Lizzie142

I am a newbie to quilting and a very newbie to applique. Currently I am working on an English Piecing pattern where you applique the shape to a block after you piece it together. However, the block is red and blue.

So when I applique it, do I use both colors? The colors are alternating so would I start, skip a section and then start again with the matching color?

I found out the hard way what happens if you don't match your colors.

All suggestions welcome!

Thanks!

KR

Match your thread to the piece being appliqued, not the background. I recently learned the joy of using 100 wt silk thread for appliqué. It is practically invisible when finished.

QuiltnNan

I use the silk thread as well. but i use a neutral beige for all of the appliques i do. it doesn't show.

ksdot417

Grays also tend to blend in with the fabrics.

marscrafter

I'm with the other posters, usually a neutral color like beige or gray blends in well.

Peckish

Neutrals work great, and a finer, lighter-weight thread. The higher the number, the finer the thread. Silk works great, and I also really like Bottom Line for applique. You can buy it in assorted colors in small amounts (pre-filled bobbins), it's very strong and it sinks into the fabric.

BellaBoo

I use a dirty grayish green silk thread. It blends with every color except white. Thread Heaven for coating the thread is a must for me no matter what type of hand sewing thread I use.

jcrow

I usually use a color from the applique to make the blanket stitch stand out a little. After all that stitching, I want someone to see what I did. I have to applique three flowers and three bugs today and am finding matching thread for each. They don't match exactly, but are the same color and look well together.

Raggiemom

This is great advice, thanks!

Peckish

Jeanne brought up an interesting point that I hadn't considered. If you're using an invisible stitch and *don't* want your stitches to show, then you'd probably want to use a neutral or matching thread color, silk or fine thread. If, however, you're doing a blanket stitch and *do* want your stitches to show, then a heavier thread in a darker color (like dark blue on a light blue fabric) or even black would look nice.