Batik applique issue
 

Hi Ladies....i am starting to stitch my under the sea applique pieces and having a bit of trouble with the batiks. Have any of you found that it is harder to hide your stitches with batiks than with regular cottons?...or am i just messing up??

I am just finishing up my 4th, Pacific Rim '2 fabric applique' (avatar was #1). All are in batiks, love using batiks for applique. I 'think' my stitches a hidden, but I also take VERY small stitches.

How small/large are your stitches?

Pictures say a thousands words... do you have one you could share? Then 'we' might be able to 'understand' better.

Also, there are batiks and then there are batiks. Some are very smooth and easy to needle, and others are stiffer, harder to fold and needle.

You are not messing up. Dunster is right - some batiks are stiffer and harder to handle than others.

A finer thread might help. I've used silk with success, but if you have a lot of different colors to match, I highly recommend getting one of those doughnut bobbin assortments of Bottom Line thread. It's fine (60 wt) and very strong, and much cheaper to buy than 10 spools of silk.

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Using silk thread, and taking tiny, tiny stitches is the only way I am at all happy with batik applique. Have you considered the Don't sew it until you Quilt it method? That's my next plan.

What a Great Idea! I've been using silk thread for a long time- but do not have all of those colors= I
am going to have to go check one of those out! :)

Thank you all so much...i am definitely going to check out the bobbin assortment idea as this is a very diversely colored project and i could use the colors for sure.
I THINK i figured out my problem - on the part i'm doing now i did freezer paper / starch to prepare the pieces. The batiks reacted differently with the starch than with regular cotton - the edges are MUCH stiffer - and so the threads don't seem to "bury" themselves like they normally do. I dampened and re-pressed them which seems to have removed some of the starch - and the process is going much better.
Again THANK YOU ALL for your suggestions / tips !!

I don't do needle turn anymore because of my hands. When last I did I ironed the edges under first so I didn't have to really do a needle turning. Cheating maybe, but the only way I could find to do it at the time.

uh oh -- I didn't realize ironing under the edges was cheating. It sure is easier to get a smooth edge. And a lot more fun! (Your motto says it all!)

I agree, batiks are much harder to applique. Match the thread the best you can and take more breaks than usual and you will get thru it. Good Luck !!

Okay, so I have looked and I can't find out where to purchase this. I am getting ready to start a large (actually huge to me) applique project and really need this. Can someone (Peckish?) give me a link to purchase it?!?!?!?!?!?!?

Here's the first link I found when I googled it.

http://www.honeybeefabrics.com/store...duct=SuperBobs

Apparently Superior is out of stock on their website.... ???!!?

If you google "Bottom Line SuperBobs donut", you should be able to shop around more.

They have 2 sizes; L is a DSM-sized bobbin and has 118 yards. M is a longarm-sized bobbin and has 215 yards. Unless you do a ton of applique, you'll want the size L.

Cheating? No way! It's a smart and time saving technique! We all use many, many smart time saving techniques, now don't we? (Please don't tell me you think using a rotary cutter is cheating!)

I love the Bottom Line Donuts - they have TONS of thread on each bobbin and last forever!

Washing the batik first some times helps. I also use silk thread.

https://www.superiorthreads.com/shop...-Frosted+Donut try this site

That's for Masterpiece. She wants Bottom Line, which is 60-wt and finer. The good news is, it looks like they have it back in stock. :)

https://www.superiorthreads.com/shop...er-bobs-donut/

Starch method works for me

I love batiks for needle turn applique. I can sew on tiny things without the fabric unraveling. Admittedly, I usually turn the edges under first, with my fingers, then pin things where and how I need them to be; I only leave the pins in until I'm ready to stitch ... when I remove the pins, the edges stay turned under and I can stitch quickly and easily.

Nothing is cheating in quilting as long as it works and you're happy. I depend a lot on Elmers washable school glue to hold down things until I get to the sewing machine. A little dab will do ya.

There is no cheating in quilting. There are no quilt police! It is your quilt and you can do it your way. That's not to say that we can all use some help from time to time in making our quilting and handwork turn out a little bit better. This from the woman who has not sewn a stitch today and is still on the computer!

On this same note, Pearl of P3 designs uses a corn starch mixture for her applique pressing. It is worth checking out her method on P3designs.com. She is also giving away a BOM that is to absolutely die for! (look under shopping) Wish I had that much quilting ambition. And, no, I'm not associated with Pearl in any way except I love her work.

The "real" batiks are supposedly washed by the manufacturer in very hot water in order to set the dyes. At least this is my understanding. Thus, shrinkage and tighter weaver. The softer ones are batik prints.

Appliqueing with the real stuff is difficult for sure. Just wait until you attempt to hand quilt. Even more so . . . .

I needle turn batiks and love it. I didn't know any better as that was the 1st project I tried. I use YLI silk thread. Works for me. Good luck:)

I like using Batiks for applique. I always wash them before I start and I use silk thread with VERY small stitches.

I also recommend a very fine sharp needle as well as Thread Heaven to treat the thread. It also helps prevent knotting.

I also use a very fine needle to do any work where I want my stitches hidden. It can sometimes be a challenge to get it threaded but worth the effort because the end result is nearly invisible stitches because you can pick up just a thread or two of the fabric with it. I also try to run needle and thread inside along the fold of the applique and bring my needle out right at the fold and then catch the base fabric a little under the fold of the applique piece. This also really helps hide the stitches. Batik I've found really varies in stiffness and the stiffer the fabric the more challenging it is to get it to fold the way you want it to especially on curves and points.

Thank you for all of the helpful hints.

Now that we are discussing the use of batiks to applique, I am wondering how many of you are using the "back-basting method" of applique. I have done a lot of appliqueing and find the back basting the best, easiest and most accurate for placement. There are YouTube tutes on this available.