It happened. I had the moment where I understood the appeal of applique. Having this moment required some key elements:
1. Probably the most important is this little unassuming tool: an applique presser foot.
It came as part of this pretty sweet presser foot set my hubby got me for Christmas. ($60 seems like a lot, but considering you could spend $10-$20 just for ONE open-toe presser foot, this is an amazing deal.)
You wouldn’t think a presser foot could make much difference; I know I didn’t. But having used this one and a few of the others, oh yes. Yes, they make a huge difference.
Everything that description in the photo above claims is true. But what really helped with controlling where my zig-zag stitches were going along the edge was this little guide-mark I highlighted below.
Line that magical mark up with the edge of the applique shape and suddenly I’m sewing things as if I know what I’m doing.
Here it is, lined up and ready to sew. And below are the beautiful (if I do say so myself) applique stitches it let me create!
2. STABILIZER.
I can’t say enough good things about stabilizer. I’ve been using Sulky Tear-Easy Stabilizer. It’s not as easy to tear as my mind expects when it hears “easy”, but it’s the only kind I’ve used so I lack a frame of reference. It isn’t difficult to tear, but I always feel like I’m going to rip my stitches if I don’t hold them down as I tear it off (even though I never have ripped a stitch.)
All that to say, it makes applique quite wonderful because it glides so well along the throat plate. Steering around curves is so much more doable. And inherent to stabilizer is the fact it stabilizes (it keeps your fabric from tunneling when you’re using very short stitches as seen in the first circle photo above. My stitch length in that photo was somewhere between 0 and 1.)
3. And of course, anchor your applique pieces.
Fusible web is incredibly good at keeping things in place for applique. It’s a means to an end though. You could use any number of things to make a temporary bond while you sew your stitches. It’s a matter of personal preference. You just want to make sure whatever you use won’t gum up your machine if your needle passes through it, and will work well in holding down small/detailed pieces of fabric. For me, I really like fusible web.
I, however, am on the fence about the fusible web (Misty Fuse) I purchased. I think I would prefer to have a variety that has a paper backing on it, since this variety does not. Either that, or I really need to make an effort to remember to apply it to my fabric BEFORE I cut out my shapes. As to how it fuses, it actually works really well and I’m happy with how it performs.
I can also say I’m not a fan of the Goddess pressing sheet that was designed to be used with the fusible web I bought. “Non-stick” is a relative term, it would seem. The fusible web actually sticks quite well to it, and cleaning it off is pretty annoying. I can’t seem to get all the little bits off, and in attempting to do that very thing, I scraped a little hole in the sheet. In conclusion, just use parchment paper. You can re-use it a few times and then toss it.
So now I think I shall give my rough-looking owl a more beautiful™ sibling.
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