Hand Applique Workshop

Last meeting's workshop was "hand appliqué" lead by our own very skilled member Marylin Farrell.

After light confusion about freezer paper, what it is and how to use for hand appliqué we flew along, creating our tulips in a vase.

First we stitched down our flower stems (everybody! had them already cut and ironed to size for the class) and we could practise our tiny stitching.

Then we went on and stitched down the flower part of our tulip, learning how to needle turn the seam allowance under as we went along. We learned how to work inside and outside curves and had great fun comparing our stitch size. Not everybody found it easy to aim for 14 to 16 stitches per inch, but, of course, your work looks so much nicer if you do!

And we were very proud when Marilyn complimented us for our invisible stitches.

Before we went home we promised to bring back our finished pieces (or work in progress) back to the May meeting.

I really enjoyed this workshop and will take my tulips as a start to do more hand appliqué.

Many thanks Marilyn!   

Written by Veronika Feldmann

April Workshop: Needle turn applique

At the April meeting of the Western Branch of the IPS, we will be hosting a workshop on needle turn applique.  If you are planning to attend the workshop, please review the supplies list below and bring everything you will need with you:

Fabric (100% cotton, avoid stiff or loosely woven cotton)

• Background fabric - 21 inches by 22 inches, lightly colored solid or tone on tone.  If choosing a print fabric, make sure the background fabric does not overwhelm the applique fabric.
• Stems - green fabric, 3 strips cut on the bias at 1.25 inches wide and 8 inches long.
• Flowers - prints of your choice

Notions

• Embroidery or small fabric scissors.  Tips must be pointed and not round.
• Needles - size 10 or 11 mm or straw needles are best, but sharps will work as well.
• Thread - 100% cotton is best, matching the thread as closely to the color of the stems and flowers and not the background.
• Paper scissors
• Basting thread
• Light and dark marking pencils for the fabric (or lead pencil for light fabric)
• Pencil sharpener
• Needle threader
• Several wooden toothpicks
• Small fabric pins
• Small cutting mat
• Iron and ironing cloth
• 12 inch ruler

Pre-class preparations

• Background should be pre-cut
• Stems: fold bias strip, right sides out (wrong sides of fabric together on the inside) in equal thirds.  Strips should be approximately 1/2 inch wide.  Baste along the middle of the strip (not the edges) and press.