I hope I don't sound too dumb if I say I've never used rick rack in a project of any kind before.

Well now I'm doing an applique project. Here's the link so you can see it. You might have to scroll down a little:

http://patsloan.typepad.com/quilters...epatterns.html

It's the "Spring Chick" project, and the rick rack serves as the stems for the flowers. I'm using a blanket stitch on the applique pieces, but I don't know how to finish the ends of the rick rack. Do I hem them? I tried sewing them along with the applique blanket stitch, which was a complete disaster. I'm afraid I'm going to have to scrap the whole thing and start over. Fortunately, it's not a lot of fabric . . . yet. It depends on how many times I have to do this. I might decide to not use rick rack and just embroider the stems, as I need to do the feet and the tails of the chickens anyway. The rick rack is kind of cute though.

I just left it for the day and I put a bunch of fray check on it. This is a table runner, and it will have to be washable (by definition). What would you do?

Can you tuck the ends of the rick rack under the fabric ?

Otherwise I would do just a straight stitch back and forth across it a couple of times

I would machine applique the flowers over the rick rack, that would stabilize and secure them in place. You can then do a straight stitch down the center of the rick rack.

I agree, it looks like the sample has the rick rack emerging out from under the flowers and the chicks. It will be so cute when it is finished. Don't forget to post pics when it is done.

Yes, unfortunately, I didn't think to do that, and so I'm not sure I can do it now. I suppose I can pull up the edges of the appliqued pieces before I stitch over them, and it will work out okay. I'll give it a try.

Keep us posted on your progress.

Okay, so I wasn't happy with this at all. I wasn't happy with the color I chose for one of the chickens. It was too busy and dark, which made it difficult to see the eye of the chicken. And I couldn't make the rick rack work either. For one thing, it was too big. I needed to be using the smallest rick rack. So I scrapped the whole thing and started over, sans rick rack. I decided to embroider stems, and then I thought it needed leaves on the stems, so I made some. I much happier with it now.

I have a long ways to go. I need to stitch around all the applique pieces and it has two borders as well. Not to mention the quilting. I'll post again when it's all finished. Between now and then, here it is.

Very cute!

If every thing works perfectly the first time, we lose our opportunity to problem solve, learn and grow. Those are just so cute.

That is a very good point. I'll try to remember that.