QUILTsocial | Issue 08

How to make needle turn applique easier
This part is about is about preparing
leaves for needle turn applique and
making bias strips for tree branches.
Let’s get this color party started with the leaves for
the Autumn Harmony wall quilt.
Let’s get started on the leaves. Trace
the templates provided onto quilting
template plastic and cut out.
Download the templates and trace them onto
quilting template plastic.
The plastic will allow you see the green
striped fabric underneath. I decided to
cut out the leaves a a bit of an angle
to create some visual interest. I added
a ¼” seam allowance, and then traced
around the template. Cut out the
shapes on the fabric.
Preparing for needle turn applique
seems like a daunting process, and it’s
time consuming, but I prefer to have a
firmly pressed edge before I begin, rather
than trying to turn under the raw edge
as I applique the pieces to the main quilt.
This is particularly important in this
project, since the leaves are made
up of two layers of fabric. To do this,
I create a very strong freezer paper
foundation.
Iron four layers of freezer paper together.
Ironing the shiny side down onto fabric
is a way to create a reusable template.
Ironing the paper together creates a
tough but flexible iron table surface that
doesn’t pull apart.
Clip the edges of the leaf shape. Spray a
generous amount of spray starch into a
small container. (I use an egg cup.) Use
a small paint brush to soak the edges of
the leaf shape with starch, then turn the
edges onto the freezer paper template.
Press the edges into the shape.
I found working with the top points of
the leaves first helped the other edges
to form more easily around the rest of
the shape.
Repeat for all the leaves.
For the berries, trace the circle templates
on the plastic and then create it also
onto the bonded freezer paper. Trace
each circle shape onto fabric. Knot a
double length of thread and sew a
running stitch close to the edge of the
fabric circle. Pull the thread tight around
the freezer paper circle. Paint some
starch around the inside edge of the
circle and press. When the circle has
cooled, clip the knot and remove the
gathering thread and then the paper
template. Give the circle a final press.
Repeat for all the berries.
This step will take a bit of time, but take
your time and you’ll be rewarded with
applique-ready shapes.
Fabric tape cut on the bias is fed through a
bias tape maker to create branches that will
gentle curve.
For the bias binding branches –say that
five times fast – you’re going to cut out
three 1¾” strips of brown batik cut along
the bias. To do this, fold down one corner
of the brown batik diagonally to the
opposite edge. Cut the strip to the width
on the diagonal.
Feed the resulting strip through the wide
edge of the bias tape maker, pushing it
through to the starting point with the
point of the tailor’s awl. Pull the fabric
through the bias tape maker, pressing
with the iron. Go slowly and steadily to
create a single fold bias strip.
When the strips have cooled, wind them
in around some flat card, securing with a
Clever Clip, for safe keeping.
Create a crisp edge for the needle turn applique
by painting the fabric edges with starch before
pressing around a freezer paper template.
Gather and press the berry appliques, using spray
starch to create crisp curves for applique.
Q
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