Your thoughts on this quilt video
 

This quilt cought my eye. However, she made this using raw edge to attach orange peels. I wish she showed what quilt looked like after being washed. She opted to use straight stitch and no bottom fabric to turn inside out to eliminate raw edge. I know using a blanket stitch would help a lot with raw edge, but how much it would help is yet to be seen. And as she stated, takes a lot longer to do.

Have you had any experience with making a quilt like this using raw edge. What are your thoughts. Do you have any pictures of it after multiple washings?

Here is video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0VU...crapFabricLove

I honestly would not waste my time or fabric on making it the way the youtube suggests, unless it was a wall hanging. It is beautiful and I can see why it caught your eye. But I do not think it would stand up to the day to day wear and tear of a well loved quilt. I'll be watching this thread to see what others have to say.

I agree with GingerK. Too much time and fabric wasted when the quilt begins to come unstitched from use or washing. Most folks don't know how to wash quilts and they can stress out the straight stitch along the edge. They either wash them too often or never! I might try it with a really close zig-zag so it looks almost like a satin stitch. Have you considered giving it a try on a pillow nor table runner then make a decision about a whole quilt?

I agree with the above posters. If you want to make a quilt with orange peels (it's called orange peels, by the way, because a lot of people cut their oranges into quarters and eat a quarter, pulling off the peel as they go. The left over peel from the quartered orange is this shape! -- my kids used to call it an orange smile as they would put the quartered peel in their mouth over their teeth and then smile! :))

Anyhow, I digress... If you want to make a quilt with orange peels and do the straight stitch around like she did, but want it to be a quilt that will last --- then put a back on each peel, by matching right sides together (of the front and back piece - Note: you can even use fusible interfacing for the back piece), then make a small slit in the back and turn the piece right side out, press it, then sew the orange peel onto the block with the straight stitch. (if you use fusible for the back piece, you can just iron it on to hold it in place and then do a straight stitch around the edges like she did.) You'll never know you put the back piece on especially if you make it the same fabric or iron it carefully before sewing it down.

I think it would turn out very similar to a rag quilt, and a charming one at that. I'd probably shorten my stitch length and be fairly generous with the seam allowance.

There's a woman named Kellie Wulfson in Australia, she used to have a wonderful blog called "Don't Look Now" but I think she shut it down when she opened a quilt shop. Anyway. She made the most beautiful applique quilts and they were all raw-edge straight-stitch applique. She used a shorter stitch length and went around each piece twice. These were quilts made for her 4 children, so they were used and washed.

I do raw edge applique. I have washed those quilts many times and the edges are soft. Not one has come unstitched. And if it did, easy to resew around it.

How close to the edge did you sew? Was it a straight stitch close to the edge (1/8th " from edge) or a blanket stitch, or blind hem stitch. I recall seeing one several years back on you tube I think. Can't for the life of me find it now. But I remember thinking it was cute. It may have had a wider hem around it though. Or maybe I just dreamt it.

Did you use any sort of fusible interfacing on back of your applique piece to streangthen it, or just apply it like she did in the video?

I use a 1/8 inch left compensating foot and one click passed the 2 stitch length. I use straight stitch. My machine is TL Juki 2010q The foot is amazing. Every stitch is exactly the same from the edge. . I glue baste the applique to the background so it won't shift or bunch.

I don't know where to start! I would need to satin stitch after sewing around pieces. And I would use interfacing to make them stiffer. I also don't pre-cut additions.
I reverse draw the applique on back of main fabric, and cover each area on the front with appropriate fabric to outline/stitch. On the front, I trim close to stitching. Satin stitch at the end. I also use newspaper under area when satin stitching. It seems to help with smoothness. This is my example.

Preface by saying I didn't watch the video, but I've done this on leader ender quilts. In the photo attached you can see what well washed looks like, the red square with blue surround., Because they are both cut on the bias they don't unravel, just softly fray. I use a zigzag on the losenges quilt that tacks back and forth on the cut so it barely fluffs. I'd show a photo of it but I buried my little doxies in it last fall.

I recommend the process for fun quilts.
I guess it doesn't show much on the losenge quilt, but all the corners on each block are stitched this way. Then I trimmed off the back triangle.

I also did it on a bullseye quilt with three stacked heart shapes using one of my fancy stitches just inside the fabric, it frayed up softly and is a favorite quilt, but again, it is all bias so the technique works well.

Raggedy Hearts quilt, washed many times. the sashing was snowballed/covered corners that way too, no fooling around with drawing lines :)

KalamaQuilts, that's a very pretty quilt!

Interesting way to use denim. I wouldn't do it raw edge. I'd use the stitch onto fusible interfacing (Pellon 911FF) and turn under, using the fusible side to the fabric on top. The edges would be turned and the top pieces of orange would be fused to the interfacing. Then I would applique the oranges on with my machine in a straight stitch. I really like the two orange approach per block.

Ok that one might have to go on my bucket list, so pretty!

I made a "French Rose" quilt that was raw edged. It was layered and as you added the layers, you cut out from the back some of the previous layer. After a bit, the layers frayed a bit giving a soft look. I rather like it. It was fun to do and if you just do a search for "French Rose quilt" Some photos will pop up. I think I remember stitching around it twice with a straight stitch

Some adorable quilts shown here, and some great input. So I figured I'd compromise today and cut out some orange peels, and 6 1/2" square background blocks, and after much trial and error made one whole flower using 4 blocks together that I glued and then sewed around the peels with a very small zig zag resempling a saten stitch. this doesn't come easy for me, and even with a regular zig zag I have trouble keeping it properly lined up. So you can imagine how long it took me to make these? I'm wondering now if making turn edged peels would be any quicker.

I have to say though. This is one pretty block

Hang on.... if you're gluing them, how are you having trouble keeping it lined up? I'm missing something....

No, the glueing just keeps the peels in place while sewing. That works fine. It's keeping that tiny tight stitch on the edge of the peel that I'm having problems with. I have to go so slow to keep it on the edge, and my old eyes have a hard time staying focused so long. It takes a lot more skill doing this long term than just mastering 1/4" seams.

By the way Peckish, I did find Kellie Wulfson on line, but unfortunately I did't see any quilts made this way.

Yeah, she's taken her blog, with all her pictures, down completely, I believe. But you can see closeups of her technique here and here (on the last picture, click to enlarge it for better detail.)

I take it back - she hasn't taken her blog down. It's here: https://dontlooknow.typepad.com/dont_look_now/

and one of her quilts describing her version of applique: https://dontlooknow.typepad.com/phot...eart-pink.html

I was intrigued with the denim/orange peel quilt.Thank you Schill93 for posting the link to her video. I especially liked her ida and method of layering the petals. I watched the video and was also curious about her quilt as you go method so I found and watched her video on how she went about that. It is a second video and at the end she shows the completed quilt. I liked it very much and her final quilt was beautiful. Since I have an orange peel quilt on my "to do this year" list because I have a stack of leftover orange peels already to stitch down, I think I will try her method of quilt as you go. I will also add peels to my leftovers as they are black and white only fabric and some color would be good. My method is to use wonder under or heat and bond on the fabric and adhere to the background before appliqueing down. I do like the denim even though I have none in my stash, might have to bend my no more fabric purchases rule. lol.
here is a link to her second video with QAYG and the finished quilt. You can fast forward to the end to see the final quilt at the end.
Murphy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKFQIikWSiU

Thanks, Murphy, for the video. I fast forwarded through and love the look of the double peels. Some are made of "crumbs" and some are just solid pieces. Also, using the denim makes for an interesting background colorwise. Bet that's a heavy quilt. I love hand appliqueing orange peels and have made 3 baby-sized quilts of them.

I just watched her quilts in 2023 review. She showed how she will need to do repairs after washing this quilt. I tried taking pictures during the review so added them here. I was afraid of raw edge Applique doing this after so much work, so when I made my jellybean quilt I lined the jellybean with a muslin fabric right sides together, cut a small slit and turned, pressed and then straight stitched onto my background. It’s holding up well.

There is nothing wrong with raw edge appliqué, IF you use a shorter and/or denser stitch to prevent complete and uncontrolled fraying. And most raw edge folks use something like Steam A Seam 2 under the piece to ensure that fraying is limited.

I love the look of a bit of fray around the edge of raw edge appliqué. It is folksy and charming, and kids love the soft texture of the edges. Orange peel would be adorable done this way!