Applique after piecing; suggestions please
 

I have pieced together a 36”x36” supersize 9-patch for a quick charity baby quilt. The 5 floral squares are bright and pretty but the 4 plain squares are just… meh… blah… boring.

There isn’t a lot of spare fabric left, although I could make and fuse applique flowers, but I am worrying that satin stitching or zig-zagging around the applique will distort an already pieced quilt top.

Any suggestions or ideas?

Many thanks

HettyB

I would just keep my zig zag stitches open and loose. The more stitching there is, the more the fabric draws up. So I wouldn't use a satin stitch at this point.

Another idea: make the flower petals individually so they are double sided and "birthed", the same way you stitch almost completely around something then turn it inside out. The arrange the flower petals and attach them with embroidery thread and french knots at the centers, allowing the petals to be loose.

If you used a blanket stitch, I don't think it would distort anything.

Use a leave in light weight stabilizer on the back of the design and stitch away!

I would use hand blanket stitch just going through the top fabric and not going all the way through to the back.

You can applique it on as part of your quilting process.

If you use a good fusible a blanket stitch would be fine. If you really want to satin stitch around it put a stabilizer under it before you sew. I have found a cheap stabilizer is a piece of paper. I just use loose leaf paper.

I do a lot of applique and use a lightweight stabilizer under the block. I use the blanket stitch majority of the time, never ever have any 'drawing up' problems. Don't do a tight stitch, do some testing and adjust the width of your '<' stitch. I'd go for it, nothing ventured, nothing gained.. ;o)

This is what I would do if the quilt was already quilted. I might even add a thin batting (like quilters dream, "request") behind just the applique to give the flower/petals a little depth and also so the quilting "dents" (?) don't show through the appliqued flowers.