PFAFF passport 2.0 stitches for quilting and applique

I’m so happy with how the spring table topper is turning out. At this point, I’ll add an applique flower to each end to emphasize the spring theme. Today I’ll get the applique ready, and the topper quilted. I’ll try out even more stitches on the PFAFF passport 2.0 including a surprise one I wasn’t planning on.

In yesterday’s post, I used the basic sewing stitch to piece the spring table topper together. The IDT System, needle up/down button and start/stop button all helped me get the sewing done accurately. Today I’m pulling out the stitch overview to find some other stitches – remember the passport 2.0 has 70 built-in stitches.

Prepare applique flowers

There are a lot of spring flowers to choose from to add to your quilt top. I went with the happy-looking pansy which can survive in my garden or a cute pot even through spring snowfalls.

Use templates provided to cut flower shapes from the HeatNBond lite.

Fuse the flowers in place

I’m placing a pansy at each end in opposite corners.

When it comes to stitching around the applique you can choose to do it now or as part of the quilting. I’m going to quilt this topper and do the applique second because it’s a small piece and there isn’t a lot of applique. It’ll also make the flowers puff up a little bit more than if I did the applique first.

Prepare batting

I chose to use some fusible fleece for batting to avoid pinning. When I got out my package, I discovered I needed to piece together the batting to make it long enough. No problem – the PFAFF passport 2.0 has a stitch for that!

It has several stitches that would work but I chose a favorite – stitch 08. To set the stitch on the passport 2.0, press the number buttons – including the 0 – and the stitch will show on the display.

Then by pressing the information (i) button you find out which presser foot to use. For this stitch, it’s presser foot 1A and the display also indicates to engage the IDT System when it shows the dot.

I used the needle up/down button and the start/stop button so that I could focus on keeping the batting pieces lined up under the presser foot.

Prepare quilt sandwich

Now I’m ready to layer the backing, the batting and the quilt top to fuse the layers. I laid the fusible side against the backing fabric, fused in place, and then sewed ⅛” around the edge of the quilt top to secure the layers.

Quilting the topper

For the quilting, I’ll try one of the serpentine stitches on the passport 2.0. Wavy quilting adds texture and is more interesting than stitch in the ditch. I used the start/stop button to let the machine do all the work. I keep the long seam lined up under the presser foot and enjoy watching the topper come to life with the quilting. I use the needle/up down button too so if I can stop to check my alignment without worrying about moving the quilt top.

Today was a lot of stitching to get ready for the applique. The passport 2.0 has every stitch I needed to do all the jobs, including the surprise of piecing my batting together to make it bigger. I’m feeling confident that my spring table topper is going to be a great finish for the season.

This is part 4 of 5 in this series

Go back to part 3: Needle up/down feature and the IDT System | No pin piecing necessary

Go to part 5: The finish! Using the blanket stitch and binding the spring table topper