Appliqué problem
 

I'm making a sports-themed quilt for a teen boy. I purchased basketball appliqués for the center panel basketball court not knowing they shouldn't be sewn on due to the glue used. Now that the quilt is sandwiched and ready to quilt, of course I'm unsure what to do.

They should be sewn to secure them with some kind of stitching since a few of them have "lifted" around the edges. The instructions stated the glue might "gum up" the sewing machine, so I am hesitant to do anything.

Anyone have experience with this sort of thing?

thanks for any replies.
Renate

Yes, I put a jeans needle in my machine and had no problem. The bird patches I was attaching had shiny satin stitching on the edges, so I SLOWLY stitched around the inside of the patch right up next to and sometimes on... the satin stitching. I did this before I sandwiched the quilt though so not sure how it would work with actually quilting through them.[ATTACH=CONFIG]562752[/ATTACH] I'm sorry I don't have a close up for you of the patches, but hopefully this will encourage you to try it.

If all else fails, hand stitch them on. the old fashioned way. you can do it!

I would if my arthritic hands would cooperate!�� I just don't want to gum up my machine with whatever gorilla glue may be on the back of these stupid basketballs.

If you keep some rubbing alcohol nearby, you can stop periodically and wipe down the needle. Usually rubbing alcohol will dissolve that kind of glue.

I susapect it is a lot like sewing on Scout patches. I use a 16 needle and a zig zag. Wiping the needle with alcohol every so often will prevent gumming. Usually at the end of each patch. Good luck. You can do this.

i also recommend a larger needle and the alcohol. i did a lot of scout patches that way and have not had any problems with my machine afterward

This is a great idea. Yesterday I searched the 'net for information about this. Alcohol was mentioned, so I peeled one of the patches off and used a Q-tip to moisten the edge of the fabric. It's not as sticky now so I think I can proceed with machining it as long as I wipe the needle off. I only wish I had done this before I pinned the layers together. Argh!!
Thank you, ladies!

HA, i was just thinking of that. glue is not always our friend. Good luck.

Using a larger needle and pausing to clean the needle periodically should make your task possible. I encountered a similar problem with college emblems, but with slow and steady work the end result was great. You can do it!