I'm feeling like a real dummy right now. I'm working on my Roseville and my thread is showing, no matter how tiny a bite I take. I was taught that if I didn't have the exact color to match my applique fabric, to go a tad lighter. I asked on another site and was told I should have gone a tad darker.
What is the right answer? I'll pull out the stitches on one piece but not the whole block!
I have found that the key is a small needle and very lightweight thread. I am now appliqueing with 100 wt silk and nothing shows. I was using 50# cotton and that was "pretty good" but the 100 wt silk really disappears. My needles now are size 11 milliner's needles. Good luck with this!
ReplyDeleteExactly what I use too.... it's perfect!!!
DeleteI also use 100 wt silk thread by YLI and Piecemakers applique needles. I try to match close to the top piece being appliqued with the thread color. It also could be how close and the type of stitch that you are using and most defintely the heavier thread does not 'hide' like the silk thread. Also press the block and things may look alot better....if this block looks 'bad' use it for the label. I did this with my corner block as I spilled coffee on it and was afraid it would show some discoloration against the other panels, was glad I did. Hope this all helps & keep at it.
ReplyDeleteI use a "ladder stitch" instead of a traditional applique stitch - illustrated in Ami Simm's book "Invisible Applique" as well as here:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.flickr.com/photos/disdressed/123678094/
No affiliation. Good luck.
I think the right tools for the job can make a big difference. A fine applique needle and technique make a bigger difference than the thread for me. I mostly use Mettler 60 wt but I also sometimes use Aurifil. I don't take a bite of the fabric, I bring the needle up into the fold and control my tension. I'd rather go a tad darker than lighter for my thread and a nuetral like tan or grey if it's a multi coloured piece of fabric.
ReplyDeleteI began using YLI 100wt thread but now supplement with "Wonder fil, invisafil"(its also 100 wt) available in superbobs and 200 metre spools and a great range of colours. I use a number 10 applique needle and bring my stitch out through the fold and put it down just under the fold. Stitches are pretty much invisible, if they start to show its time to stop and take a break.
ReplyDeleteI've been using the YLI silk thread 100, and if I don't have the right colour, I'd use a mid grey, it seems to work. I also use the # 12 needles for applique, the Mary Arden one or the Roxanne are pretty good, Kim McL
ReplyDeleteI also use YLI silk thread and a size 11 straw needle. I bring my needle up under the fold, bite into the folded edge and then come back down just under the edge of the appliqué into the background fabric. Like another commenter said - when I start seeing my stitches a lot - its time to take a break, stretch those tired hands out and walk away from it for a few minutes!
ReplyDeleteAs you can see from earlier comments, silk thread really works well to hide stitches. I currently use mostly Superior Kimono silk #100 in addition to YLI; it comes in a wider range of colors, I think, and seems to me a tad less slippery than the YLI. A 10 or 11 applique needle works well for me. Like Janet, I try to come up in the fold. Good light really helps too, I think.
ReplyDeleteHi Eileen, I have lots of advice for you......I use DMC thread, not the skein kind, but the kind on the spools. It's 100% cotton thread. I had purchased every color they made before I knew about YLI silk thread. I also applique with a quilting needle and a toothpick (to turn corners)...I take a tiny stitch on the turn of the fabric, needle turn, it's sorta like heming. That's my method, and I use the color the closest to the color of the piece, I never think lighter or darker. You know I've won lots of ribbons, and believe me, you can see some of my stitches.
ReplyDeleteI had a wonderful quilting friend Nora Cope, she was a wonderful quilter, she appliqueed everything she did....she always used Mettler 150 ... 692 color, sorta a tan. She said "by gosh, a hundred years from now I want people to know this was hand stitched". You could see every applique stitch she made, she was consistant, probably 1/8th on the side of the turn, you could definitely see her stitches and her pieces were wonderful! and it wasn't buttonhole stitch either. You know my Motto "It doesn't have to be perfect, but it has to be finished" hey, enjoy the ride..........It's our happy place!!!!!
You know the older I get the more I think like Nora, it's ok for people to know you hand stitched it. Go for it girl
Thank you, Eileen, for asking the question and to everyone for the informative comments! I've worried about how visible my stitches are at times and I LOVE Paula's comment. I will probably try some of the 100 wt. silk but, better than that, I will just stop worrying about it too much and keep enjoying my applique.
ReplyDeleteOkay. One more comment on the thread issue. If there's anyone out there who, like me, hates working with silk thread, I have something to add. I used to use 50-weight Aurifil for my applique; lots of colors, etc. I have now discovered a 60-weight cotton thread by YLI called Soft Touch. If you put a strand of it next to the 50-wt Aurifil, it's quite a bit thinner. I just love it and wanted to share my happy secret with everyone else. It's hard to find, and it doesn't have as many colors as Aurifil, but if you Google it, there's many places online that carry it. I supposed some quilt stores have it, too, but none in my area. So if you're like me and hate to applique with silk (it falls off the needle, it doesn't have a memory like cotton and sometimes the stitches don't lay flat, etc.), give the YLI Soft Touch a try. I have no financial interest in this whatsoever; just wanted to give you all a heads-up, and hopefully some of you will try it and like it, and maybe YLI will make more colors. Okay. That's it. Thanks for listening to my rant!
ReplyDeleteKathy Webb
I use MasterPiece thread from Superior Threads. It is 50 wt. long staple cotton. The reason I switched to that is the Frostings come in lots of colors and I didn't want to spend hundreds of dollars on all the different threads. I ended up buying the prewound bobbin collections (http://www.superiorthreads.com/shop/category/thread/?Brand=Frostings-Frosted+Donut) and then I bought regular spools of the two pinks and red as they ran out.
ReplyDeleteAerofil Madeira is my backup thread but it is polyester so I don't usually mix them on a quilt. Mettler Metrosene is what I do my machine sewing with but it tangles on me (a lot) when I do hand applique.
For needles, I really like Jeana Kimball's Foxglove Cottage Straw Needles. I like the medium length. If I accidentally started using a larger needle I would see the threads and it didn't look good.
As far as your current piece, press it and move on. You can redo it when you get back to the beginning but I bet you don't even notice it.
Happy stitching!
I prefer silk thread for my applique because it nearly always disappears and I only need a couple of neutral colors. The slipping out of the needle used to drive me crazy until I learned the trip to anchor it in with a slip knot. The thread is so slick and fine the slip knot doesn't get in the way at all and you never have to worry about the slipping again.
ReplyDeleteOne last comment- I use any thread I have on hand and my quilting needle. I found the key was to go in at the fold line, exactly where the thread comes out of the background fabric, and come back out about 1/16" or less along the fold. Go straight back into the background fabric. This completely hides the thread and makes for a beautifully smooth appliqué. I hope you've found a stitch that works for you.
ReplyDelete