diannemc

Is applique by hand hard...I use to do applique on machne all the time . can't you use wonder under light weight and just iron it to back cutting the wonder under a little smaller allowing enough to turn under.. or is it not suppose to look stuck down? ??

mic-pa

If you use wonder under and iron it down I don't see how you will be able to turn it under. I Put freezer paper on the back of my fabric and (cutting the freezer paper the exact size of the piece) iron it on the fabric and cut it out leaving a1/4 inch edge around it. That way I can turn it under as I go before I put the lasst few stitiches in I pull the freezer paper out. Marge

BlueChicken

I do quite a lot of needle turn, and I chose it for exactly that reason, because it's not stuck down. It gives a more dimensional look, with the objects standing out from the background.

I love fusible too, but it is a much flatter look.

I use the freezer paper underneath and upside down, ironing over the seam allowance so it sticks to the paper, then remove the paper and sew the nicely pressed shape onto the background. It gives a nice turned over and smooth edge, without having to turn it as you go.

Another trick I learned, for those itty bitty corners that just don't want to turn under, use a toothpick that has saliva on it (not dripping, just a little wet)... it is much easier than using the needle.

:-)

paintedquilt

I use the freezer paper as well. When finished I make a slit in the back of the backing fabric directly under the applique piece, dampen the fabric under the tap and gently pull out the freezer paper. I place the piece on a thick towel and roll it up and gently tap it until almost all the water is gone. I then gently press with a warm iron. I've never had a problem.

MadQuilter

That's tough to answer. One person's "hard" is another person's "cynch."
There are different methods of hand applique. If the method you describe works for you, why not use it? However, I wonder why you would go through the trouble of hand-sewing when you stick the fabric down with iron-on interface. It sounds like you might have a ridge off the edge.

Prism99

Hand applique is hard for me because of the shape of my hands. I have extremely short little fingers and thumbs. I loved hand applique when I tried it, but found that my hands cramp up very quickly because I cannot hand sew with a normal hand position. Basically you just have to try it yourself. Assuming your hands (unlike mine) are normal size, I would rate hand applique as easy; however, it's also slow. Not everyone likes that slower pace.