Raw Edge Applique Session 2: Zig Zag & Buttonhole Applique

So we've selected our designs and we've went ahead and put our iron-on adhesive on the back of our fabrics and cut out our appliques and ironed them to the backgrounds, and we've put our iron-on stabilizer on the back of our backgrounds, and we're doing this for any technique that we're going to be doing stitching on prior to the quilting. So remember that if you're not quilting, you need a stabilizer. If you are quilting, you don't because the batting and backing act as stabilizer. So I showed you a couple of drawings earlier. So here's this first flower that had the different petals.

And I said, you can use these petals as directed here or you can use them however you want to. And here is that flower. So it's got five petals. Two them are slightly different from each other and three are repeats of the same shape, and it's got its center. And I have already begun stitching on this, and the stitching we're gonna be doing on this flower is a zigzag.

So we've got a zigzag stitch along the edge of the stem and along the outside edge of the two leaves already done. Now, when you put your machine to a zigzag stitch, it's gonna have its standard set, meaning it's gonna be a certain width. The stitches are a certain width or distance apart and a certain width of the actual zigzag. So I always suggest, anytime you're doing any type of machine stitching, to have a little practice piece of fabric with the stabilizer on the back so that it gives you a nice stitch and you can see what it looks like. So this is my little practice piece and I wanted to see what the zigzag was going to look like when it is standard on my machine.

So my machine is, its stitch is a number four for a zigzag, and it is normally the actual stitch length, how far the stitches are apart, is a 1.4 and then the width, how wide the zigzag is, is a 3.5. Well, I discovered that that's a little too far apart, the stitch length, and a little too fat or wide with the stitch width, and so I'm gonna take it down to a one and a three. Now, that's just what I like but that's why you need to have this practice piece so that you can practice and see what you like. If you use your zigzag stitch right next to each other so that your stitch length is close to zero. Don't do zero 'cause then your machine's not gonna move, but you want it to be close to zero, so like a 0.2.

That is gonna give you what's called a satin stitch. Now a lot of people like satin stitch on the edge of their applique. They like it until five years later. Five years later after you've laundered that piece a couple of times, the fabrics will actually start to rip along that stitch. And the reason they do that is because you've basically stitched a perforation around the edge of your applique.

So, you might like it that really tidy kind of hard edge that it gives, but it's probably not your best bet. Your better bet is a zigzag that has some space between it. So when we look at this tiny little stitch here, we can see that there's a space between each of those zigzags, and that space, in my opinion, should be approximately 1/16 of an inch. And for most of your machines, that's gonna be a one in your zigzag. So you have your stitch length set at a one.

Now, how wide you go is entirely up to you. However, the more dips and curves you have on your piece, the more pointy corners that you have on your piece, the harder it is to make it look tidy if your zigzag is really wide. So choosing kind of somewhere in the mid ground is probably your best bet when you're first playing with this and then you can explore more later. Yeah, your beginnings and ends are probably the hardest thing to get down and make them look good. But often, you don't have to really worry about it as often as you think you do.

So when we look at this flower, which is what we're gonna be stitching, you can see that the beginning and end of each of these petals is underneath this center. And so whatever I do at the beginning or end of these petals, most of the time is gonna be hidden by the stitch I put around here. So it doesn't have to be as perfect as maybe it would if it's not gonna have a beginning or an end that's hidden. Now, over here, this petal, because it's tucked under here, it begins and ends right here. But if I do this petal before I do this petal, then when I do this edge, that's gonna secure that beginning and end.

So instead of just doing petal, petal, petal, petal, petal, I'm gonna do the under petals first. So these three petals are underneath these two petals. So I'll do this petal, this petal, this petal, and then I'll come back and do this petal, this petal, and then I'll do my center last. And that center is gonna help secure all those beginnings and ends, and then these overlapping petals will help secure those beginning and ends. So I don't have to be as persnickety if you will about how I start my stitching.

So I have my machine set on that zigzag, and I'm gonna go ahead and start here, and I kind of look to the side, and I want to have my needle coming down in the right-hand position, right off the edge of my applique. So my applique is here and that needle is coming down right off the edge of my applique, not a scant away, but right off that edge, not on the edge. If I stitch on the edge, what I actually do is actively fray the edge of that fabric, which I don't wanna do. So I am simply going to stitch forward two stitches, and then I'm gonna backstitch one stitch. There we go.

Okay, now I'm ready to go. And I'm gonna sew relatively slowly. And the reason I sew relatively slowly is because I want to really pay attention and make sure that I'm continually keeping that needle on the outside edge of my applique. And I'm just going to guide the block and move it with the needle. Now, as I get close to this point, I need to make sure that my needle, again, stops on that outside edge so that I can pivot and actually form a point.

So I'm going to go all the way to the end and stop on the outside of my point, and I'm gonna turn the whole block, not so that I'm ready to go on this opposite side, but so that I can actually take a stitch. So I've stitched along here and now I'm gonna take a stitch that comes right here. And after I've taken that stitch, then I'm gonna pivot some more so that my stitches now start going this way. So I'm gonna have this one stitch that's going into my petal, and now I'm ready to turn it and just a little bit, not all the way again. It's gonna stitch in a bit, and now I'm turning all the way so that I get back on that edge again.

And when I get to my flower's center, I'm going to backstitch, and I'm ready to do the next petal. So what I'm looking for here is stitches that come right off the edge of my applique and in the corner, having stitches that come this way before they come this way so that I don't end up with an empty spot right here. If I don't have stitches come in, basically coming in from the point, my stitches will come here, and then I'll end up with this blank spot here, and I don't want that. So I'm gonna continue doing these three petals. And remember, I just do a sideways glance so that I can find where I need to be.

Now, if my needle is in the right-hand position then I need to start with my needle on top of my applique. But if it's in the right-hand position, it's gonna start on that edge again. Forward two or three stitches and then backwards, and then ready to follow that edge. Slowing down as I get to that corner and making sure that I stop again on the outside point. Turning so that a stitch goes in from that 0.1 stitch.

Turning again one stitch and then turning into the position to follow that side. Back stitching when I'm done. Okay, so now you see here that I extended this so that it actually interacts with this petal, and that's good. If I stop too short, then this stitch line here will leave a little, again, a blank spot. And anytime I have a big blank spot of a raw edge or even a not raw edge, it's gonna look funny and not look good, and it's going to be a weak area.

So I always wanna make sure that I can overlap one stitch to another. Another thing you'll notice is that I'm not cutting my threads in between. I am simply just moving along and I'll cut those threads later. So now my needle is in the left-hand position. So I'm starting on the inside of the petal and I'm basically eyeballing it.

I'm saying, okay, these are in about this far and that's where I'm gonna start my needle. If I'm off a little bit, it's not gonna hurt it. So again, two or three stitches forward and then backstitch. What you don't wanna do is backstitch too much 'cause then you're gonna have a chunky overlap. Again, I'm gonna stop on the outside of that point, pivot so that my stitch goes right down the middle of that point, back to the outside edge, pivot again slightly, in and out, and then follow that edge.

And this is the best way to get a nice, tight point. And backstitch. Okay, so now we have two petals left. I'll go ahead and trim these threads. And what I wanna show you is how to handle a slightly wider zigzag.

So I'm gonna make my zigzag itself wider and you can do this. You can have a lot of fun and use different widths of zigzag on the same design. And so I'm gonna go to a 4.5. I was at a three before and now I'm gonna go to a 4.5. Now, if I was really serious about this piece and it wasn't just a learning experience, I would definitely wanna see what that wider zigzag looks like.

So I'm simply gonna stick my practice piece under, stitch a little bit, bring it out, and compare it to the zigzag I already have. So this is the zigzag I'm gonna move to and this is the one I already have. Now, in my opinion, that's really not enough of a difference. So I'm gonna go ahead and go to a 5.5 and see what that looks like. And I think that's the answer.

So now that is quite a bit wider and I think it's going to be noticeably different on my applique. So we're gonna be using this wide one right here, a 5.5, and you're gonna see how different it looks in the points. How, when you have a wider zigzag, it's a little harder to deal with. My needle is in the left position or excuse me, the right position. So I'm gonna start with it right off the edge of my applique, and I'm gonna stitch one or two blocks forward and then backstitch.

And here we go. It's even harder to manage a curve because of that long stitch, so I'm slowing down. And again, I wanna stop with my needle in the outside or the right-hand position. Now I'm going to pivot in one stitch, pivot again one stitch, and now turn to follow that outside edge. When I get to the center, I'll backstitch, and there we go.

So you can see here, this corner, I've got it all stitched down. There's some overlapping stitches. Whereas, here, the overlapping stitches aren't nearly as noticeable even though they're there. So you have to really make sure that you work to make this look neat and tidy. Because those stitches are so wide, they're more dominant.

It becomes quite a bit more about the stitch when that stitch becomes larger, or bolder, or bigger. So now, we'll do the final petal. Backstitch. Stopping on the outside edge and that pivot again. Stitching in from the point.

And this has a really curvy edge, so I might have to do three pivots. Nope, we're good. And now, I'm simply gonna follow that outside edge, very slowly as I do that curve, until I get to the center and backstitch. Okay, so now all petals are done. I'm going to trim away my excess threads and I'm gonna assess.

So I really like the way this corner turned out. We've almost got a mitered corner there, which is nice. It's not necessary, but it's nice, and I wanna see what I've done at my beginnings and my ends. And this is the last one I just did and I stopped a little bit short of the center. You can see here, I've got this raw edge.

So I have to make sure that whatever I stitch this inside piece with here has a wide enough stitch that it's going to cover that up and make it secure in there. So, if I was originally planning on putting a really thin zigzag on here, it's not gonna work. So what I'm gonna do here is I'm gonna go back to not the narrowest one and move away from this widest one and do something in between. So this was a three. This was a 5.5.

So I'll probably do a four on this center. So that is the width or how wide my stitch is. So, we're gonna go ahead and do this center and then this block will be complete. Get your side view, and I'm not even gonna backstitch here because I'm going to stitch over, again, that beginning. And because this center has so many little undulations in it, I'm gonna move very, very slowly so that I can follow those undulations.

Now, I'm gonna double over where I started, and there I go. So my first flower is finished. You can see on the back here what it looks like. I would trim all these threads. Remember that the back of your piece should be as neat and tidy as the front of your piece and not because anybody's gonna see that back, but because if it's neat and tidy, that tells you that it's done well or done right and so that's kind of important.

So we can see now, this is what I was talking about with all my beginnings and ends, that this stitch out covered all of those beginnings and ends. And that's what we're looking for is that covering up of those things. So this stitch here covered up that beginning and end. This stitch here covered up that beginning and end. So that's what we're looking for is that security.

So here we have a wonderful zigzag edge on a machine appliqued flower. You can go in there and add all kinds of stitching during the quilting, and it's actually going to affect it. If I had put iron-on adhesive in this portion here and then quilted this background heavily when I quilt and don't put anything in here, then this would still remain flat. But if there's no iron-on adhesive in here and I do heavy quilting back here in the background, then this is gonna poof a little bit during the quilting, which is gonna be fabulous for the flower. It's gonna make it look much more interesting.

So that's one of the benefits of not having too much iron-on adhesive. Well, now we are going to switch to a buttonhole stitch or a blanket stitch. And frankly, I'm not sure what the difference is between them, but people call them different things. I think the buttonhole stitch has the line on the inside and the blanket stitch has it on the outside, which might be the truth there. And what I'm talking about here is that there is an actual row of stitching right here along the outside edge of the applique.

So this is what's called a double stitch and most machines have these these days. You probably have two things on your machine that look like this buttonhole stitch, and you're like, why do I have those two? They look the same. But if you look closely, one of them's darker than the other, and it's that darker stitch that you wanna use here. I mean, it's darker printed on your machine.

And the reason it's done that way is because it stitches everything twice. So it's a much heavier stitch out and it looks more hand-stitched. So what the machine does is it takes the stitch forward, then it takes the stitch back, then it takes the stitch in, then it takes the stitch back, then it takes the stitch forward then it takes the stitch back, then it takes the stitch in and it takes the stitch back. So everything is doubled over and you get this lovely thick stitch. Now for this, this is my standard on my machine.

This is what I used here is the standard. So when I push my machine to stitch number 12, because that's the stitch on my machine that is this buttonhole stitch. This is its standard. It's 2.5 apart, and it's 3.5 wide. Now you can, again, play with that and explore different options for it.

But this is what mine look like. So here you can see it in a high contrast. And I was pleased with that. I didn't want it to be any further apart or any wider, but you can play with that. Now, I've already done all of my leaves and my goal is always to keep that stitch coming to the outside edge of my applique, taking those stitches in.

So I'm gonna go ahead and start with this flower. Now, you're gonna see that we have these really deep indentations here. And so as we're taking these stitches, I'm gonna have to slow down here in the corners and let it really do its work, let the machine do the work of taking nice stitches on that inside. I'm going to be stitching this in a slightly contrast in color, mainly because I want you to really see what I'm doing. Would I, if I was taking this project seriously, use this bright, hot pink thread?

Probably not. I would choose a color that better matches this but I really want you to see what this stitch looks like. So we're gonna go ahead and start sewing and we're gonna stitch all the way around this flower all in one fell swoop. I'm gonna start again by positioning my needle if I can, if it's in the right-hand position right on that outside edge, and start stitching. And this is a relatively slow process because it's taking all of those double stitches.

And my goal is to keep that outside line right off of that raw edge, again, not on it because I don't want it to fray the edge and not so far away from it that I have this little blank black line showing between the stitch and the edge of my applique. Now, here's a corner. So we're gonna move a little slower around that corner. And then when we get to the straightaway, we can speed up, and now we're getting ready to go into this really deep indentation. So we're kinda gonna take it a little stitch at a time as we pivot, a stitch and then a pivot.

Now I'm gonna do a little bit of a turn and one more stitch in, and then a little bit of a turn, one more stitch in, turn, one more stitch in, and probably one more. There we go, and back to our straightaway. And slowing down a bit for our curve. Again, around that tight curve. And we're kind of pivoting, but we're pivoting as we're sewing rather than the stop and pivot that we do on the inside curve.

So again, we're gonna do this curve again and I want you to really notice how much of a pivot I'm doing. So, if I were to try to handle this curve while I was stitching continuously, I would spread my stitches apart too far and we don't want that to happen. So it's gonna be this slow take-a-stitch-pivot, take-a-stitch-pivot sort of thing. So now we're ready to pivot. All the pivots are done when the needle is in the background.

So we're going to be making sure that needle is in the far right position, and that's the important thing. And then take a stitch. Now, taking a stitch means that I've actually engaged into the applique, because it's not just one stitch, because the one stitch is repeating the stitch from before, 'cause remember I said, "It's stitch, stitch stitch, stitch, stitch in, stitch back." So we have to make sure that we have a complete stitch before we go to pivot again. And now we're on a straightaway. And now we're doing the tight curve, so we're gonna slow down, let it do its thing but keep pivoting as we turn without that stopping and starting.

Back into that corner, so we're gonna be taking it really slow, and we're ready to do a little pivot and a little pivot. Another one. And now the straightaway. Okay, and slowing down for our corner again, pivoting, and back to the straightaway. And here's our last corner coming up.

Slow down and start our pivoting. And our last straightaway. Now, we're gonna be getting to the end here, and we did not, remember, we didn't backstitch when we started. So what we're gonna do is we're going to very carefully see if we can double up right on top of a stitch we've already done or in a space between, which I just did. Because we don't wanna end up being with a satin stitch right there, where we've stitched over something so many times.

So now, let's critique what's taken place here, and we're gonna start by looking in our inner curves. And I'm gonna talk about how, so with every single one of these stitches you see here, there was a pivot that took place. So a pivot, a pivot, a pivot, a pivot, a pivot, a pivot, a pivot, a pivot, a pivot. So the bigger the curve, the more pivots. These curves inside here all look pretty darn good, but there are a couple issues here, here and about, that aren't quote, unquote perfect.

I'll show you them. Like right here, I am inside my outside edge just a little bit. I don't really like that that much. And right here, I'm outside my outside edge just a little bit and that's not perfect either. And that's gonna happen.

Does that ruin the piece? No. Do I think it needs to be redone? No. Am I a perfectionist?

No. But if you are, you might have a little bit of an issue with that. But after you've done this flower a couple of times, you're gonna get really good at it. So if you're using the same shape of a flower over and over again in a quilt, by the time you do your 10th block, it's gonna be spot on. It doesn't mean those first few blocks don't have their value.

They do. So what I'm kind of saying is let go of that perfectionism. It's not necessary. It's not needed. Just make sure that your edges are tucked down nicely with your stitching.

Make sure that they are as neat and tidy as you can get them and consistent. That's what we're going for is that consistency. Again, hopefully you can see that there's some nice fullness that has taken place inside this petal. You can see as I move these scissors around that you can actually see the fullness that is still left in there, and that's a good thing. Because when I do my quilting in the background and if I do just a little tiny bit of quilting in here, I'm gonna have some poof in that design and that's gonna make the flower much more interesting, much more interesting than it would be if it was totally flat because it had iron-on adhesive on that.

So the last thing to do for this block now is to do the center. And so the center, what I'm gonna do is I'm gonna make this buttonhole stitch really long. I'm gonna keep the distance between each of the stitches the same, but I'm gonna make it very, very long, probably a 5.5. And I'm gonna check it here to see how I like it, and I'm gonna see what it looks like in a tight curve 'cause that's what I'm gonna be sewing is a tight curve. So I'm simply going to see what that looks like long and do a really tight curve as I'm doing my practice.

This is a really, really tight curve, kind of right on top of itself, but it's gonna give me an idea of what it's gonna look like in that curve. And that's what I kinda wanted was the ends of those stitches kind of coming together on that curve. I think that's gonna look kinda cool as they angle in. So I think I'm gonna do it even wider. So all the way to the widest, which for me is a seven.

Some of you will have a nine, meaning that your opening of your machine, where the needle can activate in there, is nine millimeters minus seven. So I'm gonna practice this curve again, but I'm gonna make it more like the curve on my flower. Yeah, that's gonna look really cool. So it's almost gonna look like little tendrils coming off of that flower center or stamens of some sort or whatever. It's just something interesting and different.

So again, I wanna start with my needle on the right, coming off the edge of that center, and I'm gonna be moving pretty slow 'cause this is a tight curve. Get rid of this thread. And then I'm going to overlap that beginning, but I really wanna make sure that my lines are going at the same angle in. So I'm gonna go slowly and angle that very good. Okay.

And oop, I have a little ways to go. I thought I was done. So let's go back in here. I'm not gonna cut that thread even. I'm just gonna go back and take a couple more stitches here.

Okay, now we're done. Okay. So if I really wanted to bolden up that edge, I could go over that again and try to get my stitches in between the stitches that you see here, but I kinda like it the way it is. I like how big and long and wide that is. I think it looks really cool on that flower.

Now, if this were a serious piece, I would probably go in right now with a straight stitch and follow this swirl, because I probably won't do that during the quilting, because I would not have the right color thread in, 'cause I'll probably be quilting mostly in the black. However, it's not necessary. It doesn't have to have quilting in there. So there is our buttonhole flower, and now we're gonna move on and explore some other stitches on our machine.