Klue suggested sewn-in interfacing, non-woven, to use as the backing. I didn't find it at the store and haven't ordered it online so I used muslin.

Would you be talking about a 'wooden iron', used like finger pressing.
It is a great tool, can be found here.


http://www.quiltinaday.com/shoponlin...play.asp?i=710

Is it a bodkin that your looking for??? Eleanor Burns uses this and a straw to turn her applique pieces right side out.

I think the pressing bars will do for most of my needs. I imagine that the bodkin and straw would be to turn things like vines. The bars are made for that and don't need to be turned right side out.

Hmmm... that made me think of something. If the bias strips are sewn right sides out and ironed with the bars, I could put a very thin strip of fusible down the back side of them, iron them on, and the top layer wouldn't be "stuck" to the background. It would hold them in place while doing the hand stitching with no pins. Come to think of it, I could do the same with other pieces. Cut very thin stips of the interfacing, even just little dots with a hole punch, and stick them to the turned under seam allowance of a piece. Peel off the paper, iron them in place, then hand sew them on.

I'll try it.

I was watching the binding video that KLue had posted in another thread, the one by the quillter who enters juried competitions, and she uses elmers school glue to secure the binding without pins prior to handstitching. I've tried it on the blocks I'm making for the B&W exchange (if I ever get to fininsh them), which is a faux cathedral window. It was a pain trying to sew around all the pins. The glue works great, there are no pins, and since it is just starch and water, will wash out without problems. And it isn't stiff. In the future, I'm going to use glue instead of pins where ever I can! And its faster, easier and certainly cheaper than fusible!

Thank you Klue!!!

Eleanor uses the bodkin and straw to turn flowers/ leaves. She uses the ball point on the bodkin to push out the seams from the inside, then uses the wooden iron to flatten them. She also has a great way of sewing the bias strips on to the background fabric without having to turn them right side out, she sews them right sides together to begin with. Pitts, here in California her show comes on three times a week on one of the religious channels. I receive it on channel 442, KNXT on Monday 1-1:30, Thursday 1:30-2, and Saturday 3-3:30. Of course all three shows are the same for the week so if you don't happen to catch it on one day you have two others to choose from. I hope that you're able to find Quilt in a Day with Eleanor in your area, I've learned a great deal from watching. This week she's finishing up the Grandmother's Garden Series. I would imagine a new series will begin with next weeks show.
Oh, by the way, I sew used dryer sheets instead of interfacing on my applique. I iron out the used dryer sheet, sew the fabric onto it right side facing the sheet, make a snip into the sheet and turn right side out. It's light weight and works well. I suppose that once you've turned it right side out that you could put some glue around the edges to glue it onto the background fabric to keep it in place if you wanted to. Hmmm, I might give that a try :wink:

I don't get much of a chance to watch TV during the day as I am at work and I don't have any way to record shows.

Don't dryer sheets tear apart from the strain up turning and pushing out the seams? I got some sew-in interfacing but it is so thin that it just pulls apart, feels like a dryer sheet.

Pittsburgpam, I don't have a problem with dryer sheets tearing. I use the ball point of the bodkin to push out the seams. Try it and let me know what you think.