:1. Should I use a hoop and fit it under my presser foot? I can raise my foot high enough to get one under it. 2. I have crazy quilt and satin stitches on my machine. Which do I use? 3. Do I drop my feed dogs? My machine will do this. 4. Should I use Wonder Under iron on or a spray adhesive? I am leary of the sprays due to respiratory problems. 5. Should I stabilize both top and bottom of my work? Will tear away stabilizer cause unusual stiffness in the finished product? What stabilizers do you recommend? 6. What type of thread should I use? 7. Does anyone have an uncomplicated Dachshund pattern? If you can think of anything I have missed let me know. I want to learn. My dogs need clothes!
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User: Cant-sew-a-lick
Member since: 11-07-2005 Total posts: 29 |
From: Magot
Date: 12-30-2005, 09:06 AM (2 of 10)
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I have tried free hand machine embroidery with my straihforward Janome. I used a hoop and dropped the feed dogs and then used either a straight stitch or a zigzag stitch over a collage of materials. I have to admit - I used a Pritt stick as I had no spray adhesive and the bits were too fiddly for wonder under! Look through the links here http://www.sew-whats-new.com/fme/index.shtml on the site and see if any are of use to you. Have fun - I think you can be reeally creative with this technique rather than hooked into proscriptive set patterns..(this is where I get shot down in flames) love and kisses, Jan
Guts-R-Us Cells a Speciality DNA to order. |
User: Magot
Member since: 12-22-2002 Total posts: 3626 
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From: esrun3
Date: 12-30-2005, 12:57 PM (3 of 10)
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I've machine appliqued and used a fusible (like wonder under or steam a seam) under the appliqued piece, fuse to your fabric and then stitch around the edge-you can use whatever stitch you like, I've used a close satin zig zag but have also used decorative stitches around it. The fusible will help keep the edges from fraying when washed. I don't drop my feed dogs, just a slow stitch around the design. Hope that helps some.
Lyn
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User: esrun3
Member since: 12-02-2004 Total posts: 2345 |
From: sharsews
Date: 01-01-2006, 08:46 PM (4 of 10)
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I've machine appliqued alot and can try to answer some of your questions. All you need is a machine with a zig zag to machine applique. You will have to shorten your stitch length to a closer zig zag. If you have a computerized machine, a stitch length of 0.4 or 0.3 is a place to start. Also, a good stich width is around 2.5 to 3.0. This is personal preference, some people like a more narrow stitch, some like a wider stitch. Some also use a decorative stitch around the applique edges. I definitely recommend practicing to see what you like and to test settings. I use a fusible web to attach the applique pieces to the base fabric. Some of the fusible webs can cause the needle to get gummy when you stitch. Be sure it is a sewable kind. One of the easiest to find here is Heat and Bond Lite (not regular Heat and Bond). TransWeb is another that I've had good luck with. Read the directions on the web for fusing. You won't need a hoop. I lay some kind of stabilizer on the back of the fabric. If you are worried about the stiffness it will leave behind, there are lots of softer choices. There are many choices of stabilizer, tear away, cut away, wash away, etc. If the base fabric is a cotton, a tear away would work well. If it is a stretchy fabric like a t shirt or sweatshirt, a cut away helps the design keep its shape through washings. Just leave a bit of the cut away around the design when you are done sewing. You don't have to drop the feed dogs. This is just a modified zig zag stitch. I use a rayon thread to applique with and bobbin thread in the bobbin. Might have to adjust your tension slightly to be sure that the bobbin thread doesn't show on the top edges. As far as the dog pattern, coloring books are good sources for simple applique patterns. Hope this helps some. Might be a good idea to purchase a book on machine applique, as it is a good reference you will probably consult frequently while you are learning. Have fun! |
User: sharsews
Member since: 02-25-2004 Total posts: 62 |
From: sharsews
Date: 01-01-2006, 09:08 PM (5 of 10)
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Take a look at these web sites for more tips: http://small-expressions.com/ Under the instructions list, click on satin stitch applique http://www.sewingweb.com/Projects/Dishtowels/ |
User: sharsews
Member since: 02-25-2004 Total posts: 62 |
From: paroper
Date: 01-02-2006, 04:30 AM (6 of 10)
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I agree with Lyn and Sharsews. The iron-on stabilizer makes it so much easier to handle. I've always used a stabilizer that irons on to the applique and then irons on to the fabric. As you come to the corners, you can gently taper the stitch down by hand to make a mitered corner, doing the same in reverse as you leave. This makes a beautiful finish and requires only a little practice. You can also just sew to the ends, but the mitered corner is really pretty. As you make inside curves, you just sew slowly to keep from slanting your stitches too much. This is a real art to do and with a little practice, you can do beautiful work! I've never even considered lowering my feed dogs to do this nor have I ever had an instructor who told us to do it. By not using a hoop, you are not limiting the size of your applique. pam
Bernina 200e, Artista V5 Designer Plus, Explorations, Magic Box, Bernina 2000DE & 335 Bernette Serger, Bernina 1530 Sewing Machine, Bernina 1300 DC Overlock (with coverstitch) |
User: paroper
Member since: 02-03-2004 Total posts: 3775 |
From: DorothyL
Date: 01-02-2006, 09:30 AM (7 of 10)
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I like to cut a piece of the print from quilting cotton for applique. I don't even always use stabilizers or pin it down. I use a zigzag or button hole stitch and zip around it. You can do all kinds of interesting things. One time I took a strip of flowers from a tropical print and put it along the hem line of a dress for my daughter. Once it was on there I cut off the fashion fabric below the flowers and didn't hem the dress. It worked great so I did my dining room curtains the same way. I like to put things half on the pocket then finish the other half once the pocket is sewn on. Dorothy |
User: DorothyL
Member since: 12-09-2002 Total posts: 3883 |
From: Magot
Date: 01-02-2006, 09:50 AM (8 of 10)
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...she does... and that looks way cool too!
love and kisses, Jan
Guts-R-Us Cells a Speciality DNA to order. |
User: Magot
Member since: 12-22-2002 Total posts: 3626
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From: plrlegal
Date: 01-02-2006, 09:58 PM (9 of 10)
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I love doing machine applique and I often don't use any kind of a fusible. In fact, I just finished a scarecrow quilt block for an advent quilt my local quilt guild was doing as a bom swap and I did some applique on the scarecrow by using my fabric glue stick to hold the fabric pieces in place and just blanket stitched around the edges of the fabric design I was appliquing onto the block. You don't always have to use a fusible. Patsy Patsy
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User: plrlegal
Member since: 05-19-2001 Total posts: 318 |
From: MariLynntex
Date: 01-13-2006, 12:56 PM (10 of 10)
I love applique and do a lot of it. It is very versatile. Almost any fabric or design is usable as an applique` design. I am working now on a quilt that is all applique. Each square (12 of them) is a separate month. I am finishing up November and have only December left, then will put them all together. I used my automatic buttonhole stitch (blanket stitch, some call it) to applique the pieces after I ironed them down with lightweight fusible web. Each square uses the same house, but each is different; not only different colors, but different backgrounds, shrubbery, trees, and extras: January has a snowman, February hearts, March a leprechaun with his gold, April an Easter basket; etc. My daughter Lisa has claimed it when done (or even if she has to do some finishing on it!). I have to finish the turkey (machine embroidered) on November, and December will be the basic house shape, but open like a stable for a manger scene. My daughter Shauna has my first quilt (I have already said this is the last one!) which was a story picture: The Owl & the Pussycat. I put all those designs in my book.  MariLynntex
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User: MariLynntex
Member since: 01-05-2006 Total posts: 107 |
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