Pincushion & Pins - You'll pin most everything you sew to keep the fabrics from slipping.
Smaller embroidery scissors are also good for cutting threads. Pinking shears have small triangular teeth that cut the fabric in a such a way that it lessens unraveling.
Scissors - You'll want a good pair of shears (normally sold with names like "dressmaking shears") and a pair of pinking shears.
"Embroidery" or "crewel" needles have larger eyes (an eye is the hole at the top of the needle) and are used with thicker threads, like upholstery or embroidery floss.
Needles - You'll want to look for "sharps" for basic sewing.
Aim to have the stitches two thirds on the applique fabric and one third on the background.These things will make you a nice little sewing kit:.
You may need to play around with the bobbin tension as well to get this right. The bobbin thread should not be visible on the right side of your fabric. The upper thread should be visible on the wrong side of the fabric, but should be flat on the right side.
On my machine I usually need to loosen the upper thread tension a little.
Start it at 0.5 and then work backwards until the stitches are close together with no gaps in between, but not so close that they bunch up and don’t move easily under the foot. You will need to experiment on your machine to find the right stitch length. The stitch length I set to just above zero.
I set the zigzag stitch width to about 3 (although if the applique design has small pieces I usually reduce the stitch width when going around those pieces – for the tiny nostrils on the giraffe I changed the stitch width to 1.5).
Use an open-toe, clear foot so you can see what you are doing.
I use a Janome blue tip needle as they help to prevent skipped stitches, but a universal size 70 or 80 needle will also do the job.
Because it is so fine you can fit heaps on the bobbin, meaning less bobbin changes! For the top thread I use a standard polyester thread. It is a fine, shiny, lightweight, strong polyester thread and it usually comes on a large cone.
I use bobbin fill thread in the bobbin.
Here’s a few more tips and techniques that I use that you may find helpful: When stitching curves and corners, put the needle down into the fabric on the opposite side to the way you are going to turn, then lift the foot and pivot the fabric. Change your thread colour as you go to match (or contrast if you like) with each applique piece. Stitch around the perimeter of your applique pieces using a tight zigzag stitch on your sewing machine, or alternatively, stitch by hand using a blanket stitch. It is basic, non-computerised, uncomplicated and does a great zigzag stitch! To machine applique you don’t need a fancy machine, just a basic machine capable of doing a zigzag stitch. If you wish to stitch around the edges of the applique, cut a piece of stabiliser about 1-2 inches wider all around than the applique, and position it on the wrong side of your fabric, underneath the applique.Ĩ. I recommend using a press cloth as it will help prevent scorching the applique and the fabric you’re fusing it to.ħ. Please refer to the instructions that come with your fusible webbing for more details. Note: Iron temperature and fusing time will depend of the type of fabric and fusible webbing you are using. When happy with the arrangement, place a press cloth over the design, then fuse in place with an iron. Peel off paper backing, then position applique pieces on project (webbing side down), layering the pieces as indicated on the placement guide.Ħ. Tip: when cutting out small, fiddly pieces, hold the piece with tweezers instead of your fingers.ĥ. Cut out applique piece(s) neatly on the lines. Place the fusible webbing piece(s) onto the wrong side of chosen fabric, then fuse for a few seconds with a dry iron.Ĥ. Cut out the piece(s) roughly leaving about 1/4 inch of webbing around the tracing lines.ģ. Trace the applique design piece(s) from the template onto the paper side of fusible webbing, leaving about ½ inch between each piece.Ģ.
#How to make patch like borders with sew art how to
This step by step guide will show you how to make appliques by hand, how to apply them to your project, and how to sew the appliques using a regular sewing machine.ġ.