I am so new to the applique process and don't even know where to start.

I want to make the Crimson And Clover Fons and Porter pattern in the March/April 2010 magazine. I think I want to modify the size and possibly go just 3 blocks down instead of 9 blocks. Don't know where to start for the appique.

I have Wonder Under stuff and never used it before. Am I suppose to cut the fabric and iron it on the wonder under or use a large piece of fabric or cut out the clover in the wonder under and then cut the fabric..............bla bla bla.....

what should I do.? I have 2 hours before the kids get home. Can anyone help me now? Would be glad to give you my phone number in a pm if you can talk.

Sorry, I can't help you. I don't/haven't done applique. Would like to tackle it one day. Do the directions for the pattern give you any help on this? Good luck and I know someone here will be able to help you.

to start with wunder under is going to be toooo stiff, you want steam a seam 2 LITE or fabri fuse LITE. these are paper backed fusibles, easy to sew and you can hardly tell its there. wunder under will feel like an iron on blue jean patch! draw your design on the paper side of the s.a.s, cut out roughly, iron to the WRONG side of your fabric then cut it out right on the line, remove the paper and place it on your background, make sure you have it where you want it before you iron it to your fabric. you need a teflon pressing sheet or at least some wax paper to be sure you don't get the fusible on your iron. good luck

I fuse the wonder under on the fabric first and then cut. And it helps to trace the design on the wonder under before you fuse it. Just remember, everything will be backward. Have fun!

I haven't done much fusible applique, but for what I've done, I've used the 2 sided fusible. Trace the shape you want onto the paper of the fusible, cut the shapes, leaving a small space around the tracing line, fuse onto the wrong side of your fabric, then cut on the tracing line. Remove the paper and fuse onto the right side of your background, then stitch around the shape to secure it using a buttonhole or satin stitch.

Hope this helps.

Will I need embroidery thread? I don't think my machine will use that, will it? Or should I use a different kind of thread? Or the same machine quilting stuff I usually use? Still not sure. I will call one of the board members who recently pm'd me earlier. Just haven't had a chance to do so yet. Hopefully tomorrow afternoon.

I really like the Heat and Bond Lite, you can hand or machine quilt around it!

draw your shapes on the paper side of your wonder under (and your fusable choice is fine, it washes up nicely and is one of the older - been around for many years fusables) then rough cut the shapes out.(i leave 1/4"-1/2" around my shapes) and press to the back of your fabric choices then cut out carefully on the lines. peel the paper, place on your background and press in place then stitch around the edges using your choice of stitch, zig-zag; blanket stitch; straight stitch are all frequently used to stitch your appliques down.
fusable choices are as personal as every other aspect of quilting. for me i do not like steam a seam, but have been using wonder under for many years, and sometimes i pick up heat n bond lite. regular heat n bond tends to get very stiff, and stay that way. most of the fusables do soften up when your completed project is washed.
good luck and have fun with it!

The thread you use for the applique depends on if you want it to show or not. To make it invisible use sewing thread the same color as the applique. If you want a more rustic country look use black thread and a blanket stitch. There are a variety of stitches you can use from a satin stitch to the blanket stitch. I use whatever stitch that will give me the look I want. If it is going to be an item that is washed frequently you might want to use a denser stitch. If for some reason you decide to use a metalic thread be sure and use an embroidery needle made for such thread or it will shred.