Now you Can Learn the Basics of Hand Applique from Expert Quilter, Alex Anderson
Alex Reveals Her Secrets for Beautiful Hand and Machine Applique in This Brand New Quilting Resource
Now you Can Learn the Basics of Hand Applique from Expert Quilter, Alex Anderson
From: Penny Halgren
Date:
Greetings,
My first two quilts were applique quilts.
It was probably because I didn't understand traditional quilt blocks, but loved the idea of working with fabric and enjoyed seeing "pictures" created in fabric.
I spent hours on each one of these quilts getting the applique pieces so they had nice, smooth curves and sharp corners where they were supposed to have sharp corners.
This was way before freezer paper was my tool of choice for applique, and I was drawing the outline of the finished piece on the right side of the fabric, then folding under the seam allowance.
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My stitches to keep the inside "curves" from fraying were pretty pathetic. |
In order to get the outside curves to be round, I cut little "Vs" out of the seam allowance to smooth the fabric.
That seemed easy enough, but pressing the seam allowance was just a pain - finger-folding each little section, then pressing and smoothing the curve. Re-folding, and then re-pressing to get the curve smooth was the order of the day.
I got to be pretty good at the gentle curves, and avoided any small curves as much as possible.
To get inside points, I cut straight into the seam allowance, hoping upon hope that I wouldn't cut into the seam allowance and end up with a problem.
But, no matter how careful I was, much of the time I had to take a bunch of extra little stitches to reinforce the center so it wouldn't fray.
It was no surprise that when I was finished I felt a great deal of satisfaction - after all, it took hours to get just one small piece ready to hand sew.
And now as I look back at the applique stitches themselves, I see that they are very visible and far apart.
Probably much like you, I was figuring all of this out for myself, and had nobody to show me what color thread to use and how to hide my stitches.
Fortunately my kids didn't use these quilts enough that the stitches came out or the fabric came apart, but it certainly could have been a disaster.
Then there were the machine applique quilts. Bulky, satin zigzag stitching hoping it would lay flat instead of creating some kind of 3 dimensional hump around the piece.
Those were the days! But probably not the "good ole days" when things were better.
Since then I have picked up some better techniques for hand and machine applique:
- using freezer paper to secure the seam allowances and position the applique piece on the background helps a bunch
- tear away paper for machine applique helps keep the piece flat and allows it to move under the sewing machine needle more easily
- securing the raw edges of an applique piece with fusible interfacing/web allows your machine applique stitches to be further apart and completely avoid the ridge caused by satin zigzag stitches
- using short, running stitches around a curve allows you to gather the curve and make it really smooth
- using chalk to mark your sewing lines increases accuracy and ensures that the line will disappear when you are finished
Last year during an Eavesdrop on a Telephone Conversation, one of our guests talked about a method of hand applique that fascinated me.
I listened to her instructions over and over to understand how it worked. And I got all of the materials together to try her technique.
But, try as I might, I couldn't figure out exactly what the technique was from just the explanation during the Conversation. I needed some kind of written resource with pictures showing me exactly what to do.
And, since many quilters said they were interested in information about hand and machine applique during our last survey, you might imagine how excited I was when I saw this brand new resource from Alex Anderson.
Alex Anderson's Solutions for Applique
Many of you know Alex Anderson as the host of HGTV's Simply Quilting for many years. More than 1 million of Alex's books have helped quilters all over the world learn how to quilt and improve their quilting skills and techniques.
The bottom line is that Alex speaks to quilters - beginners and more advanced - in our language - giving us tips and techniques that help make our quilting much easier and more fun.
And, she has done it again.
Her latest quilting resource, Alex Anderson's Hand & Machine Applique will show you:
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Plus you get all of the inspiration Alex is famous for.
This quilting resource is so new, it hasn't even hit the bookshelves yet. As a matter of fact, amazon.com shows that it won't be available until the end of September.
But, because we are favorites of the publisher, we can get this soon-to-be-treasured quilting resource on a pre-order basis.
The publisher needs to know how many to send us by Wednesday, August 5. I know that's not much time, but this is one of those resources that shouldn't take long to decide about.
With all of the curmmy news about the global economy, global warming, and global strife, you deserve to take a break and make your quilting easier and more fun. After all, using the techniques in this resource the quilts you make will bring joy to your family and friends as they are fending off the dragons in their world.
Not that long ago, Alex was a guest for our Eavesdrop on a Telephone Conversation and she said that she considers herself a good "B" quilter - not a perfectionist, a quilter just like us!
Looking at her quilts, I realize that using the techniques she describes so clearly in her resources, I can easily follow the steps and create beautiful quilts just like she does.
I just wish I had known her techniques when I made those applique quilts. I can only imagine how much more beautiful they would look - and I wouldn't be keeping them on the shelf where nobody can use them for fear that they will fall apart!
Plus, all of those machine applique quilts would have nice, smooth edges - not mountains of stitching.
Reserve your copy today on this pre-order. Our deadline to let the publisher know how many of these we need is Thursday morning. So, we need your reservation by tomorrow, Wednesday, August 5 at midnight Pacific Time. That way we can count up the orders and let the publisher know.
Reserve Your Copy of This Amazing Resource Today!
Taking the first step couldn't be easier. Using our SECURE SERVER, you can reserve your copy of Alex Anderson's Hand & Machine Applique.
But, you need to be quick. Because this is a pre-order, we need to let the publisher know by Thursday whether yours will be included in our delivery. That means that you need to reserve your copy by Wednesday, August 5 at midnight Pacific Time. That way, I can count up our orders and fax them in on Thursday morning.
Don't miss out on this fabulous quilting resource - reserve your copy today. This also would make a great gift for a quilting friend, and how easy is this to wrap up, and even mail, if you have to? One less gift to shop for!
Alex Anderson's Hand and Machine Applique Click here to reserve your copy with our SECURE SERVER. This will take you to a form where you can enter your order information and be confident that it is secure. You will be charged a tiny $19.95 plus a small shipping and handling charge. Your quilting goodies will be shipped as soon as we receive them - toward the end of August.
You can pay with PayPal if you prefer. Just click on the PayPal button when you get to the shopping cart.
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All of the animals were hand appliqued onto this quilt. I wish I had known the techniques Alex shares in her new quilting resource. |
Penny Halgren
www.How-to-Quilt.com
www.TheQuiltingCoach.com
Remember, this is a pre-order. The deadline is Wednesday, August 5, and delivery is at the end of August.
