QUILTsocial Issue 17

Some tips on how to applique bias strips
How to draw with
bias binding strips
on your quilts
20
Take your time stitching bias strips in place
A closer look at the lettering, you can see the
stitching best on the ‘S’
Showing different ways to finish off bias strip ends.
OUILTsocial
| issue 17
The next step in the noodle quilt is
drawing with bias binding strips.
1. Make the background piece at least
2'' larger all around than you want
your final piece to be. This allows for
wiggle room while sewing the bias
strips down. If you are making your
own noodle bowl wall hanging you’ll
use a ½ yard of bright red fabric.
2. Press the background in half and half
again to get a cross-crease to help
position the pieces.
3. Decide which line will be the first and
pin it down. Use a lot of pins and ease
the curves with your fingers. Don’t
worry too much, a lot of the crinkle
will be erased as it’s sewn down.
4. Take the piece to the sewing
machine and sew the inside edge of
the bias strip down first. Often the
bias strip will lay flat easier when
you start with sewing the inner
edge down.
5. Take to the iron and press from both
sides, front and back.
6. Sew the outside edge of the bias tape.
7. Press again.
8. Continue with this process until your
image is complete.
You may transfer the drawn image
directly onto the background fabric if
you prefer. Remember the bias tape
won’t always behave exactly as wanted
so use a light pencil or other removable
marks in case the bias tape does not
completely cover up the lines.
I chose to keep a copy of my design
handy so I could compose the lines as I
went. You can be as spontaneous or as
planned as you prefer, this is your art!
When I applique, I choose to use
my walking or my even feed foot. It
allows for a flatter finished stitch and
less bunching and stretching of the
background fabric.
For my design, I lay down 4 of the
noodles first, then add the chop sticks,
two more noodles, bowl and finally the
lettering.
If you’re making a noodle bowl of your
own, the chopsticks are approximately
12'' long, the letters are about 2'' square
when complete and the black strips
below the bowl are 14'', 8'' and 8''.
I did not use HeatnBond Lite Iron-on
adhesive on the back of the noodles as
they were fairly easy to create, but I did
use HeatnBond on the letters to keep
them in place as I sewed them down.
HeatnBond Lite Iron-on adhesive is a
good tool, use it carefully and remember
you can’t easily move the bias tape once
it’s fused in place.
When sewing, it’s easiest to change the
thread color with each color of bias tape
you sew. If you keep the bobbin thread
the same, you avoid the pop-ups that
happened in my work. (I used red as my
bobbin thread for all colors).
To complete the ends of the bias tape
you have a couple of options:
• Fold the bias tape over to make a
squared end and sew down.
• Fold the bias tape at a 45 degree
angle, sew all edges and trim the
excess.
Last picture is an example of each.