I have my butterflies fused with interfacingand have practised using a blanket stitch to applique but it is hard for me to keep the stitching consistently to cover the edge without going onto to the background square. Any tips on how to make my applique edging more accurate and less "messy"? Any way to use paper as a guide? Thanks for any advice. Pauline (I can't see where the edge is because the foot covers it up as I sew it.

Great question; will look forward to replies!

Try a different foot....more open toe!! Good luck

I think it's just something you have to practice. Do you have a clear foot so you can see better?

If your stitching the applique down before sandwiching, use an open toe "clear" foot & you can see where your stitching. For quilting around applique, I use mostly YLI Wonder invisible thread with a stitch on my machine that looks like hand applique.

When I use the blanket stitch, I use an open toe foot and go very slowly. I run the straight stitches along the edge of the applique on the background and have only the zig over the applique.

Yes, use a clear foot and slow stitching. Practice and it will become second nature.

..The first time I tried machine appliqe and using the blanket sitch, oh lordy, it was not pretty......Practice, practice, practice....Also, try keeping your eyes slightly in front of where you are sewing........and try using an open-toed foot..that's what I've found works best for me......One other thing to consider, a friend of mine was having problems with her machine applique as well..no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't get the blanket stitch to sew correctly...it ended up being her feed dogs...they were loose...She got them fixed and now, she's doing great....Just food for thought....Good Luck....

I use a clear foot which helps immeasurably.

Oh - and go very slow.......... :-)

Open toe or clear foot for sure.

Use an open toed foot but go very slowly. It took me time to practice on a scrap piece of fabric before I tried it on my project.

Thanks for all the info guys...I'm gonna try my hand at this one day! :D

ditto.

I just did a piece yesterday and the difference from when I started and when I finished was amazing. Practice, Practice, Practice!

I do lots of applique. An open toe foot is a must. Then, time and practice. In the meantime, don't be too picky. Your stitching will improve over time.

Thanks so much for all the advice about appliqueing on my butterfly quilt. I have been practising your recommended method with an open toe. Never thought of that. What a difference. I kept the feed dogs up and I think I am going to start making the real appliques after a little more practise. Once again, thanks so much to you who are much more experienced than myself!!!! Pauline

either a clear foot, or an open toe foot so you can see where you are going is what is needed to make it easier to applique...have fun!

So happy to hear this is working better for you :D
Some pieces require you to stop more often, needle down, lift the presser foot, turn, and sew.
Some pieces you can just sew and turn at the same time...

The more you do it, it will become second nature for you :D:D:D

If you really enjoy the raw edge applique, invest in the open toe foot for your machine. It will be worth it and much less frustration.

I think the key to learning anything new is PRACTICE! The time spent practicing is well worth it!!

Use an open toe foot and if you can change needle position, try that. I have the edge of the applique on the inside edge of my foot and use needle down and go slowly. Practice on a scrap to see where to have needle position. Hope this helps.

Thanks so much for asking this question. I had been working on a project that I put away until after I got my machine serviced, but it is still put away. Now that I know I was also using the wrong foot, I will start practicing again.

An open toed foot is pretty imperative so you can see where you're going. Please remember to post your quilt pic when you're finished, we'd love to see it!

i don't use the fusably stuff anymore. i made one quilt , and used 7 yards of fushing.i put computer paper undar mine, and it does great.

I took a class last year on embellishments and we did it by free motion quilting to put our appliques onto item. The tropical birds and flowers were all added by FMQ.

never crossed my mind to think of using the open or clear foot. I'm gonna do that and PRACTICE.....PRACTICE....PRACTICE. What a helpful idea for solving that problem, for me and plenty of others.

THANKS all of you that replied to the original person, as it helped me as well.

You can also use a tiny zig zag with invisible thread

I like that idea and will try it also. Speaking of attaching something, the idea just flew into my head that when I make those dolls I give away to kids with cancer and other devestating things, I could take a piece of vinyl (a rectangle or a square wide enough for two or three fingers to poke into, attach it with either method and make a pocket where an
'I LOVE YOU' or other notes could be put inside the pocket (ever changing notes) for the child to read to keep her (his if a boy doll) spirits up. Hope that makes sense. It would go in the center on the the front bottom on the girls skirt
(or the front of the boys pant legs on the right or left side)

Has has been previously said:
Open toe foot
Go slow
Practice, practice, practice
Sometimes on small pieces you may only be able to take a couple of stitches before you have to raise the presser foot and turn the piece just a hair.

So glad this question was asked. I just appliqued last night, and I did pretty good, but, never thought of an open toe foot. I'm sure my result would have been better, but I still need to practice, practice, practice.

have found using a ajustable zipper foot or a narrow 1'4 inch foot allows me to better se and manuver the applique. Use a medium width zigzag on a fine length setting. This gives it a clean look and locks in any frays. Stay away from the widest zigzag as it begins to look sloppy very easily and is harder to sew over in correction or adding depth.

That is how I applique also.

i use an applique foot which has a clear front and use satinstitch for stitchin

I always use stabilizer when I applique and it is not sandwiched

The way I do it-is go slow. Slow is the key. This works for me.

Question interfacing on the back of the applique?

and raw edge? Why the interfacing?

And you said you are trying to do the blanket stitch?

Do you have a picture? Cause usualy if you use the featherweight interfacing. You sew around the shape RST and slit the interfacing and turn then you iron it to the blk or ?

The open toe foot is a must for appllique.

and to get a nice edge are you using a stablizer of somekind behind the fabric you are putting the applique on?

I guess I have more question than an answer without seeing what you are doing.

Any question, PM please.

ConnieF

And use a tear away stabilizer (that is commonly used for machine embroidery) under the area, and it's a bit easier to stitch.

This may sound strange but I talk to the stitches "front, back, front, in, out; front, back, front, in, out. Then I know where my needles is going when I get to a turn or something. Hope that makes sense.

it sure makes sense to me. I talk to my stitches all the time