Thread Case Part III: Tiny, Tiny Pieces

Wow.
These are some teensy, tiny, weensy pieces.
I've got the invisible stitching down but doing a seam allowance turn on these microscopic bits is... challenging.

I'm not gonna lie... I considered abandoning the entire magilla. Free-form needle turn applique, with unpressed pieces, is not for me. But I decided to try a few different methods before I ran screaming into the night.

Take a look through these various methods of applique.
I tried the freezer paper method and the mylar template method without the starch.

In the photo below, the bottom shape (spool cap) stitched to the green silk was done as suggested in the book, Japanese Quilting Piece by Piece: 29 Stitched Projects from Yoko Saito, by copying the shape to the right side of the fabric and turning the seam allowance under as you go without pressing.

This wasn't too bad but I needed at least a 3/16" - 4mm allowance to turn under. Anything less and I had a hard time getting the fabric to STAY turned under (the author suggests only a 1/8" seam allowance for applique pieces). Most difficult were the tiny curved corners. I stitched up to where they started to turn, turned under a teensy bit of fabric, took a stitch, did another turn and stitch and with the next stitch got back to straight stitching.

Second from the bottom is a piece of unbleached muslin using the mylar template. The fabric was too thin to control easily and was semi-transparent. Pressing this tiny piece around the dinky mylar template was a pain in the posterior.

The applique on top is the freezer paper test with another scrap of quilting cotton.




All of these were extra fussy and making the templates took too much time. The rounded corners were lumpy looking and I just didn't like 'em. So in the intro photo, way at the top, you see the results of what I did.

I traced the shapes onto the right side of the fabric, cut them out leaving a 3/16" allowance, pressed in both of the long edges (leaving the marks just visible on the 'right' side of the fabric), then pressed the short ends under and pined them in place.

I'm very happy with the wonky, yet charming, results. I had to learn to embrace the wonkiness... everything doesn't have to be perfectly matched and straight as an arrow, right?

I am extremely happy with the fabrics I chose. Now, hanging onto that 33 gallon bag for ::cough::twelve::cough:: years, a relic of my short and colorful stint at Threads Magazine, has been completely justified.

Roxy White stitched, layered and dyed the silks I used for the threads on my box (formerly known as Thread Case).