I would like to learn needle turn applique. There are no classes planed for my area LQS What self help books would you recomand. do I have to use 1/4 inch turn under?can I go smaller as long as i get a good solid stich? do you use stabelizer on small pieces? How do you make a sharp v shape? Inside of star point. I have a hundred and one question. I also learn better and faster by watching.
Thank you all
Gramie BJ

I took lessons....learned lots of visual tips. go to search at the top of this page. Click on it. Put in Needle turn applique......there is so much info here. A really good NEEDLE is a must.....It can make or break it.

sorry dbl post

Have you looked at the online tutorials? Youtube?

I do a lot of needle turn applique. I do not use any stabilizer. For the inside v, make a snip straight down to the center. I recommend small stitches and practice. You will love the portability of the project and it won't take you long at all before you will be quite adept at it.

Try Liuxin Newman's book and DVD set, _Perfect Hand Applique_. She answers all of the above questions and more. She has set out a course of lessons that are based on a series of butterflies that start out easy and build skills, until you can applique a dot 1/20th of an inch in diameter.

When you order, be careful--it is published in both English and Japanese. Be sure you are ordering in the language you prefer.

Piece of cake Quilting has tutorials- dvd's and books to teach you needle turn- Alex Anderson also has tutorials, dvd's and books-
seldom is a 1/4" turn under used- that's way too big- more like 1/8" (just enough to turn under and catch the edge of)
Piece of cake they recommend having tooth picks in your (sewing box)
they use a tooth pick to help turn the edge under and smooth curves- works great!
there are probably a number of tutorials right here on the board too- do a search- you will find lots of visual help.
start with a fairly simple design to practice. use a sharp needle that fits your hand- some people use really really small needles- others prefer a longer needle- I use straw or milner needles-i like them a bit longer.
silk threads are wonderful smooth and easy to use----some people will say-never use silk thread---i was taught by a pretty good appliquer-who recommends it-and i love it-
match the thread color to the applique- if you can not find an exact match a shade darker is a good choice.
gray's (light on light fabrics, dark on darker fabrics also work well- they tend to blend in and disappear well.
once you get the hang of it you will find yourself doing more and more of it :)

I can't think of a good book to get...do you know a quilter who does needle turn? thats the fastest way to learn the points and inter and outer angles...maybe you could just go for it and practice on leaves and hearts...the easiest of start with...I do smaller than 1/4" to turn under, your fighting too much fabric with 1/4" good luck

These are really good tips. I have a great teacher and she says silk thread does work and it's strong. Her thread of choice is the same as mine; Aurifil. It's thin and strong. Depending on your area though you may not be able to get a variety of colors; I'm lucky here we have one store w/a large supply; even the varigated ones. I know several people who wanted it so they go together and bought big spools on line and with thier bobbin winders they each ended up with bobbins of a variety of colors and it only cost them around a dollar each. The round tooth picks that Cracker Barrel has are great for applique; my teacher suggest keeping on end in your mouth and that way its damp and will help tame those frays. Also; Elmers school glue is great for frays and temp attaching the fabric together and it washes out. I learned a technique called back basting and it's really good especially if you want to take your projects on the road with you.

Start with circles and leaves that don't have sharp points or curves on them and then gradually go up to the next level until you are comfortable with it. I'm new to hand applique and love doing it. I do the needle turn, the back basting and raw edge machine and I've done it putting the design onto pellon for layers and also reverse applique. I am so lucky to have a great teacher and we've now expanded our classes that were from the LQS to her home and it's more like a bee and she teaches us while we talk, etc. Best of both worlds; quilting and friendship

You might also talk to the LQS and see if any of thier customers do it and leave your number and see if they'd be willing to mentor you. Some people love to teach others this skill.