Appliqué edges... testing some options
There must be dozens of ways to attach pieces of fabric onto a background fabric. For a whimsical project I’m working on, the question is which one to use? In the post about Jenny, she was still unattached (hmmm... perhaps she could try Internet personals.) Anyway, the birds below show a variety of treatments. Satin stitching, topstitching, machine blanket stitch, etc. There isn’t any blind stitching on these, but we know what that looks like, right?
I made these awhile ago and hadn’t looked at them closely again until today. Probably my least favorite is the satin stitching. Maybe it’s just the way I do it, but it looks kind of rigid or something. 
Actually, I think the mix of techniques and thread colors is nice and adds to the whimsical effect. It just might be the answer for Jenny and the rest of the gang.
Hope you’re having a creative week!
I made these awhile ago and hadn’t looked at them closely again until today. Probably my least favorite is the satin stitching. Maybe it’s just the way I do it, but it looks kind of rigid or something. 
Actually, I think the mix of techniques and thread colors is nice and adds to the whimsical effect. It just might be the answer for Jenny and the rest of the gang.
5 comments:
Ya....I am not a big fan of satin stitching either. Just never looks quite right to me......it is like a barrier or something. Quite often I just trap the whole works under a layer of tulle, then have a blast with some free motion stitching. I must say that I really like the looks of the 1st one.
There really are a lot of ways to go about it. There are quilts that I've used a combination of techniques, as opposed to just one technique throughout.
these birds look kind of small for the heavy line of a satin stitch. Satin stitches, even narrow ones, look best on bigger appliques. Of course, that's also so time consuming. And satin stitching is also better for appliques that aren't excessively curvy.
Blanket stitches are faster, and if you are able to make them small enough in a color close to your applique they don't look too clunky and home spun. Other times, you may actually want them to stand out more and vary the scale to larger.
I have actually done a free motion quilted "blanket stitch" on raw edge applique. It worked out great and you'd never be able to tell that it was a "manual" machine blanket stitch as opposed to a programmed one.
Cute birdies! And a great way to figure out how to proceed with "Jenny".
My favorite is Number 1, as well -- and I'm not a fan of satin stitch, either. I can never get the width to come out even throughout the entire piece. I've become enamored of the flat zig zag stitch -- it lets the fabric show through the thread just a bit, and seems to make any color thread work on the piece because of that.
Now, will this little guy co-exist with Jenny??
Diane
Is the colors of #1 that you guys are liking? Just curious.
Jenny and the bird will be in the same project, though not right next to each other. There are a bunch more critters, too...(!)
One thing I’m planning to do as a result of these samples is to have a white sky for more contrast. Having the sky light blue or similar colors seems to darken the whole thing too much.
I, too prefer the first...but it might be the color that biases me. I like variety of stitching...and it's rare that satin stitching is the best for the project (in my humble opinion).
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