Friday 14 September 2012

Appliqué with fusibles

Over at Happy Quilting Melissa runs a TNT Thursday - Try New Things (the button is on the right of my blog) so here are some new things I have tried this week. Last week  I started my second mini quilt swap and decided I wanted to applique the design. Having not done any needlecraft for some years I decided it was time to try some of the new techniques. So I invested in some freezer paper.



The picture isn't faded its just the colour of the paper and the coloured pencils I used. My design is based on a picture I drew some years ago of a clematis that was growing in my garden. It grows in amongst one of our roses and has huge petals. I don't know what type it is but it has beautiful deep pink blooms. The quilt swap is for a 12 inch square quilt.

I used the freezer paper to draw round the flower heads on my design page with the shiny side down. I then ironed the freezer paper onto my fabric and cut the flower out using my small embroidery scissors to get it as accurate and as clean as possible. This was important as some of the leaves fit between the petals. I also cut the leaves that dovetailed with the petals.

I had made some test pieces using the freezer paper and I had found it easier to cut the shape with no seam allowance and to use a fusible to attach it to my backing fabric as some areas of the design are quite fiddly. I tried using the freezer paper on the back of the design to turn the seam allowance under but I found this very tedious and didn't give the result I wanted. I chose the softest fusible available in my local sewing shop. Unfortunately they didn't have a wash out type.



Here is the work so far. I am thinking of using beads for the centre of the flower and so I decided to see if I like the effect. I found the freezer paper made cutting out very easy and the soft fusible held the fabric in place very well whilst I stitched around the edge so no need for pins (yah) Still a long way to go but I am pleased with it so far. 

I love the new products that make the sewing easier. Maybe I wouldn't have been away from needlecraft so long if they had been available or readily available 15 years ago. Never mind in the gap I had fun doing other things including enjoying my children as they grew up.

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