Points….and a new label for an old quilt!

Have you ever wondered how I tackle those pesky points that stick out of my prepped pieces? Well, go make a cup of tea or coffee because there are lots (I mean lots!) of photos. Hopefully you can stay awake! Oh! Before, I forget, almost all of the products I use are available for purchase on my website!

I am going to start right at the beginning. I use two layers of freezer paper to make my templates. I iron the template on to the wrong side of the fabric and cut the template out, leaving 1/4″ seam allowance. Next, I use starch and a paintbrush to apply starch to the seam allowance.

Then I use my Petite Press Mini Iron and my Stiletto and press the seam allowance over the freezer paper. Once the whole shape is prepped, I pop the freezer paper out.

These are the pesky points I am talking about!

Next, I use just a few dots of Roxanne’s Glue and place the prepped piece on the background that I have marked with a Clover Water Soluble Marker. Sometimes, I place all the pieces on the background and then start stitching. Other times I just place a few and stitch. If it is a really complicated design with lots of layered pieces, I just do a few at a time.

I thread my applique needle with matching thread. I use 60 weight Mettler thread. It is the one with the green lettering on the spool.

Still awake? Good! Ok, next I scrunch the background in my left hand and start stitching. The very first stitch I take is in the very tip of the point. Notice the pesky point is at the bottom, and I am stitching on top of the piece.

I start stitching, from right to left, until I get to the other point. I take my last stitch in the very tip of that point.

So now we are going to trim that point a little. I hold my scissors parallel to the folded edge and trim off just a tiny bit. Keep your thread out of the way!

Then I turn the angle of my scissors and trim off that other little point. The tip of the scissors should be underneath the piece.

It should look something like this!

Next, I take my Perfect Scissors and tuck the trimmed point under the piece. These scissors work perfectly for this because they are blunt at the end.

So, I just continue on my merry way, until I get to the point at the other end.

I trim the point and tuck the point under in the same way as before.

Finally, I just stitch to the end. Voila!

Today is my daughters 27th birthday. Yikes! Where did the time go? I made this quilt for her and gave it to her on her 10th birthday. The inspiration for the appliqued circles on the border came from the opening credits of my favorite TV show, “3rd Rock from the Sun”!

For some reason, I still have the quilt, but I think it’s time to give it back to her. I noticed the writing on the old label has faded over time.

So, I had a new label made for the back of the quilt. Happy Birthday, Kelly!

Til next time…

Kerry

7 thoughts on “Points….and a new label for an old quilt!”

Thank you, thank you, thank you! Even though I’ve appliqued for a long time, I still have problems with tips sometimes. I really appreciate the detailed pictures. I used to do freezer paper applique, using water-soluble glue, and then having to cut out the back to remove the paper, but now I do needle-turn. Perhaps, I need to try it your way! I definitely will. I need one of those irons, I think; I bought a tiny one, but it doesn’t seem to get hot enough.

Please do a series of pictures on inner cuts and curves. Sometimes, my fabric frays, and I have to make too many stitches.

Sincerely,
Mary Jane Plemons

I so enjoy hearing from you! You seem so calm. My attitude is mostly nervous sometimes. I can do very nice appliqué, but I worry a lot about it. My favorite quilt pieces are appliance and hand quilted. My hands won’t let me do that work anymore. So I’m learning what you can make with the sewing machine. Fun!

Thank you for the tutorial, I haven’t tried this method yet, but you make it look very easy!

Thank you so much for the pictures and the instructions for the point – I’ve always struggled with it! Really, really appreciate it!!!!

Thank you Kerry — neat technique! Karen

Thanks again Kerry for such a simple solution. Just today I was struggling with a star shape that has a lot of points so your tutorial came just at the perfect time to solve my problem.