How to Quilt Applique Patterns
Applique quilts are representational quilts formed by sewing fabric shapes to the surface of a larger piece of fabric. Deciding how to quilt an applique quilt can be difficult for a novice quilt maker, since the shapes can be so varied, as opposed to a pieced quilt which relies on geometry. One simple method to follow is to quilt around each applique shape and quilt the background fabric in a grid pattern.
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Things You'll Need
- Applique quilt top
- Batting
- Quilt backing
- Size 10 betweens quilting needles
- Quilting thread
- 6-inch by 24-inch rotary ruler
- Quilting stencils
Instructions
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Lay out your quilt top on a large table. Mark 1-inch increments around the edges of the quilt top. If you are working in a block format, where the quilt is made up of a number of smaller blocks sewn together to form the top, make your 1-inch marks around the edges of each block.
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Lay your ruler out on the quilt top, connecting the marks on the diagonal. Begin in the corners and mark on the diagonal, using your pencil, from one corner to the opposite. Skip over the applique pieces when you are marking. Continue marking, progressing down the sides of the quilt and aligning with successive marks along the edge.
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3
Align the ruler with the marks in the opposite corners and mark on the diagonal. Continue in this manner until the entire surface is covered. The end result will be a 1-inch grid marked on the diagonal.
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4
Layer your quilt top, batt and backing and baste them together. Place your quilt in your hoop starting in the center and adjust the tension of the quilt to your liking. Begin quilting in the center. Quilt around any applique shapes that are present and then quilt down the background fabric. Move the hoop to an adjoining section and continue until the quilt is complete.
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Tips & Warnings
If you have made a quilt that reproduces a Civil War applique quilt and wish to be true to that style in your quilting, quilt a series of lines that cross the applique with no regard for the shapes.
