I want to make a quilt of vines with a variety of petals from many fabrics. It's an old type of design, but I can't find a photo at the moment to show what I mean. I'm experimenting with fusibles and stitches, and plan to run them through the washer and dryer a few times to see how they survive. However, I hate reinventing the wheel, so I thought I'd ask for some tips from quilters who have "been there, done that".
For example, what's your favorite fusible to use? So far I have tried C&T's wash-away, which I ***love*** for turned edge invisible machine applique (here is it on Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1571209190/ ) and Misty Fuse (I iron it to the fabric between sheets of parchment paper). Is there something else I should try?
So far I like my usual invisible machine applique stitch best (5 tiny straight stitches on the background, then 1 stitch into the applique). On turned under applique I use a really tiny bite (.6mm width), but it seems to me that a wider bite looks fine on the Misty Fuse. What type of stitch and what stitch settings do you like best?
And then there is thread. I am not a big fan of nylon or poly monofilament for machine applique these days. Right now my favorite is Superior's Bottom Line in the silver color Bob recommends as blending with everything. It is a pretty fine thread (60wt, I think), and I figure polyester thread will hold up very well over time. Plus, it doesn't stiffen fabric. I have some 100wt silk thread that I tried last year on some samples, but I'm leery of using silk thread because it can deteriorate over time. Anyway, I'm wondering if there is any other fine, strong, almost invisible thread I should try out. Is there any color that blends with everything?
Finally, how well does raw edge hold up over time? I plan on machine washing and machine drying this quilt quite often.
Any comments appreciated.
Edit: I should add I am planning to cut out the petals out of fused fabric with my Accuquilt Go! so I will not need to trace anything.