Appilique tips
This is a quilt that is being offered for free on the CQA Members website. The centre surround has been redesigned. After being at Art college and looking at this quilt more closely, that inner border is weak in design, so I've changed it a bit, just the inner border, the quilt looks much the same as it is here. I've given the Canadian Quilters Association copyright permission to use it and although I haven't seen it, I'm told it is on their website now for members to download for free.
A quiet day following Christmas, bedsheets to wash, dry on racks around the wood stove (since we were placed on Smart Meters, which records our every usage, I refuse to use my dryer. Our hydro bills, because of the B&B can be quite high unfortunately. Nice to be with family and although there is one family missing of choice, we had a lovely time with supper and overnight. Unfortunately, too, my 5 yr. old granddaughter is in the midst of recovering from Scarlet Fever, the only childhood disease I hope to avoid in my older age. I had it three times from the age of 4 to eighteen, every seven years and pick up strep throats like dogs do fleas. The incubation period is one to seven days. I'll rest a little easier in a week's time...but that's what happens with grandparents...we can and do pick up our grandchildren's illnesses and it hits us all the harder.
RoseyP in southern Ontario, Canada
posted by RoseyP @ 11:24 AM
12 Comments:
The straw (milliners') needle is quite thin and a bit easier to bend than a regular sharps needle. I just have an easier time doing needle turn with it. As with anything else in quilting, whatever makes the quilter comfortable is most important. As far as silk thread goes, I have never had a problem with breakage. I haven't come across the silk covered cotton thread in my wanderings through the internet, so haven't tried that.
I was at a "show and tell" one time, and the lady did applique while traveling in a motor home. She said that she threaded an entire package of needles onto the thread spool, knotted the end, and then would advance one needle, cut the thread and knot it again to keep the needles from coming off the spool. I find that if I do this while the light is good during the day, I can do without trying to thread those tiny eyes at night when my old eyes have trouble coordinating.
Kathi
http://www.discountvacuumandsewing.com/mettler-thread
Kathi, I just went on the internet and Googled: Mettler Silk Covered Cotton Thread. This is one website to consult. Just copy and paste it. I've bookmarked it as I may buy over the internet since the only store I can find this thread in is in Midland, Ontario, an hour and more north of here.
Straw needles...I'll look for them. Our local Cobwebs & Caviar store is going out of business; it's a twenty minute drive from here and they may have some. Bending needles however, which I've had just happen naturally, tend to only bend one way and once bent, they're not much use to me bent. Flexible, would be better.
Rosey
My favourite needle for needleturn applique is the Roxanne's applique needle -- very thin, fairly long but not as long as the straw needle and not quite so prone to bend.
My favourite thread is either the 60/2 machine embroidery thread or silk. The silk is stronger than cotton and it does just disappear into the fabric.You don't have to match the colour with silk thread; the neutrals are good for almost everything.
The Mettler thread is not actually silk wrapped. The "silk finish" is their term for the smooth finishing process they use in the manufacture -- it really is 100% cotton thread.
And yes, I have been prethreading the whole pack of needles for applique and for hand quilting since I started having to wear reading glasses about 20 years ago. It is rather lovely to not have to stop and thread needles as the day goes on and the eyes get tired...
Jean at Mill Bay, enjoying a very quiet day in front of the fire today, reading a book and eating leftovers.
I'm going to have to order some of those applique needles and decide which ones I like best. From what I'm reading about them, it looks like they have a larger eye than the straw needles, too.
Kathi
Well, thanks Jean for the information on the silk finish on cotton thread. I'll look up the Roxanne needles as well. I have tried, years ago, the silk thread and found it broke more easily than the silk finished cotton thread. And I've wondered, too, if matching fabric type to thread type is better in the long run. I don't know. I do know that my friend Beckie swears by silk thread so I'll check this out too and see how it works for me.
The site I posted, they don't ship out...there is another site I've found for the silk finished cotton thread. Shopping over the internet saves a long trip sometimes.
Rosey
Going to see if this works. I am on the I-pad at the Jacksonville beach. It is sunny, but windy and 30 degrees, cold for Fla. I walked the 2 dogs at 7am and was glad to have a wool coat, hat, and gloves on. Sorry to attach this to posting of Rosey's but the I pad won't let me post normally. My DD, SIL, and Grand boys have taken over our house, jeans and air mattresses everywhere! DH likes his privacy, so we are fortunate to have this place to come.
I spent many hours cleaning up my quilt room so the boys could sleep there. They are 3 teens now, one 11 yr. old. They have new phones that they play games on! Yesterday they watched repeats of a TV show of a pawn shop for many hours. Since they have no TV service at their home I kept quiet. At 4pm I took over the remote and said we were watching "Dr. oz.". They even liked it
More. ..got cut off. Science exp. on Dr. Oz, they liked. Today they are going fishing and wake boarding with cousins. How they are going in the water without wet suits, I don't know. Two already have colds. I am hoping DD and I can sit and talk today, she is grieving still, over the death of daughter. The Internet just isn't like a face to face talk.
DH just left for work (8:00 AM) He gave me a late Christmas gift last night of an I-phone. My girlfriends have them, I wanted one, but now am afraid. A learning curve for sure. One of the grands could give me a lesson! I may not check in for a week, they leave on the 1st to drive back. Blessings to all for 2013.
Sara in Florida
There's an applique person in our quilt guild,I'll ask her what she uses in thread. Supposed to be a new thread out a few months ago and I think it was made by Aurifil,but I'll find out and comment again. The few ladies at a shop that had used it were raving about it. Lavinia
Rosey - that "Silk finish" is very misleading, and a lot of people think it is silk thread. I wish Mettler would change that.
I prefer to use a 60/2 cotton thread. The appliqué stitches disappear much easier than when I used the Mettler ~silk finish~ 50/3 cotton thread. I've gotten so accustomed to piecing with Aurifil that the Mettler 50/3 now looks like rope to me. How did I ever applique with it???
There are a lot of new, thin threads out in recent years for hand appliqué. I haven't done any in ages, so I'm not up on the latest greatest threads. :-)
I like to use a Sharp needle for hand appliqué. I tried the straw/milliners many years ago (a teacher at AQS-Paducah swore by them) but they're too thin and bendy for me. A sharp works best for my big hands.
For all the years I've done applique work, I've never thought to know about the numbers on the thread. I don't know where to find them..so now I do...never noticed that before. The Silk Finish is 50/3 so now I've learned something. I am of the old school of quiltmaking and I guess that I've just accepted the fact that applique stitches were allowed to be seen, small, tidy, neat but otherwise, okay to be seen. As himself would say: Wow. Odd that I could be doing something for so many years and not know about the numbers on spools of threads. Thanks.
Rosey
On Mettler, the weight numbers are printed on the spool ends. 50/3 means 3-ply and 50 is the weight of each ply of thread. The higher the number, the finer the thread.
Aurifil Mako Cotton is 50/2, so each ply of thread is the same as Mettler's, but it is 2-ply which makes it thinner and gives more accurate piecing for me.
Superior Threads' web site has excellent articles about threads. Granted, some of it is shameless self promotion but they're in the business to sell their own thread. LOL However, the information they share is excellent.
MAIN EDUCATION PAGE is well worth a browse and a wonderful way to spend the afternoon with a cup of tea: https://www.superiorthreads.com/education/
https://www.superiorthreads.com/education/thread-education/twist-and-quality-why-twist-is-important-in-thread
https://www.superiorthreads.com/education/thread-education/understanding-thread-weight-system-learn-correct-thread-measurements
When I was at the quilt shop this morning, I studied Gutterman's cotton thread and did not find a number on the spool anywhere other than the colour number. Interesting. I shall now be looking.
Rosey
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