When your quilting calls for threads to be invisible, use InvisaFil

I hope you enjoyed my tutorial yesterday about the 1 foolproof method for perfect, smooth and clean applique edges. It’s a method I use often.

When I finished appliqueing the hearts to the quilt top, I stepped back to admire my handiwork; the little quilt is starting to take shape!

I love the varieties of WonderFil threads I’m using this week. So far I looked at Tutti and FabuLux for the different appliques.

Follow along today, we’ll add leaves to our heart flowers. InvisaFil is the thread of choice for today’s lesson. It’s a 100wt thread of 2-ply cottonized polyester with silk-like properties. InvisaFil comes in 60 beautiful, solid colors and can be purchased in 3 different sizes: in spools of 427yd [400m] or 2734yd [2500m]  or on a 10,000yd [9144m] cone. 

So far, I looked at 2 different methods to make our applique pieces: raw edge using satin stitch and using fusible web interfacing for a flawless edge using a blind hem stitch. No doubt there are more methods out there, but here’s one more to explore today: wrapping the fabric around a piece of paper cut into the shape you want – akin to needle turn but with paper involved…

Using scrap pieces of paper cut out leaf shapes for your flowers. For those of you who are like me and are lacking artistic skills, click the picture below for a PDF file with leaves. Otherwise make your own for your own artistic input.

Place your paper leaves on the chosen fabric and trace around each shape including a ¼”. Use a contrasting thread color to baste the fabric folding the ¼” extra fabric over the paper.

After wrapping and basting the paper leaves, press them using a low setting.  

TIP Before pressing, you may want to spray some starch. This will help to keep the leaf pieces flat.

Carefully remove the paper from each leaf piece. Once the paper is removed, I use a glue stick at the edge of the applique piece. This helps to keep it in place when machine appliqueing.

If you have a problem with the corners coming undone after having used the glue sticks on the leaves, apply a small drop of glue to secure it in place until you’re ready to sew.

As I mentioned before I love variegated threads but sometimes the applique piece I’m working on needs to be appliqued in place with a fine thread such as InvisaFil. I like using InvisaFil when I want my applique thread to be as invisible as possible!

InvisaFil is so fine that you may want to use a smaller needle size. I used a 60/8 needle.

Use a straight stitch with this technique. Using an open toe presser foot, follow the edge of the leaf with the edge of the foot, easy enough.

What I especially love about InvisaFil is that it just about disappears into the fabric!

Another successful day completed!  I hope you are enjoying this week’s series using the many different WonderFil threads. 

Come back tomorrow and we’ll add some puffy clouds and warm sun to our quilt top.