Originally Posted by
mojo11
I needleturn applique. Love it so much that I quite piecing quilts. Everybody seems to be in such a hurry to get things done that many have turned to machine work, which is fine for them, but not me. I enjoy the quiet work of sewing by hand and can take it anywhere to work on. I learned by watching Simply Quilts (when it was on HGTV) and watching DVD's. Each appliquer has a little bit different way to so theirs. I have tried other methods of applique, but I always come back to the needleturn method. Seems like quilting will be lost if we don't keep teaching others. People spend big $$$$$$ and yet it seems the quilt magazine are even getting smaller with no new ideas in them anymore.
Mojo11, have you ever done on a whole cloth background of a king size quilt. I have always been a machine thread play quilter, (paint with fabric dyes and then add detail with thread play.) But a very good friend of mine had ask her mom to make her a king size Hawaiian quilt. Her mother had the blue Hawaiian pattern (all in one big piece) basted to the whole cloth white background. Then her mom got Alzheimer. When they were cleaning out her moms house they found the quilt, and my friend, knowing that I did quilting, ask me to finish it. I didn't know at the time what type of quilt it was, so I told her I would. I am getting the hang of the needle turn applique, (although the indents really give me fits,) but now I am getting farther into the middle and trying to get my had around the wad of fabric so my finger is underneath and my thumb nail on top to hold as I turn under the edge of the applique is getting almost impossible. And I am only about half way to the center of the quilt. Do you, or anyone else, have any tips for me on how to handle such a huge piece? I can only do a little bit before my hand gets too tired from holding so much fabric. I have been trying to roll it tightly but I am getting to the point that that doesn't get the wad of fabric small enough. PLEASE, SOMEONE HELP!!!!!!