Hello my wool friends!
For those of you who are participating in our RETRO FARMHOUSE WOOL BOM or our WOOL & PATTERN ONLY BOM, as promised welcome to the first of several tutorials on wool throughout this year’s program. Your instructions are on their way to you and will have a lot of this information written out for you in written format but I know that many of you are visual learners so you want to see exactly what I do and how I do it via pictures.
For those of you who are just here to learn about how to work with wool… welcome! If you are interested in getting some yummy wool, we have our new bundle available in full and half size bundles and we have a few super cute FIGS & WOOLIES mini patterns for you to choose from to get yourself started.
Step 1: Gather the materials you will need. To get started you will want the following:
Step 2: Trace your applique shapes exactly on the line from your pattern to the dull side of the freezer paper.
Step 3: Cut the templates out on the line.
Step 4: Press the templates to the wool. Be sure you find the “fuzzier” side. Most wools will have a more “right” side and a more “left” side although sometimes it is hard to tell the difference. In my experience, one size is a bit “fuzzier” and one side has more texture. I usually like to use the fuzzy side on the front.
As for the freezer paper, the shiny side is the side that sticks. If you mess up and press it the other way, it will stick to the bottom of your iron and you will need to use some kind of iron cleaner. If you are trying to conserve wool [like I highly recommend those of you in the program do to ensure that you have all that you need to complete your project], trace your shape close to the edge of your wool and press subsequent pieces as close to the ones before as you can. Be especially aware of your placement if you have larger pieces with lots of “ins and outs” so that you can maximize your wool usage.
Step 5: Cut out the wool shape right along the template and do not add anything for a seam allowance. Also be aware of how you are cutting. I always like to remind my students that your finished shape will only be as good as your cutting. Since there is no seam allowance to turn under, the shape that you cut out, will be shape that you have. So if you have a jagged edge here or there or something that isn’t quite as curved as you had hoped for, feel free to clean it up a bit after you remove the freezer paper template from it and you can see the shape fully.
Step 6: Use the same templates as many times as you can before they lose their “stickiness”. I only needed one of each for this block.
Step 7: Prepare your background. First cut out your background about 1/2″ bigger than you would normally. For those of you in the program, this has already been added into your measurements so there is no need to add more. Second, press the background in fourths [in half once and then in half again] to create 4 quadrants and a clear center point. Third, stay-stitch a seam all the way around the outside in order to prevent the background from raveling- we used a really wide zigzag, but several different stitches are fine to use. In our case, we are using the black MODA Crossweave as our background that we fell in love with last year. It is a woven fabric so it has a tendency to ravel quite a bit. The stay-stitch will save your block from ending up smaller than you need it to be at the end!
Step 8: Now you are ready to arrange your pieces. Use the pressed lines as your guide to lay out your design. In this case each quadrant is the same as the others so the layout is fairly straightforward. Remember to stay out of the 1/2″ all the way around the outside as that is seam allowance and will be either trimmed off or sewn into your final quilt and if you have any shapes in that space, they will get cut off! In this particular design, I would recommend laying out the artichoke stems first for placement, then lifting them up to position the coral blooms underneath them and then adding the outer petals and the center piece last.
Step 9: Carefully and gently lift portions of the design up, add dots of glue and then lay them back down on the background and press them down to affix them. For the petals since they are so little, just lift them up one at a time, affix a few dots of glue and press them to your background. Add the center at the end. Or as an alternative that will simplify your stitching, don’t affix the center at all until you have stitched the green portions down and then affix and stitch the center at the very end.
You are now ready for stiching. Stay tuned later this week for WOOL TUTORIAL II to see our stitches, choices of thread or floss and other tips.
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Michele T | 25th Jan 16
Thanks for your tips, they will be very helpful.
Terri Watson | 25th Jan 16
I am just venturing into wool applique. This tutorial is very helpful. So far I have used fusible to hold my pieces for stitching. I will try the glue method as well. I also like that you are using cotton fabric as your background as that is what I would like to use in an upcoming project. Are there any tips or concerns I should be aware of when using a cotton base with the heavier wool for the appliques?
Thanks so much,
Terri
Karen Ostlund | 25th Jan 16
You mentioned Kay Buckley favorite scissors. Are they also called “perfect” scissors?
Karen V | 25th Jan 16
The Karen Buckley scissors are great in any size. I really enjoyed the tutorial.
Tina | 25th Jan 16
Thank You, Thank You, Thank You!!!! Wool appliqué has always been a mystery to me and I really wanted to learn just how to do it. Your tutorial is perfect and I can’t wait to get my BOM goodies from you!!
Betty Liehr | 25th Jan 16
Thanks so much for the pictures. While I have done wool applique before, I haven’t really had anybody give “real” instructions and the visuals are great!
Mary | 25th Jan 16
This will be a first for me. The pictures are great. Can’t wait to get started.
Carla | 25th Jan 16
This looks handy. I have always wanted to try wool applique and your tips and a kit might be the answer.
noyoutwo@aol.com | 6th Feb 16
I didn’t sign up because I wasn’t into wool appliqué. NOW I WANT TO DO WOOL APPLIQUE!!!