Preparing for Appliqué Border

     This morning I am preparing the last components for the appliqué border to be added to my Day Bee mystery quilt.  My favorite method uses freezer paper templates and liquid starch.  I iron at least 2 layers of freezer paper together and cut out the templates, which are then ironed to the wrong side of the fabric.  About ¼” is allowed for turning the fabric under and the pieces are cut out.  Then I use a q-tip to apply liquid starch to the edge.  While it is still damp, I turn the edge over the template and iron it dry.   The template can then be removed and the piece ironed flat.  Since I need 24 of the same leaf, I could have cut a template from no-melt Mylar, but then I could have only worked on one leaf at a time.

 

For circles I ran a long running stitch around the edge with a single thread – similar to making a yo-yo.  I starched the edge and pulled the thread to create a smooth circle.  I ironed it dry, removed the thread and template, and ironed it flat again.

I like the look of neat turned edges much better than fusible raw edge appliqué.  To attach the pieces I use a narrow blanket stitch with matching or blending thread color.