Koolish Lynn - Appli-Quilting: applique & quilt at the same time!

Publisher: Amy Marson

Creative Director: Gailen Runge

Editors: Lynn Koolish and Katie Van Amburg

Technical Editors: Alison M. Schmidt and Deanna Csomo McCool

Cover/Book Designer: Page + Pixel

Production Coordinator: Zinnia Heinzmann

Production Editors: Jennifer Warren, Nicole Rolandelli, and Alice Mace Nakanishi

Illustrator: Kirstie L. Pettersen

Photo Assistant: Carly Jean Marin

Instructional photography by Diane Pedersen, unless otherwise noted

Published by C&T Publishing, Inc., P.O. Box 1456, Lafayette, CA 94549

Dedication

This book is dedicated to my beautiful daughter, Rylie. She adds color and sparkle to my world with her radiant energy. She is my only daughter, my first-born child, my best friend, and my inspiration!

Acknowledgments

Thank you to my students for your enthusiasm for the Appli-Quilting technique!

A big thank-you to C&T Publishing for working with me on this project and publishing amazing resources for quilters! Id like to especially thank Lynn Koolish, my developmental editor, who provided patience and guidance through new, uncharted territory (a book with projects).

Thank you to my support system: Kathy Hunt, Debbie Vaughn, Arleen Logan, and Felicia Brenoe. You are always willing to help at the eleventh hour, testing patterns, cutting, pressing, gluing down appliqu shapes, and speed binding. You are all amazing women whom I love and cherish!

Introduction

Early in my career, I was very fortunate to meet Linda V. Taylor, an amazing woman, quilter, and pioneer in the longarm quilting industry. She was incredibly encouraging to me, and I am so thankful for the confidence that she helped me to build.

I was quite new to the world of show quilting and hadnt even begun to teach when Linda invited me to be a guest on her show Lindas Longarm Quilting. I was completely honored and extremely scared. What could I possibly have to teach other longarm quilters? I thought, experimented, and played at my machine, trying to develop a novel concept using my longarm machine.

Blanket stitching and couching on a longarm were born! For more than a decade, I have developed the Appli-Quilting technique, and now I teach it throughout the country. I am pleased that it is every bit as fun and easy using a longarm as it is using a home sewing machine.

My favorite thing about this book is that it combines two popular and amazing techniquesappliquing and quiltingproviding extremely versatile and interpretive techniques with endless possibilities. I hope that you enjoy learning Appli-Quilting and creating pieces either from the book or from your imagination! I encourage you to apply your own creative twists to my technique, using your own unique versions of the stitches and designs. Allow yourself to become lost in your happy, quilty world. Remember, quilting is cheaper than therapy!

How to Use This Book

Machine Requirements

Appli-Quilting can be beautifully executed on any style of machine. The only machine requirements are that the feed dogs can be disengaged and the machine can perform a single stitch. I have used Appli-Quilting with both longarm and domestic machines, computerized and noncomputerized. Throughout this book, I have included tips for both longarm and domestic machine styles. Appli-Quilting is based not on what your machine is capable of but on what you can create with your own imagination and skills. Always remember: Its not the violin; its the violinist.

Longarm versus Domestic Sewing Machines

LONGARM

When I refer to a longarm machine, I am referring to a quilting machine that is attached to a track system. With this style of machine, the quilt is loaded onto the frame rather than sandwiched. The machines themselves are quite simple. Once the quilt is loaded, the quilter moves the machine over the quilt to create quilting designs. The quilt remains stationary. Longarm machines do not have feed dogs; the quilting is always free motion. These machines are only capable of straight stitching. The operator is the one who produces the designs by guiding the machine.

DOMESTIC

When I refer to a domestic, or home, machine, I am referring to a sit-down style of home sewing machine. Sit-down longarm (and mid-arm) machines are also becoming quite popular. This style of machine is stationary and is mounted to a cabinet or table. With these machines, the designs are created by moving the quilt sandwich beneath the stationary machine. The quilt layers should be sandwiched ahead of time.

For Appli-Quilting, you dont use the feed dogs or computerized/built-in stitches. The machine should be in its simplest form: feed dogs disengaged and a straight stitch selected with the stitch width set at zero. The stitch length doesnt matter; it will be determined by how fast or slowly you move the fabric. Though a stitch regulator may be used to keep the stitch length consistent, it is not required or necessary.

Choosing Your Methods and Fabrics

The Appli-Quilting technique can be used with any appliqu project, including those in this book (see Projects). After you have selected a project, decide on a method or combination of methods, as discussed in Preparing the Shapes. Select your fabrics based on the method or methods you plan to use; certain fabrics work best with certain methods. The patterns are all easily translatable based on your preferences and style. I encourage you to make the designs your own and have fun in the process!

Choosing Your Stitches

There are no limits on the stitch designs that can be created with Appli-Quilting. Stitches features a wide variety of both traditional and nontraditional stitch designs. You may wish to use a variety in one project or stick with just one or two. You have the creative license to choose whichever stitches you think fit your quilt.

Creating the Quilt Sandwich

After your appliqu designs have been prepared and tacked in place, prepare your quilt sandwich using your preferred basting or pinning method. If you are using a longarm machine, load the three layers onto the machine. At this point your appliqu shapes are not stitched down, only tacked temporarily. The shapes are stitched down with the quilting using Appli-Quilting.

Fabric Selection

Texture feeds your sense of touch.

Any fabric may be used for raw-edge appliqu, though nonraveling fabrics are my preferred choice because the stitches discussed in the following chapters are fairly open. Unlike dense satin stitching, which secures the fabrics edges within the stitches, open stitch designs leave the fabric edges somewhat exposed. These uncovered edges can begin to ravel or fray over time.

When used for raw-edge appliqu, the following fabrics add a special element to your designs: texture! Most quilters fall in love not only with the visual appeal of quiltmaking but with the process of working in a tactile medium. Introducing textured fabrics into your world feeds your sense of touch, adding to the joy of quilting.

Ultrasuede

Ultrasuede is a beautiful fabric with many unique characteristics. In the 1980s and early 1990s, Ultrasuede was popular in the fashion industry and was often used by garment sewers. These days its less commonly used in garments, though it has become quite popular in the home decor industry. I have been using Ultrasuede in my quilts for more than fifteen years. I love the sophisticated touch that it adds to my appliqu designs. Though it is a very expensive fabric ($30$60 per yard), small doses can have a large impact. I like to use it mainly for the appliqu shapes, combining it with less expensive background fabrics. The following are some of the qualities that make this fabric an appealing choice for raw-edge appliqu.