Machine Applique Question
 

I have a probably silly question...I am learning to do applique. I am stitching it on my quilt background with my machine using a blanket stitch. What I am seeing though is the top thread poking up after I cut my top and bottom threads. What do you do with the top thread?

Are you saying that you are seeing the top thread on the underside of the work? If so, that could be a tension issue. Easy to fix, just takes a little time.

When I finished stitching my buttonhole, I would pull the item away from the needle and give me plenty of thread before I cut the threads. I would then pull the top thread thru to the back and knot it securely on the back. I hope this helps.

Just remembered
 

Yes, be sure both threads are long enough to tie off on the back. Or, after you pull the thread through, if the appliqué is being done as part of the quilting, once the thread is on the back, you could just do a quilter's knot on each thread and pull thru the batting. Or, even with the blanket stitch, I just take a back stitch or two--really isn't very noticeable in the grand scheme of things.


Just remembered: when I hand quilt, one way of getting rid of a tail is to slip the needle under the top fabric and move it around until you catch the thread and side-swipe it to pull it between the batting and the top. Hope this makes sense. And of course, this depends if you are appliquéing on layers.

Thanks everyone! I never thought to pull the thread back through!

This is what I do for all my work. When I am quilting I pull the threads through and tie them off and then thread both of the threads through a big eye needle and bury the threads in the layers. If you are just appliqueing on the quilt top and will be quilting it later then all I'd do is pull the thread through and tie it off and leave the ends if they're not too long as they will be between the layers.