Advice on applique needed please
 

Hi guys & gals! You all are so helpful & knowledgeable, I figured this was the place to go for help. I am in the process of making my granddaughter a Sunbonnet Sue quilt. I have 3 blocks done & suddenly realized I am supposed to be cutting away the back as I go to avoid too many layers. It's been a long time since I did any applique & was just too excited to get going on it. I guess my mind was just too involved in the planning of it to remember the correct process. My question is, How important is that step when it is going to be machine quilted? Can the machines handle the extra layers? I will appreciate your input. Thank you.

I have made many raw edge machine applique quilts and I have very seldom cut away the extra because of the fusible. There is no problem at all with being able to machine applique or quilting, but it may make your quilt feel a little stiffer than you want. You can judge for yourself to see if you like the feel. Most people don't like the extra layers, but it doesn't bother me.

:shock: "gulp" ummm your suppose to cut away the extra?

hmmmm well I have never done that before I do fusible applique.

LOL maybe I will try that next time.

I think I am missing something here "cut away the back" ??????
Do you mean the piece behind when a piece is added on top of it ????

I am making a applique quilt that has hundreds of pieces of fabric machine appliqued on it and I haven't cut away the back from any of them. There is so much stitching, fusibles, etc. that I know the quilt will be stiffer than usual. this quilt will be used as a bedspread, not so much as a blanket to keep warm with. It is primarily an accessory to make the bedroom look good, not to feel good while sleeping under it. If your Sunbonnet Sue quilt is primarily for your granddaughter to snuggle under and keep warm, the extra fabric won't matter, but you won't want to quilt it heavily.

I would only worry about cutting away the back if it was an area I wanted to hand quilt. Not fun going through more layers of fabric. If you are quilting by machine, it doesn't really matter.

I know what you are asking. You are asking if you should cut away the inside of it and just leave about an inch of the fusible around the outside. I don't. I leave all the fusible myself. I know that people are now doing that, but I haven't adapted that method yet. I keep forgetting when I applique. You will be fine. After you wash it, it will wash away a lot of the fusible stiffness, so don't worry about it.

I am a longarm quilter and I once quilted a "quilt" whereby the lady bought a bed sheet and cut up pieces of fabric into leaf shapes and circles and I don't even remember what, and GLUED them to the sheet with Aileens glue. The thing could walk by itself. I then added batting and backing to this and quilted it. It actually turned out well and my machine went through it like a knife through hot butter...sew...never fear...just keep on keeping on!

My second quilt was a Sun Bonnet Sue quilt for my granddaughter. I used fabric from dresses I had smocked for her. I did not cut away any fabric. I used a light weight fusible and a satin stitch around each piece. I quilted it on my sewing machine and had no trouble at all so you should be fine. That quilt was my first try at free motion quilting.