10 tips for machine applique

Wasn’t that fun yesterday? It’s so easy to use decorative stitches. Today, we’re going to have a look at 10 tips for machine applique with the Husqvarna Viking Designer Jade | 35. As a quilt instructor, machine applique is one area where I often see sewing machines don’t perform as they should. Either the stitches are lacking or the quality of the stitches isn’t there.

I’m thrilled to report that the Designer Jade | 35 passed the applique test with flying colors!

Let’s take a peek at machine applique and the Designer Jade  | 35.

For today’s post, I’m going to focus on the satin stitches in Menu 3 – Satin and Heirloom Stitches. The tips that follow are applicable to any applique stitch and I touch briefly on that at the end of this post.

In the sample below, you can see that my needle is positioned to start somewhere on the applique shape. How wide is my satin stitch? When the needle swings to the right – it may or may not be in the right position alongside the applique shape. Don’t guess. Start with your needle on the outside edge of the applique shape.

How do I know the needle is in the left or right position of the stitch? See where the needle is in relation to the red dot in the center of the foot? Yes – that means the needle is not in the correct starting position for the satin stitch.

Remove your fabric and tap the foot pedal to advance the sewing machine so the needle will change to the position on the right hand side of the stitch.

You want to use an open toe applique foot for 2 reasons.

1 – there’s a tunnel on the underside of the foot to accommodate for the raised stitching created by the satin stitch.

2 – with nothing in front of the needle, you can see into all the tight corners and points of your applique.

This is an add-on foot, but it’s worth every penny. The quality of your finished projects will improve immensely.

When stitching applique, it’s best if you start with the pieces that are “underneath” and work your way up.

In the picture below, you can see that the satin stitch on the two green pieces was done before stitching the pink. The orange will be the last piece to stitch on this section of the applique.

By stitching in this sequence, the beginning and endings of the rows of satin stitching are hidden beneath the satin stitching that goes on top. Just makes for a neater look on the applique.

This isn’t really a tip, but I love this message and thought I would throw it in. Should you forget to lower the presser foot (and it happens!), you won’t be able to sew until you lower the presser foot. This is the message that pops up on the graphic display. I love the punctuation!

If you’re like me, you don’t always get a project finished in one setting. This particular piece of applique has been hanging around for a number of years and I just keep doing little bits as I need it.

There are 3 different built-in settings for the satin stitch. They are the same settings except for the stitch width. One is set at 2.0, one at 4.0 and the other one at 6.0. All of these stitch widths can be modified, but it’s nice to have these pre-set settings.

In the picture below, you can see that I modified the width of Stitch 3:11. The default width of this stitch is 4.0, but I’ve changed it to 3.5.

However, if you’re going to leave the project sit for a period of time, it’s not a bad idea to write down the stitch number you used and the length and width if you changed it.

In this sample below, you can see that I used stitch 3:10 (on the pink) and it’s a bit too narrow compared to the width used on the green.

Technically I should have done that test on a sample, not on my project. You know how it is when you’re in a hurry. It never pays. 

But in the event that I do have to rip a few stitches, I take my seam ripper and slice open those stitches on the reverse side. Then I take my thumb nail and easily remove the stitches from the right side of the project. In no time, those stitches are gone!

The needle stop up/down function is invaluable in all applique situations. If you need to stop for whatever reason, or you need to pivot, the needle should be in your project. If the needle is not secured in the layers of your project, your project will move and you’ll get an ugly long stitch that you now have to disguise or fix.

Use the FIX function to start and stop your lines of applique stitching. The FIX function will tie a knot on the underside of your project and secure the ends of the stitching lines. This is a MUST USE function.

It’s nicely placed right above the needle so it’s easy to reach as you’re working.

The satin stitch should completely cover the edge of the applique shape. If it doesn’t, you’ll have an unsightly ridge between the edge of the satin stitch and the edge of the applique shape.

In this photo you can see that the needle swings into the background fabric, but just! The bulk of the applique stitch is on the applique shape.

There are exceptions to this guideline. One of them is if you’re using a decorative stitch as your applique stitch. Many decorative stitches do not have a solid edge that you could run alongside your applique shape. Then you’ll need to make a decision where the stitch lies relative to the edge of the applique. We’ll be looking at that a little more closely in our project this week.

When turning a corner such as on this pink shape, you must pivot at the corner. Not only must you pivot, but it’s very important where the needle is positioned if you want the corner to look nice.

You can see in this example, the needle is down in the project right at the outer corner of the applique shape.

When I turn a 90 degree corner, I like to take ONE stitch on a 45 degree angle and then turn the corner completely. This just helps to prevent any stray stitches at the corner.

Here I pivoted the project 45 degrees. I take one stitch (by tapping the foot pedal) and then when the needle is back on the outer edge of the project, I pivot one last time (45 degree) and continue stitching.

When you pivot on an inside corner, you have to stitch into the corner the equivalent of the width of the satin stitch. Then with the needle in the outer most part of that stitch, pivot the fabric and continue stitching. If you pivot on the inside, you won’t get a nice filled corner.

It can be tricky to get the knack of pivoting to get beautifully stitched corners. The two shapes above are perfect to practice both inside and outside corners. Grab some fusible and make a couple of shapes like these ones and practice.

I’ve no idea how many MILES of satin stitching I’ve done over the years, but every inch has made me better at what I do. Of course – if I don’t have a good quality sewing machine, like the Designer Jade | 35, then all the operator skill in the world isn’t going to give you a nice looking stitch.

The Designer Jade | 35 has a nice variety of applique stitches and they all have a place. You need to become familiar with them so you know where and how to use them to suit your projects.

The blanket stitches are in Menu 2 – Quilt Stitches. The blanket stitch is very often used for machine applique and provides a totally different look from the satin stitch.

The photo below shows the 3 blanket stitches that come built in on the Designer Jade | 35.

The top one is Stitch 2:14 which has two stitches between each notch.

2:15 is double stitched with a single stitch between each notch.

2:16 is single stitched with a single stitch between each notch.

Let’s not forget the zigzag stitch as well. It’s a great stitch to use for invisible applique and the width and length can be modified to suit many types of thread and style of applique shape.

Wow – these are 10 great tips for machine applique. Equally important is having a great sewing machine like the Husqvarna Viking Designer Jade | 35 that provides those awesome features. I’m impressed! Tomorrow, we’re going to have a quick peek at the embroidery capabilities of the Designer Jade | 35. Stay tuned. Ciao!