Can You Use Blanket Stitch For Applique?

When you make a fun quilt that could use some applique, why not apply the applique pieces to your quilt topper with a blanket stitch? This stitch isn’t hard to sew and it adds some pizazz to your quilt. Here are the supplies you will need and the steps to take to sew your cute appliques on your quilt.

Supplies:

• DMC Cotton Perle Black or Dark Brown
• Hand Sewing Needle
• Appliques cut from cotton fabric. Machine quilt appliques to batting on the sewing machine.

Steps:

• Machine quilt or hand quilt your quilt topper with batting.
• Pin your qppliques already attached to your batting from hand or machine sewing a design through each piece, to your quilt topper.
• Hand stitch your appliques to your quilt and batting using the blanket stitch.
• Thread your needle and put a knot in the end.
• Push your sewing needle through the back of your quilt topper. Now put the needle close to your applique and bring it through the quilt topper fabric next to the applique. Continue to bring your needle through your applique.
• Pull your thread through your fabric until you have a small loop.
• Put your needle straight through the loop and pull it tight.
• Do this again. Adjust the stitch by pulling it gently after making it so the straight edge of the blanket stitch sits on the outer edge of the applique.
• Repeat this stitch until you have sewn all the way around the applique piece. Then knot it off.
• Add a running stitch to the middle of the applique for more definition.
• Repeat until all appliques are sewn on using the blanket stitch.

I just completed well I should say almost completed a fun Halloween Mini Quilt. I made my pumpkins super simple and they needed something else to complete their look. I designed some cute leaves and a stem for my quilt. I decided to try quilt as you go and machine quilted my quilt blocks with batting before putting my rows together. You can find that how to here: How Do I Make A Halloween Quilt? For Beginners and if you want to know how to apply your batting to your squares by machine quilting as you sew along, find it here Quilt As You Go: You Can Do It . Now it is time to sew on the appliques with a blanket stitch.

Supplies For Applique

Thread:

Perle cotton by DMC is a great thread to applique with if you want your stitches to show. It is a little thicker thread than regular quilting or sewing thread. I like to have the stitches show on my applique. If you don’t want them to show, choose a lighter color quilting thread. The Perle Cotton comes in a variety of colors. I found it at a quilting fabric store.

Needle

Not all needles are alike. Find a needle that is made for hand sewing. This makes a difference in how efficient and easily your needle will work for your hand sewing applique projects.

Prepare Your Appliques

Cut out your appliques from 100% cotton fabric. Take low loft batting (thin) and cut out the same shape to match each applique. Sew around each applique with a straight stitch on your sewing machine. Then sew down the middle of each piece with a straight stitch or other stitch design.

Steps To Appliquéing Your Design On Your Quilt Topper

The blanket stitch is usually done on wool or felt. It can be used on cotton too. It makes your applique stand out and looks so cute. It really accents your applique and is fun to sew once you get going on

Step 1: Once your quilt topper and batting are hand or sewing machine quilted, you are ready to applique. You can add your backing first or add it after you finish your applique. My Halloween mini quilt I am using as an example didn’t have the fabric backing on it yet. However you can applique through the backing if you choose to add your backing before appliquéing.

Step 2: Situate your applique pieces where you want them to go. Pin them on to your topper. If you have several appliques that go together, such as my leaves and stem, blanket stitch around them one at a time and layer them as you sew each piece where you want it to go.

Step 3: Thread the DMC Perle Cotton thread through your needle. Time to applique them on with the blanket stitch.

Step 4: Knot the thread and pull the needle up through the back of your sewing where the batting is and up through the quilt topper and the edge of your applique.

Step 5: Pull the needle and thread all the way through the fabric until there is a small loop.

Step 6: Carefully put your needle through the loop and pull it nice and tight. Repeat this stitch until you have sewn a blanket stitch all the way around the applique piece. On the last stitch of your leaf or stem, put your needle through the fabric to the back and secure it in a knot. Then cut your thread.

Step 7: Continue to sew your other appliques on this way. Keep your stitches evenly spaced and not too long.

Step 8: Optional…I added one more stitch and one more step to my applique. I sewed a straight stitch down the center of my leaves for added accent.

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