My Best Turned-Edge Appliqué Tips – The Promised Tutorial

A month ago, I was in the “Never! You couldn’t pay me!” camp regarding turned-edge appliqué. Too slow, too fiddly and too unsuccessful. Life is too short! 

Create appliqué

But things have changed……

To be honest, you aren’t going to suddenly see stacks of turned-edge appliqué projects suddenly appearing on this blog. The reality is that turned-edge appliqué is still too slow for my everyday use and doesn’t fit a lot of the designs I like to make.

BUT, and it is a big but, I now know a method of turned-edge appliqué that I do find enjoyable and that I like the look of. I can make decent progress on a project using this method. And I can take the required supplies with me on work trips to use in the evenings. I can definitely see some turned-edge appliqué in my future. Likely, one or two special longer term projects.

Would you like to know how I do it? Here’s my method, step by step.

Continue reading “My Best Turned-Edge Appliqué Tips – The Promised Tutorial”

Invisible Machine Applique Experiment Part 2

Clever Cat appliqué

Well, it’s literally taken all month, but I finally have a Machine-Stitched, Turned-Edge Appliqué method that I Like!

This month, the goal for each Island Batik Ambassador was to try a technique we hadn’t done before. I really liked this challenge…. my biggest problem was choosing  just one thing, because I have a huge (and still growing) list of things I think I’d like to have a go at. And this month hasn’t actually helped that much….. reading through all the other ambassador projects this month has really only added to my quilting bucket list! I’m going to have to live forever! hahaha!

Island Batik March Challenge

Anyway, I have been a good girl for once and focussed down on one technique long enough to make it useful! Are you proud of me or what!?! No squirrels in my sewing room this month! 

For my new-to-me technique I chose one often called “invisible machine appliqué”. What it actually is, is turned-edge appliqué that is sewn down by machine rather than by hand. But in a manner that doesn’t yell “Machine stitched!!”. This was my first attempt earlier in the month…..

machine appliqué

I wasn’t happy with the look of this. So I played with it some more.

Want to see where I ended up?

Continue reading “Invisible Machine Applique Experiment Part 2”

How to make a sewing machine dust cover

Sweet Sixteen dust cover

Island Batik’s “Try a New Technique” month has given me the push I needed to finally make my machine a dust cover!

As an Island Batik Ambassador, my challenge for March was to choose some of the beautiful fabrics they sent to me in February and create something using a technique I hadn’t tried before. So, I decided to give “invisible machine appliqué” a whirl. But in order to try out such an appliqué technique, I needed something to appliqué onto. So I made a dust cover for my Sweet Sixteen sit-down longarm machine. You can read more about that decision process here.

Island Batik Try a Technique Month

Have you got the same or a similar machine you’d like to make a dust cover for? Or another, oddly shaped machine that needs a cover? Here’s a run down on how I made mine. Hopefully it will give you a few ideas.

Continue reading “How to make a sewing machine dust cover”

Invisible Machine Appliqué: The Experiment

Invisible Machine Appliqué Experiment

March is “Try a New Technique” Month

The current Island Batik Ambassadors are each trying a new technique of their own choosing this month. So for my project, I have decided to have a go at “invisible machine appliqué”. No, not appliqué done on invisible machines, silly! 🙂 Appliqué done by machine in a way that the machine stitches are “invisible”. To try to emulate the look of hand appliqué, but faster. My intention is to make myself a dust cover for my Sweet 16 quilting machine, and to decorate said cover with some simple invisible machine appliqué. I have started my machine cover, but have paused it to do some experimenting. I am playing with the invisible machine appliqué technique to develop a process that works for me. Here’s what I’ve discovered so far……

Continue reading “Invisible Machine Appliqué: The Experiment”

How to Appliqué the Yellow Bear of Being Active Outside

Sunflower appliqué

For those of you who like to see before they do, here’s a quick tutorial for putting together the Yellow Bear of Being Active Outside

If you have not already downloaded you free pattern for the March Yellow Bear block of the Beary Colourful BOM you can get it from this post here. This link also leads you to the list of fabric and other requirements…. so I won’t repeat myself here. This new post today is all about how to put your yellow bears together, including the new tummy motifs.

Continue reading “How to Appliqué the Yellow Bear of Being Active Outside”