Adventures in Fusible Appliqué with Dog Quilt Patterns
I have to admit, I’ve not had a lot of experience with appliqué. But Gina Reddin’s “Pet Sitting” design from Pre-Cut Patchwork’s March/April 2019 issue is so stinkin’ cute, I couldn’t resist giving fusible appliqué another shot.
If you want to make it as fun and colorful as Gina did, grab a bundle of 10″ squares of Alison Glass Sun Prints 2018 from Andover Fabrics. For my first block, I chose a couple of contrasting batik squares (because I’ll probably never run short of batiks).
Let’s get started
My preference for the paper-backed fusible web is Steam-A-Seam 2®. It has a tackiness so the appliqué can be easily re-positioned before fusing in place. I decided to copy the dog design onto template plastic first. This should make it easier to trace the reverse shape onto the fusible web.
Following Steam-A-Seam 2’s instructions, I marked the dog design in reverse on the paper side. Okay, so I failed this the first time. There is paper on both sides. Peeling back a corner to see which side has the adhesive helps ensure you’re tracing on the correct paper side.
Next, I roughly cut around the outside of the dog. I also cut away some of the fusible web from inside the dog shape. This is known as ‘windowing’ and it keeps the appliqué piece from feeling too stiff. I peeled the paper off the back, and with the adhesive side down (very important!), fused the Steam-A-Seam 2 to the wrong side of my fabric. One of the things I like so much about batiks: both sides look the same, so I can’t go wrong here.
The next step is cutting out the shape. Easy peasy.
Take the paper off the traced side of the fusible web, position the dog in the center of the background square and fuse again. Ta da!
But wait. This puppy isn’t going to stay put unless he’s stitched down. A small practice piece was made to test a zigzag stitch, tension, needle, and thread. I found a 60 wt. thread in a light blue worked well in the top and bobbin. And a short, narrow zigzag looked good. (I wrote down my machine settings for future blocks.) Once I was comfortable with practice, the block went under the needle. I took it slow, especially around corners.
Wow—this was so much easier than I thought it would be!
Bring on the cats…
Gina has graciously provided a couple of additional appliqués for your “Pet Sitting” quilt. Her dog bones and fish bones will fit perfectly in the B rectangles between the block rows. Grab Pre-Cut Patchwork’s March/April 2019 issue for this and many more exciting patterns!
Eileen
Did not receive paw print and bones as promised in this article!
I just purchased the magazine and don’t see the extra appliqués that gins has so graciously provided. Nor do I see the paw print. Only the dog and the cat. Where can I find the bones and paw??
Thanks
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