Sharon Pederson

Hi Nancy: I've been using rubber cement on my applique quilts for 25 years and haven't had any problems - but you are right - it doesn't smell very good while applying it. It works well because it stays flexible and 'releases' when you want to remove the freezer paper. I've recently discovered 'repositionable' glue sticks (Scotch brand, Lapel Stick, and Sewline) and they work very well also. The big thing is being able to remove the freezer paper which is why ordinary glue sticks won't work - once they are dry it is a permanent bond.
I hope that helps allay any fears about using rubber cement but if you'd rather something that's a little less smelly go for the above mentioned glue sticks. Cheers, Sharon Pederson. P S - you can't get it in the UK (I had to ship some ahead when I taught there).

happymrs

Thanks, Sharon! Great to see you on here & get some info from you personally. I will try it & see how the smell goes, lol. I tried glue sticks before & wasn't happy with them, so wanted to try this method. I even went to your site to try ask, but couldn't find a link to do it there. Love this book, great job on it!...

saf

Thanks for confirming that I couldn't find it here, Sharon. But the adaption is working OK. Absolutley love the book and am enjoying all the beautiful patterns. Am taking it to class to share with the others. I know that they will enjoy it too.

Sharon Pederson

Hi Nancy & saf: One more quick note - when using rubber cement it is necessary for the glue to be dry before you try to turn the seam allowance over. With the repositionable glue stick you must turn it BEFORE it gets dry.

Best of luck with your projects.

Cheers
Sharon

Kas

Ummm. As an art student in my youth, I used rubber cement on many a project. I would absolutely not advocate its use on fabric! It can't be good for it and I would think it would leave a stain if put on too heavy. Are you putting it on the fabric or just the freezer paper? And if you are using freezer paper, why don't you just iron it to the fabric? It peels off later without adding solvents to your quilt.

frannella

Hi Sharon--I bought your RoS DVD and have learned a great deal from it. It's really wonderful. I am among the subset of fans who didn't pick up on the fact that the accompanying GO! dies (which I also have) don't include a seam allowance (in hindsight I realized the only fabric you demonstrated cutting in the DVD were those 1" circles you recommended be secured using the rough edge method.

What about the stencil kit? Do the stencils include the seam allowance?

Lastly, to return to the rubber cement thread, what does washing do to any cement residues after the freezer paper is removed? Can residue be washed out or does its chemical makeup preclude that?

Many thanks. Fran

Candace

I've only used the starch method and don't feel comfortable using rubber cement either. I have a bottle of it from craft projects and I personally think the application gets messy and its wouldn't like having to wait until it's tacky to get the shapes prepped. There are lots of methods out there and I do appreciate this topic as I've wondered about this myself.

Kas

If you are putting it just on the freezer paper, it won't harm your fabric, but if you are spreading it wet onto the fabric, it will never come out. I am still waiting to see how this is done.

Sharon Pederson

This is a topic that has bounced back and forth for years. There are those who love rubber cement and those who don't. Good thing there is room in the world for all opinions. I like both methods and choose the one that I think is most appropriate for the application I'm working on.

I use the RoS dies to cut either freezer paper templates which I iron to the wrong side of my fabric and then add the seam allowance by leaving 1/8" to 1/4" of an inch around the shape when I cut the fabric. If I'm doing fusible applique I attach the fusible web to the wrong side of my fabric and then run four layers through my AccuQuilt cutter.

Our stencils do not include a seam allowance either. I use them to trace the shape either on freezer paper or on the carrying paper on fusible web. With freezer paper, after I cut out the shapes I do the same as I would if they were cut on the AccuQuilt die. Add the seam allowance when cutting around the shape after it has been ironed to the wrong side of your fabric. Fusible applique is done the same way with shapes cut on the AccuQuilt die or the 'old fashioned' way.

To answer your final question Fran - the residual rubber cement does not wash out - and so far I've not had any deterioration as a result of it. However, I've only been using it for 25 years and I can't guarantee it for longer than that. At my age I don't really care what happens to it after that. LOL

Sharon Pederson

You can't put rubber cement just on the freezer paper. It must be on both the paper and the fabric. When it's dry - which takes less than a minute - you can roll the seam allowance over onto the freezer paper and it will stick. Rubber cement sticks only to itself so it must be on both pieces.
Cheers
Sharon