LARGE Raw-Edge Applique
 

I need to apply a large 22" x 28" raw-edge applique piece to a background. I plan to blanket or satin stitch it along the edges.

I'm thinking about spraying the back of the applique piece with basting spray and put a tear-away stablizer on the back of the background. Do you think that would hold it down firmly enough to be flat when I'm finished?

I usually use Lite Steam-a-Seam II for small raw-edge applique, but that seems like overkill for such a large piece.

What have you done in the past when you had to attach a large applique?

One thing that comes to mind is to apply the Steam-A-Seam only to the edges. I've done his before when I didn't want the stiffness or weight of doing the whole thing. I just traced around my applique piece onto the Steam-A-Seam and then drew around the shape again about 1/4" - 1/2" inside the original line. I cut out that strip of Steam-A-Seam and used just that strip. It worked well.

Are you adding quilting to the two pieces (applique and background) together? Will this piece be washed later? If washed, the 2 pieces will probably wrinkle if not fused together.

Have you used misty fuse? It is another product for fusing.

I was thinking misty fuse too Rhonda K, great quilting minds think alike.😉

I used SaS lite 2 for the horse quilt, but each of the stripes was individual and the edges sewn down with decorative stitches. I did use a stabilizer for that. (I'll attach a picture to remind you what it looked like so this makes sense.) I think it depends how much quilting (If any) you are planning to do inside the applique. If you aren't doing much, I'd fuse it. If you are doing a lot, you may get away with the spray and edge stitch.
Also, one thing I found when I did my horse was that was that even though I put some quilting on the applique, (A line down between each stripe), the quilting around it was much denser and it made the applique poof out in the middle. So, that's something to think about. I ended up starching and steaming the heck out of it to get it to lie flat.
Hope that all made sense!

Watson

Yes, I plan on quilting inside the applique about an inch apart.

I don't know how firmly the basting spray will hold the applique. Since you plan to quilt over the applique though, what you need is something "temporary". Perhaps simply baste the applique on and there would be no concern of the spray coming loose when you are handling the flimsy.

Thanks for all your suggestions--will be doing this for my Cop Quilt.

I ended up using Elmers Washable School Glue to hold the applique pieces down. Basting spray would have been totally inadequate. It required quite a bit of wrangling to sew around each applique piece. This "block" was about 4 x 5 feet.