Suz

Karen Kaye Buckley taught a class of quilters how she makes stems. You will need to raid someone’s stash of “zip ties” and collect several sizes about the width of the stem you desire. Cut the bulky end from the tie. Cut bias strips wide enough to wrap the tie plus approximately 1/2”. Stitch the strips together and trim seam close, press seam. Put your zipper foot on, wrap the fabric around the zip tie, and adjust the needle to crowd the tie. Using a shorter stitch, stitch the length of your stem. Trim the seam allowance to about 1/8”. With your iron ready, roll the seam of the back side of the tie and press. Press a section, slide the tie forward, press and repeat to the end. If you cannot pass thru where the bias has been stitched together, remove a few stitches. The thickness of the tie will not crush the stem. At this point you can lace yarns in the tubing if you wish to give some dimension. Now you can appliqué by hand or machine.

I hope this clear!