Originally Posted by
DebbieL
Can freezer paper be used to stabilize fabric when machine appliqueing? I used heat n bond lite to fuse my shapes to the base fabric but I get tunneling when I try to applique around the shapes. I am sewing on a 6600P Janome. It has been so long since I've tried appliqued that I am just getting flustered. Any suggestions, tips or tricks would be Greatly Appreciated.
When doing any kind of applique, I always want to stabilize the background fabric. My favorite method is to *heavily* starch the background fabric before cutting (and I always cut over-sized in case there is some takeup of the background fabric from appliqueing). My method is to use a 1:1 solution of Sta-Flo liquid laundry starch and water, "paint" this onto the fabric with a wall painting brush, wait a few minutes to make sure the starch has penetrated the fabric fibers, toss the fabric into the dryer, then iron with steam. This stiffens the background fabric enough so that it does not distort when I machine applique, and the starch washes out later. I have never had a problem with tunneling when I have stabilized the background fabric this way.
If you don't want to starch, then you should use some type of stabilizer under the background fabric. Freezer paper would be one of the less attractive options because you have to remove it afterwards. This is okay if you are doing satin stitch applique, but if you are doing something like blanket stitch applique the stitching will not cut the freezer paper enough to make it easy to remove. Better options are to use a washaway stabilizer (tends to be pricey and may not provide enough stability unless you use several layers) or a lightweight stabilizer that does not need to be removed, such as this one:
http://www.amazon.com/No-show-Polyme...dp/B003XDAQYG/
You would not want to use a heavyweight stabilizer as that will change the hand and drape of your block. However, lightweight stabilizers are fine.