Hand Applique--Sunbonnet Sue

Many months ago, I finished a Sunbonnet Sue quilt for a delightful lady named Betty. Her niece, Jan, recently contacted me to work on another one, which will be for Betty to enjoy. The quilt will feature more red and perhaps have slightly different quilting design. Of course, I'm thrilled to be involved with the process once again.

This time I'm hand appliqueing five blocks. A total of 32 are needed for the quilt. My red block is on the left; the blue block on the right was completed by the original appliquer of all the blocks on the first quilt and 27 for this one.

Like handquilting, hand applique doesn't see much of me. But I do love the handwork when I have the opportunity! When I applique, I like to use YLI Silk #100. Another good choice is Superior's Bottom Line polyester for it's slick application. I've also used cotton thread and recommend a bit of Thread Heaven, a thread lubricant to avoid those nasty tangles.

I do what's called "needle turn" applique where you use your needle to tuck under the raw edge, about 1/4" and sew it to the background fabric. Using a bit of fabric glue and a toothpick can also help to tuck under stubborn edges, particularly corners. I also like the small applique pins (Clover brand, white heads) to keep a turned edge in place.

 I started with the shoe and layered the dress over that.

Once the blocks are completed, I will attach sashing, quilt, bind, and label. This will keep me busy for awhile, but I'm pulling together some other projects to work on as well, including more costumes!

Copyright ©2011, Sharon Baggs