Do you stabilize your applique?
 

When you are stitching appliques by machine do you put a thin stablizer under the bottom fabric? I have been told that putting tissue paper under it helps?

I'm told regular paper works ok but I have also heard newspaper is really good. Sometimes if you call a local paper they will sell the end of a roll if it's not enough for the print run. I haven't tried to get any of that but I may have to call and ask the local paper

I heavily starch my background fabric yardage before cutting when doing machine applique. This works for me for either invisible machine applique (a la Harriet Hargrave) and also for satin stitch applique. If you do not stabilize your background fabric in some way, chances are it will stretch and distort while you stitch around the applique and the resulting piece will be ruffled and uneven. I like starch because it washes out later and leaves the applique soft.

For starch I mix a 1:1 solution of Sta Flo liquid laundry starch and water, "paint" this onto the background fabric using a large wall painting brush (my kitchen island works well for this), wait a minute or two to make sure the solution penetrates the fibers, toss in my dryer, and iron with steam. All this is done *before* I cut my background pieces (and I usually cut them an inch bigger just in case, although typically the background fabric does not draw up when I use starch).

My favorite machine method is freezer paper applique. I use Elmer's white paste instead of a glue stick to turn the edges under. After the entire quilt is applique, I turn to the back and trim the background fabric to 1/2" or so underneath the appliques. Then I use a small brush to apply water to all the applique edges (softens the paste) and remove all the freezer paper. This is the fastest and most efficient way I have found to handle a lot of machine applique for a quilt top.

I saw a video where they used water soluble stabilizer two layers when appliqueing the stitches around the edges. I have not tried this before but do think the results looked very nice.

Until the fabric colour bleeds. That's always my fear with the water soluble stuff.

I use paper underneath my applique, have found it needs it, even with fusible under the piece of applique. It rips off easily after I am done.

For smaller pieces of applique I have used coffee filters that I have ironed flat - they work very well.

I use "stitch and tear" for a stabilizer . I never used to use a stabilizer thinking I was doing just fine without, but the stabilizer really made a difference. When it comes to a tear away stabilizer .. my thoughts are the stiffer the better.

If I'm doing hand applique, I don't but then I also like doing the reverse applique, if its on the machine I would use it. The kind of stablizer would depend on the design, the density and the fabric. I can't see tissue paper holding up well enough under machine stitching to do any good. You didn't say machine or hand so I addressed both.

I love this board. Before I even had time to post my question, here are the answers. I have done lots of dense satin stitch applique and always used a tear away stabilizer. Now I am starting a project doing applique on the border of a quilt and I'm not sure if I want to run stabilizer under all of it. I'll keep my ear to this thread for good advise.

Not all that long ago I never used a stabilizer, always wondered why my satin stitch was not flat. Mentioned it at the fabric store, the owner of the store brought me over the tear away stabilizer, told me to try it. What a difference. Now out of necessity I ran out of stabilizer and had read on this board that some used paper and have not gone back. I do use only very cheap white or off white paper. Am afraid with the colored paper or newsprint that it might show up after washing, the very little bits that remain. It does make all the difference in the world with machine applique.

I agree with the comment above, stay here and learn so much. Thanks everyone.

That's all I use, even on large appliques. Its inexpensive, tears away easily, and is acid free