The Modern Appliqué Workbook: Easy Invisible Zigzag Method 11 Quilts to Round Out Your Skills

167 Pages·2014·32.43 MB·English

by  Jenifer Dick

Jenifer Dick
the
M O D E R N
A P P L I Q U É
WORKBOOK
Easy Invisible Zigzag Method
•
11 Quilts to Round Out Your Skills
•
the
M O D E R N
A P P L I Q U É
WORKBOOK
Easy Invisible Zigzag Method
•
11 Quilts to Round Out Your Skills
•
JENIFER DICK
Text copyright © 2013 by Jenifer Dick
Photography and Artwork copyright © 2013 by C&T Publishing, Inc.
Publisher: Amy Marson Book Designer: April Mostek Dedication
Creative Director: Gailen Runge Production Coordinator:
Zinnia Heinzmann
Art Director / Cover Designer: For Ray
Kristy Zacharias Production Editors: Alice Mace Nakanishi
and Katie Van Amburg
Editor: Deb Rowden
Illustrator: Jessica Jenkins
Technical Editors: Sandy Peterson and Acknowledgments
Julie Waldman Photo Assistant: Mary Peyton Peppo
Photography by Diane Pedersen and Nissa Brehmer of C&T Publishing, Inc., This book couldn’t have been written
unless otherwise noted
without the help of some very special
Published by Stash Books, an imprint of C&T Publishing, Inc., P.O. Box 1456, and generous people.
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All rights reserved. No part of this work covered by the copyright hereon may be used To Angela Walters, thank you for
in any form or reproduced by any means—graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including
adding your expert quilting to my
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are retained by the artists as noted in The Modern Appliqué Workbook. These designs
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beautiful than I could have ever
spicuous label: Designs copyright © 2013 by Jenifer Dick from the book The Modern
Appliqué Workbook from C&T Publishing, Inc. Permission for all other purposes must imagined.
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Attention Copy Shops: Please note the following exception—publisher and author give To Jaime David and the staff of
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City, thank you for sharing both your
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you for allowing me to write the
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talking me down off the cliff more
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Trademark (™) and registered trademark (®) names are used throughout this book.
Rather than use the symbols with every occurrence of a trademark or registered trade-
mark name, we are using the names only in the editorial fashion and to the benefit of And to my wonderful family, thank
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you for helping me to pursue my
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
goal in writing this book even though
Dick, Jenifer.
it meant long hours in the sewing
The modern appliqué workbook : easy invisible zigzag method--11 quilts to round out
room and on the computer away
your skills / Jenifer Dick.
from you. I love you!
pages cm
ISBN 978-1-60705-763-5 (soft cover)
1. Machine appliqué. 2. Machine quilting. 3. Quilts. I. Title.
TT779.D49 2013
746.44’5--dc23
2013018218
Printed in China
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Contents
Introduction: My Journey to Resources 134
Modern Appliqué 4
About the Author 135
s
t
n
e
t
n
o
C
The Modern Appliqué Workbook
PART I: Invisible Zigzag PART IV: Finishing the
Appliqué 7 Appliqué Quilt 63
Tools and Supplies 8 Borders 63
Preparing the Fabric 17 Backing 63
Standard Freezer-Paper and Batting 63
Fabric Preparation 21
Layering and Basting 63
The Stitching Process 35
Quilting 64
PART II: Alternatives to Binding 66
Invisible Zigzag Appliqué 45
PART V:
Thread 45
The Projects 67
Stitches 47
Mod 69
PART III: Advanced Preparation Baskets 75
Techniques 53
Birds 81
Layered Patterns 53
Flame 87
Reverse Appliqué 55
Trees 93
Reversing the Pattern 56
Cascade 101
Precise Placement 57
Geese 107
Pieced Appliqué Shapes 58
Fall 111
Appliqué on a Pieced Block 58
Star Bright 119
Bias and Straight- or Cross-Grain Tape 59
Kisses 125
Modifying a Commercial Pattern 61
Fish 131
3
Contents
INTRODUCTION:
My Journey to Modern Appliqué
When I first started quiltmaking in the early 1990s, appliqué seemed so
daunting. My first attempts at hand appliqué didn’t go well—it was slower
than I wanted, and I just couldn’t get the stitches perfected so they didn’t
show. I experimented with fusible web appliqué, but it didn’t give me the
look or durability I was going for. Soon, I went out of my way to avoid
appliqué patterns and accepted that it just wasn’t a technique for me.
4
The Modern Appliqué Workbook
As time passed, I advanced in my piecing skills but still admired lovely
é
u
appliqué quilts that I thought I would never be able to make. Then a few q
years later, I saw a demonstration at a guild meeting that finally clicked pli
p
with me. The instructor showed us how to prepare appliqué shapes using N: A

On
freezer paper. I had never seen that method before and didn’t even r
Ie
T
d
really know what freezer paper was at the time. It intrigued me so much C
o
UM
that I stopped by the store on the way home to buy freezer paper and D

Oo
gluesticks. It was one of those light bulb moments—I knew I had found R t
Ty
something I could make work for me! Ne
n
Ir
u
Once I perfected the shape-making method, it was on to the sewing o
J
machine and stitches. I don’t remember how the teacher sewed the y
M
shapes down—I think it involved a lot of changing threads in colors to
match the appliqué shapes. I didn’t have a big stash of thread at that time
and didn’t want to invest in a lot of thread colors I might never use up, so
instead I started experimenting with invisible polyester thread. It glides
through the machine just like cotton thread and winds on the bobbin with
little effort. But most of all, with it I could easily create perfect machine
appliqué blocks that mimic fine hand appliqué!
That was in 2001. With the advent of modern quilting, I’ve come to realize
mimicking hand appliqué isn’t always the best choice, it’s just one of many
best choices. Just as modern piecing focuses on a fresh and fun design
aesthetic, so does modern machine appliqué. That can mean using a wide
variety of stitches, threads, and unusual subject matter to create appliqué.
How you sew the shape down and what you use to do so become part of
the visual appeal of the design itself, not just a means to attach the shape
to the block.
In this book you’ll find instructions, tips, and hints for the Invisible Zigzag
Appliqué method from start to finish. After you learn the basic method,
you can move on to learn more techniques and options, advanced prepa-
ration steps, and ideas for finishing appliqué quilts. Eleven projects are
included for you to practice your new skills on.
My goal is that after you’ve made a few of your own appliqué blocks
using this method, you’ll realize how attainable perfect machine appliqué
is. And then I hope you’ll experiment with all the tools available to you
to take an active role in defining what modern appliqué can be—as only
modern quilters can do—with no excuses and no apologies!
5
Introduction: My Journey to Modern Appliqué
6
The Modern Appliqué Workbook
The Modern Appliqué
WORKBOOK
PART I: Invisible Zigzag Appliqué
Once you master the Invisible Zigzag Appliqué technique, you will
have a go-to machine appliqué method that works consistently
and beautifully every time. There are several steps to both
preparing the freezer paper and sewing the shapes down, but
you’ll find that they are intuitive and easy to follow. The end results
will be the proof! My methods are described in this section, and
you’ll find them applied to the eleven projects that follow.
7
Part I: Invisible Zigzag Appliqué
E
D
A
F
G
H
B
C
Tools and Supplies
Having the right tools is as important as A FREEZER PAPER
knowing the right techniques—the tools Freezer paper is a thick paper with a shiny,
make the appliqué experience more fun and plastic coating on one side. Its original use is
less stressful. This book assumes you have wrapping food for storage in the freezer, but
a basic knowledge of quiltmaking and its it’s also a versatile crafting tool. Its paper side is
terminology and you already have basic quilt- perfect to trace a pattern onto. The shiny side
making supplies on hand. However, there are acts like glue and sticks to fabric when pressed
some tools specific to appliqué that you’ll with a dry iron. It is repositionable and reusable,
need for Invisible Zigzag Appliqué. inexpensive, and available everywhere. It comes
in large rolls, so you can cut off exactly what
This list includes my favorite tools and
you need as you need it.
supplies. Some of these might already be
in your home. Read through the list before In addition to appliqué, I use freezer paper to
you make any purchases—you might be able make templates for piecing, and I draw original
to get by without some of the things listed patterns on it. It is 18˝ wide, perfect for most
or be able to improvise with something else. block sizes. You can draw on it with a black
Experiment to see what works best for you marker without fear that marks will soak through
and your sewing machine. to the worktable underneath. Overall, it’s one of
my favorite quilting supplies.
8
The Modern Appliqué Workbook
B WATER-SOLUBLE GLUESTICK D CLEAR INVISIBLE POLYESTER THREAD
Gluesticks are used to glue down the seam Invisible polyester thread has many advan-
é
allowance on the appliqué shape. Next to tages for Invisible Zigzag Appliqué. It’s u
q
freezer paper, you’ll use gluesticks the most, pliable enough to stitch like cotton thread. pli
p
so it’s important to find a brand that works It won’t yellow over time, and it will wind on A

well for you. the bobbin. It blends with all fabrics, making g
a
z
time-consuming thread changes to match g
Gluesticks are inexpensive and available Zi
the appliqué shapes unnecessary. Most of all,

anywhere office supplies are sold. But they e
it disappears when sewn, giving the look of bl
are not all created equal—look for sticks that si
are clear and washable. hand appliqué. nvi
I
There are many brands of invisible thread, but :
Try several different brands until you find one I
T
I only use Sulky Premier Invisible. It gives me R
you like. You’ll quickly discover a preference for A
the results I want and works with my sewing P
a certain brand. Once you find one that works
machine. Superior Threads MonoPoly is also
for you, buy the largest size and quantity you
a good brand and works similarly. Some
can. I’ve been known to buy cases of gluesticks
machines are more finicky than others when
at a time.
it comes to invisible threads. If you are having
NOTE There are many colored or “disap- trouble, I recommend trying a different brand
pearing” gluesticks. I’d be leery of those—they of thread. Nine times out of ten, switching to
may disappear at first, but it’s possible that the a different thread takes care of any problems
color will come back once heat from the iron hits you might be having.
it. If you only have access to colored gluesticks,
Smoke invisible thread: Invisible thread
experiment on a practice block first to see if it
comes in clear and smoke—clear for use with
will give you satisfactory results.
light fabrics and smoke for dark fabrics. I use
clear for everything, though, with the only
C WHITE SCHOOL GLUE
exception being black appliqué shapes. Even
Once the appliqué shapes are prepared, they
on the darkest reds, clear invisible thread
are glued to the background fabric with white
blends well for me.
school glue. For this step, you need the smallest
amount of glue that is sufficient to tack the Regular cotton, polyester, nylon, and
shape to the background fabric. You may find other threads: For a review of these
the bottle that the school glue comes in has threads, see Thread (page 45).
a hole too big and releases too much glue. A
needle-nose applicator bottle works well to
dole out just the right amount of glue.
NOTE I like Roxanne Glue-Baste-It because
the squeeze bottle has a needle-nose applicator,
which allows you to place a tiny dot precisely on
the seam allowance. Once the bottle is empty, I
refill it with white glue. You can also find empty
needle-nose squeeze bottles in the fly-fishing
department of outdoor supply stores.
9
Part I: Invisible Zigzag Appliqué