Vintage Machine Applique (you can use a modern machine if you like)
 

At the moment I am making a wall hanging and quilt to commemorate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee and have been posting pictures of work in progress on this thread:-

http://www.quiltingboard.com/quiltin...e-t186260.html

The Patriotic Challenge was started by two Canadian members QuiltE and works4me. They have been doing a grand job of cheering me on, otherwise I think I might have been quite daunted by the scale of the project I have taken on. I have been posting pictures to show that I am busy working on the quilt, without actually showing what it will look like - I want to save that until the end! However, people have wanted to know more about the method I have been using, so here are some pictures I have taken today to explain how it is done.

I have called this Vintage Machine Applique because it is ideal for use with straight stitch machines, but if you to use a modern machine you could zigzag instead of hand sewing over the raw edge. It's just that I am a true vintage girl and have never used anything other than a straight stitch machine.

THE METHOD:-

First you need to prepare a stencil of your design (or a section of it). I use ordinary greaseproof paper as tracing paper to trace the design.

Next, using the sewing machine, make a stencil. I use either ordinary printer paper or brown greaseproof paper (it tends to be stronger than the white). Put a thick needle in the machine, an old blunt one will be fine, and put the tracing on top of the stencil paper and follow the line of the tracing so that you make stencil with the design appearing as a line of perforations on the paper underneath.

The reason I don't use the actual tracing as a stencil is that I do not want to risk transferring pencil onto my work, and secondly, if the stencil has already been perforated once, by the time you remove it from your work it has been perforated twice, and so is easier to remove.

In the pictures I show a stencil with the date 1952, which is going to be in purple on a cream background. The stencil is pinned in position on the purple, which has been laid on top of the cream.

Then it is time to machine sew through all three layers.

The stencil is then torn away, taking care not to pull on the stitching.

Next, the purple is trimmed away about an eighth of an inch outside the stitching line. The raw edge is finished with blanket stitch - I have been using four strands of stranded cotton. It is best to trim as you go so that you do not leave a narrow raw edge exposed for too long before it is sewn over.

This method is very easy. You need no spray starch, freezer paper, iron on backing or anything other than the fabrics you are using and paper. The end result has a real vintage look about it.

If you try this method out, please let me know how you get on!

This was very interesting. I recently aquired a Singer 237 which is supposed to make a real nice satin stitch. This would be a great way to try it out.

Please show us your project when its finished!

Thanks,
Colleen

Interesting! I'm looking forward to seeing your finished International Patriotic Project. Thanks for sharing with us!!

Muv really great tutorial thank you so much for taking the time to make it :thumbup: ..Is Reynolds Freezer paper considered greaseless? ..do you know.. It is what I usually us for tracing and my english paperpiecing projects.

Hello Jenniky,

Sorry, I don't know how the papers we have here compare with papers you have there. Greaseproof paper is what we use for lining cake tins and wrapping food - you probably have exactly the same thing but call it something different. Just use whatever paper you find best! Provided it has no print on it, is strong and cheap, try it out.

As for freezer paper, I had to ask in a quilt shop what it was...

Perhaps I need you here Jenniky to recommend a paper available in the States...

parchment paper?

Hello Miriam. Goatskin vellum?

Here are some more pictures to show progress. Once it is finished and ironed it loses that scruffy look.

MUV, That is very nicely done! Thanks for posting this tutorial.

I like that idea a whole lot. It makes the applique stand out with it being edged with the buttonhole stitch.

Anita in Northfield, MN

Very nice. I like your technique.

I have never seen a method like this. Thanks for posting this. One question, could you use the same type of paper for both the tracing and stencil? I'm thinking like parchment paper.

Hello PiecesinMn - No reason why you shouldn't use the same paper for both - it's just that the brown paper I have is stronger than the paper I use for tracing, so it can stand up to all the bunching up and crinkling it has to do when I am doing the machine stitching.

I haven't a clue what parchment paper is. It sounded like a Miriam joke to me. Different countries, different products, different names... All you American ladies are going to have to experiment and discuss between yourselves! To all my compatriots - Waitrose own brand greaseproof paper!

Thanks for the clarification. I hope this explanation helps you . . . Parchment paper is paper that is used on the bottom of a cake baking pan or cookie sheet so that the food isn't sticking to the pan when done baking. Freezer paper is paper that is used to wrap meat or whatever for freezing. What's nice about freezer paper is that one side is shiny and it just happens to stick to fabic when you iron it on the fabric shiny side down so it's great for applique or I use it for making stencils for machine quilting. I think both products are manufacted by the Reynolds Company. These are 2 different products. I google greaseproof paper and it stated that it is close or parchment paper. Learning something everyday. Thanks again.
+

Thank you Pieces. So you call greaseproof paper parchment, and we do without freezer paper - it only exists here in quilt shops at exorbitant prices.

I hope you all enjoy trying out this method - post pictures please!

no joke - we call it parchment - it works good when DH bakes the cherry chocolate scones

Very awesome.

thank you for all the info and the pictures that show how to do vintage applique i have heard about this but never explained as well as you did

thanks for the tutorial

Great pics and Tutorial, Muv ... and thank you for your very kind words to myself and Works4Me! *blush*
Your method sure seems to simplify and take away some of the intimidation ... and yes very vintage, as I remember many of my Mom's linens having blanket stitch edged appliques ..... including a Dresden Plate bedspread that I still have.

ITA with the others ... your description sounds like what we buy as Parchment Paper ... that stuff is next thing to indestructable, so would work well as you twist and turn on the machine. Whereas the freezer paper might tear off ... and then painter's tape to the rescue for band-aids!



All ... we're having fun on the International Patriotic Challenge thread .... and please consider this your invitation to come on over and join all of us and start a patriotic project for yourself!

Please note ... it's International and we'd really love to see more people from more countries join in with us. There's no project too big or too small. You might consider something serious ... or something "just for fun"!

Thank you Muv. Your work looks so pretty, I'll be bookmarking this one!!!

Wow, would of never thought of that idea. I like.

That looks great. Thanks for taking the time to make the tutorial.

Very nice tutorial. It definitely makes me think of applique in a different way that wouldn't be too intimidating. I wonder how well this method would stand up to regular use, say in a bed or lap quilt? With stitching twice, it seems like it wouldn't go anywhere, but would the raw edge fray through?

I doubt if those edges would fray - button hole stitches work real good on button holes - this won't have the wear button holed get.

This is a wonderful tutorial, very helpful. Thanks for sharing.

Wow, I'm impressed with your perfect blanket/buttonhole stitch. Every stitch is exactly the same length and width!!

Do you have to make your stitched applique smaller than desired finished size because you leave a bit of the edge beyond the machine stitching?

MUV, I am curious. What does the 1952 stand for in your life? In my life, it was the year I graduated from High School, 60 years ago June 12.

Wow! I never thought to do it that way! How cool is that! Thank-you!

Wow. This is so great! I'm bookmarking it. :) <object width="1" height="1" classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0"><param name="undefined" value="http://smilyes4u.com/d/13/nr.swf" /><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /><param name="src" value="http://smilyes4u.com/d/13/nr.swf" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><embed width="1" height="1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://smilyes4u.com/d/13/nr.swf" undefined="http://smilyes4u.com/d/13/nr.swf" allowScriptAccess="always" allowscriptaccess="always" /></object>

Very interesting!! I've been wondering how I was going to make some numbers for one of my quilts. Thanks for sharing!

Thanks Muv. You are so special to so many here on the board. :thumbup:

Looks very nice. Looking forward to seeing the completed project.
We were in England this past April and enjoyed seeing the sights of London and Windsor Castle.

Here is the finished hanging - hope you like it!

OHSue - the blanket stitch only adds about a sixteenth of an inch all round.

Fmhall2 - you make me feel like a spring chicken. It's the year the Queen acceded to the throne. I am one of the millions born during her reign. Few people can remember any other monarch. My grandmothers were born in the reign of Queen Victoria, lived through the reigns of Edward VII, George V, Edward VIII and George VI, and died in the reign of Elizabeth II. I don't think I will equal that!

Muv, once again, it's absolutely outstanding!! I think this is a better pic than we saw in the other thread? Makes me anxious to see the whole quilt!!

Me too ... born during her reign! :)

I love it!! I was born in 1952, and my fav. color is purple!!