MarionsQuilts

I have a much higher level of respect for those of you who do applique on a regular basis. Wow, what a lot of work LOL And I did it the "easy" way - sticky paper!

I bought the kit for this from whims.cc because I just fell in love with it.

So it's all done except for the quilting.

Here's a pic of it so far. I just love the "watercolour" of the fabrics and will likely do a couple more. I did find the kit a tad expensive (this one was $36, not including the border) ... now that I've seen how it's done, I'm 99% sure I could do this myself with a bunch of scraps!

Question for those that applique - should I do a satin stitching around the edge of the dragonflies before I quilt? I used the steam-a-seam 2 paper and the fabric isn't fraying - will it fray later?

Also - when I quilt it - should I NOT quilt over the dragonflies, or should I quilt them separately??

I know most of it is a matter of personal choice, but I really don't want to mess it up! So any advice before I quilt it would be very very welcome!

Thanks for looking!

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ruthrings

Very beautiful. And I'm not an expert, but have done several appliqués. My thought would be, definitely, yes, satin stitch or button hole stitch before quilting, and yes, also quilt around the dragon flies so they stand out. This really is a lovely quilt!!

tessagin

If you quilt over the dragon flies I would echo just enough. My cousin uses vinyl that she can wipe off and auditions the designs and she usually does simple when it comes to areas of applique like yours. Anxious t see the finish. It's beautiful.

Tartan

Since the dragonflies have a stain glass effect on black, I would satin stitch with black. You might need to put a stabilizer under the piece for satin stitching so it doesn't tunnel though so maybe a buttonhole stitch in black might work better. Before stitching on your gorgeous piece, try a few scraps to see what you like best. I would quilt the dragonflies stitching on the black with black thread. The background I might quilt so it looks like wind currents behind the dragonflies.

dottie dodge

I made a stained glass nativity scene a few years ago and I stitched all the black - stained glass part - with a buttonhole stitch using Sulky's black metallic thread. It added just a tiny bit of sparkle to the wall hanging that I really liked. You might like that type of thread on your dragonflies. I think your wall hanging is wonderful!

quiltingbuddy

Just gorgeous! My daughter loves dragonflies. Do you remember where you got your kit? It doesn't sound that expensive to me, and so much easier than trying to collect a bunch of fabric for the watercolor part. I did a watercolor quilt from a kit awhile back with a covered bridge and didn't satin stitch around the edge but I knew it would not be used. Since yours is a table runner I would definitely stitch the satin stitch around the appliques so they don't ravel when used/washed. Nice job!

MarionsQuilts

I got the kit at whims.cc

thanks all for comments and suggestions. This will be my last project of the season. Once the nice weather is out my machine goes away!! Living in Ottawa means taking advantage of beautiful warm weather. Tomorrow is +19. I can't wait to be outside ALL day!!

Genden

Beautiful table runner. From my experience, I would suggest buttonhole stitch around the dragonflies in black on black. Satin stitch is heavier and in my opinion would detract rather than add. The buttonhole stitch is more subtle. I make my buttonhole stitch short in both length and width and it tends to blend into the fabric. I have used Sulky rayon thread. Metallic is tricky to use, but the Sulky rayon is easy. It has a shine to it that gives an extra dimension to the applique.

ckcowl

I do Tons of machine applique, it's definitely my favorite technique. Your watercolor quilt came out great! 😀
I'm one of those who NEVER satin stitches my appliques. I HATE that thick, stiff, hard type of stitching that ( in my eyes) takes away from beautiful applique. I use a small blanket stitch or zigzag that is near invisible. I wish I knew how to link pictures from previous posts to show you the spring bouquet quilt I sent my aunt last Christmas so you could see my stitches, but I've not figured out how to do that.
Maybe you can see the applique stitching on the ocean bargello

Kitsie

I'm assuming you mean +19 celsius!! Farenheit? I would not consider "beautiful, warm weather'! LOL