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You are here: Experts > Home/Garden > Arts and Crafts > Quilting > appliques on baby blanket
Expert: Connie Hester
Date: 9/8/2008
Subject: appliques on baby blanket
Question
QUESTION: I am appliqueing for the first time. I will use a Kenmore sewing machine. I have recently purchased a walking presser foot because I was told that minky (the type of fabric I am using for background and appliques) is slippery and sometimes feeds improperly through the machine. Now I am wondering: is a walking foot used only for straight stitching? Or is it also used for appliqueing? I have a zigzag and a satin-stitch presser foot as well as a normal presser foot. Thanks.
ANSWER: Minky fabric is not appropriate for machine appliqueing onto. As you have been told by others, it is very slippery. You will end up with a mess.
If you absolutely must use the minky as a background, I would hand-applique the motifs onto it.
A walking foot is used for straight stitching. It makes the bottom layer of fabric feed through the machine at the same rate as the top layer, in order to prevent puckering of the bottom layer. It is not used for applique. It is most widely used for machine quilting straight lines. Marketing may suggest using it for velvet (or even minky), but I have never found it to be useful for that.
Connie Hester
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: Thank you for your response. I am a bit dismayed to hear that I "will end up with a mess," however! If I were to hand applique the design upon the blanket, would I use the rayon thread that I'd purchased for use in the sewing machine, or embroidery floss, or... ? Your recommendation about stitch type, etc. to be used for the hand-applied applique motif would also be appreciated.
Answer
Use a scrap of the minky and try to machine applique something, say, a circle onto it with a satin stitch, or even a straight stitch along the edge of the applique. You will quickly see what I mean about "a mess". :-)
By hand-appliqueing a fabric like minky, you will have as much control of it as you can get. The rayon thread would not be as strong and long-lasting as a regular cotton sewing thread when using a blindstitch along edges which are turned under 1/4", for example. The rayon would be subject to splitting, as well as degrading over time.
You could use emboidery floss if you want to do a blanket-stitch/buttonhole-stitch decorative edge along the edge of the applique.
Connie Hester
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