ShiAnnF

I am in need of some help please anyone. I am appliqueing some animals on a quilt (machine applique) when I get all around the animal I have puckers at the end of the material. Like there is too much material for the room I have left to applique. I am not good at describing things. What am I doing wrong? I suppose I could go to the next train car and ask for help but they are all busy, something about disappearing blocks, I said if they are disappearing why spend so much time making them. They just laughed at me must be some inside joke. Or else the girls had to much Kool Aid?

QuiltnNan

it sounds to me like you need to put more pins in the applique to keep it where it belongs. or you can put a fusible on the back and fuse it to the background fabric so that it does not move while you are sewing.

elizabeth_agd

Yep and yep! Exactly what I was going to recommend. Also, when I sew I hold the bottom (not applique) firmer than the applique so that it "stretches" more. Does that make sense?

Toni C

Did you use a stabilizer under the block? What kind of stitch are you appliqueing with? Usually with machine applique you could get tunneling with satin stitch if it's to tight which would kind of gather your material = puckers

Tartan

I have found that you will get little puckers around an appliqué if the Zig Zag stitching is dense. You can do a few things to help....put a stabilizer under the background fabric to sew through to prevent tunneling, open up the Zig Zag a little so it's less dense or switch to the buttonhole edge finish instead.
Another method of doing appliqué is to stitch about 1/8 in from the appliqué edge and let the fabric edges fray. This method is called raw edge appliqué and I find it works best with batiks that fray less. Unless that is the look you are going for like in the French Rose bed runner?

kristakz

I find that a stabilizer is needed, to avoid puckering in applique. As QuiltnNan said - you can use fusible. I actually used a piece of paper last time - layer paper, quilt, applique and stitched through all 3. Worked great, and then I tore it off, like paper piecing.
Next train car? Am I missing something? Sounds like your friends are making disappearing 9-patches http://www.popularpatchwork.com/site...structions.pdf

AliKat

Okay, right now you have some puckering.

I prefer to either do a light bonding with fusible web or glue baste with school glue or other water soluble glue. Pins and I don't work all that well together due to my arthritis.

Though you could pin more, use stabilizer, and adjust your stitch. Heck you could even put it in a thin edged embroidery hoop to keep the background flat while you sew.

ali

ShiAnnF

I was referring to the train for the mystery quilt. I was just kidding about the disappearing nine patch I know what it is.

ShiAnnF

Thank You All, I will tru the stabilizer, I am using pins, lots of pins. I like the sounds of the glue also.

irishrose

1) fusible web 2) stabilizer 3) foot with room for the satin stitch - mine is called the embroidery foot 4) lengthen the stitches a tiny bit so you're not putting down as much thread 4) raise the presser foot and readjust the fabric on tight curves to release the pressure a bit - no sharp turns, just not pushing the fabric. I forgot the stabilizer on my last one and it worked fine. Years ago I used tissue paper on the back and it was enough.