Hi everyone, I'm a self taught quilter also. I was wondering do you need to put your background material in a hoop, before attaching your applique? Or can you just use some spray adhesive to hold it in place? I would really love to learn how to do applique (the right way). I live in a very tiny community and there are no quilt quilds or classes that i could take. I read alot about quilting and buy many, many magazines. I would greatly appreciated if anyone can give me any info. on this subject. Thanks Denise.

Hi, Denise I have done several types of applique and would love to help you. You did not say if you are doing it by hand or machine. You also mentioned an adhesive, what kind? (spray or fusable) Get back to me and I'll help you if I can.

Sorry , I miss the spray adhesive part of your message. If you are doing hand applique I would not use spray it will only make the sewing more difficult.

Hi Ruth sorry for not explaining myself more. I'm interested in doing hand applique. I did a little practise piece with some fusible and didn't like the feel of it after was done. So now i'd like to try the spray adhesive, the kind I have is 505 temporary fabric adhesive. I've been reading as much as i can about different ways to do applique. My main question is do i do the hand applique with or without a hoop? I thought that using the spray adhesive would help hold the pattern as i hand sew it into place on my background material. I want to do the needle turn method. It would probably be much better to just hand baste my pattern onto the background then to use the adhesive right? :D Denise.

Denise, here's a link for the technique I use for applique. It's really very easy and a good way to get comfortable with it. If you want to use something to temporarily anhere the applique piece, a simple glue stick is a good choice.

http://www.cddesigns.com/FreezerPaper/How-Applique.htm

I use a hoop. It is the only thing that makes it managable for me.
Also, you might try freezer paper for your applique. Cut it to the size you want your finished piece to be, being careful to trace it flipped over (if you want your pattern facing right, trace it facing left, as the paper will be fused to the back of the piece you are appliqueing). Iron it to the back of the fabric being appliqued. Cut out the design, leaving 1/4 inch around the outside edge to turn under. You can glue stick the cut out piece in place on the background fabric if you want, but not around the edge. I pin or baste it. Then, use you needle to turn the edges under as you applique. Just before you close up an area, pull that section of freezer paper out from between the fabrics. You will get a crisp edge, a precise size, and still get the softness of not having an extra layer in there. Good luck.

Basting with thread would be a good way to go, I only use the spray if I'm sewing with the machine. I do not hand applique in a hoop, I find it too much to hang on to. I do cut my background about 2 inches larger than the finished block should be, then cut to size after I have everything sewn on. The other thing I find very helpful is to starch my background really crisp before I start to work on it. Let me know if you need more help.

Oh thank you ladies for the great tips, i will definitely will try them out. I am actually going to get into trying some applique today. Have a great day all, Denise.

Best of luck, Denise. Let us know how it goes.

It occurred to me that hoops people refer to for applique might be the quilting hoop. I use a 6" embroidery hoop to applique so that I can reach across it with the thumb and forefinger of my support hand so that I can control the turned under edge better. This is, of course, after I baste the pieces in place. Is this the kind of hoop people are talking about?