Pennyhal

Is it normal for the fabric behind an applique to be cut away? Or do you just leave it in?

Do you quilt over the applique when quilting the quilt?

I haven't done applique, but have become interested in doing it. Hope to take a class about it at my LQS.

tessagin

I leave it alone. Not a big deal. My cousin does a lot of applique and does not cut away the fabric. She has done large Hawaiian quilts and does not cut the fabric. check out the different videos like https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sI79_JMX_4g

tessagin

Jan Patek has other videos. A series of different.

Hinterland

It depends. If I want to hand quilt, I cut away the background if I can. If I machine quilt, I leave it on.

Janet

Tartan

I only remove the backing if I am doing a several layer applique. Large applique I usually put some outline quilting in the middle so the applique doesn't sag or wrinkle.

Bree123

It depends on the type of applique you are doing. Sometimes I quilt over my applique, sometimes not. It depends how large it is. If it's a good sized piece, then yes, it needs to be quilted. Smaller sized pieces could go either way. You should definitely quilt right around the edge of the applique. Quilting over it will make it more secure, can add a design to it & can keep it from puffing up too much.

Personally, I don't ever cut away from the back. I know people do, but I'm not really sure why other than that I've been told it makes the quilt lighter.

Prism99

There are many different ways to applique. Whether or not you cut away the back can depend greatly on the method you use.

My favorite applique method is machine applique with freezer paper (a la Harriet Hargrave). This method requires cutting away the background behind the applique in order to remove the freezer paper.

Whether or not you quilt over the applique is a matter of personal choice. Typically on an intricate applique quilt you will quilt around the outside of the applique. Sometimes you even want to add trapunto (padding) underneath the applique. With large appliques, you may want to quilt inside the applique to highlight details and to keep it from puffing up. With fusible applique and raw-edge applique, you may want to quilt an all-over design. There are no rules; just how you want the end product to look.

nativetexan

I tend to leave it in but others like it removed. YOu might try it both ways and see how it feels to you.

Boston1954

I have always left it there, as I use the fusible behind the entire piece.

Kwiltr

The last appliqué I did, I didn't want to cut the background of the quilt away, so I got some of Beth Ferrier's wash away appliqué paper instead of using freezer paper. It worked really well. I quilted on the appliqué to give it a bit of dimension as it was leaves. I think that part is a personal choice.