Skinny Stems

 

I took a few classes with Kathy Dunigan 11 years ago when she lived in Canada. She had come up with a technique for skinny stems and was looking for a catchy name for them. I wonder if she ever came up with one? Anyway, Kathy was teaching a year-long course for a Baltimore sampler that included dimensional applique. 

She used a very narrow silk ribbon for her curvy stems. Folded them in half and glued them onto the background fabric and hand appliqued them down. I always used too much glue and it's hard to stitch through it. That block was the only time I used that technique. It is one of my UFOs. One of these days I will pull it out and finished it. But first I have a few other things to finish. This is where I first started doing needle-turn hand applique. 

I had a few comments about bias stems and I was reminded of Gay Bomer's tutorial applique/teeny-tiny-stems. It is worth checking out. I have several sizes of Clover bias makers and will try the 1/8th inch one first. I used the 1/8th maker for these red stems. It was certainly a challenge but with it.I have found that my bias stems always turn out a bit wider than the maker suggests. Sometimes I pull too fast when I am pulling the strip through. So I pull out an inch or so, pause, let it relax, and push it back in ever so slightly before gently pressing it. Rosemary Makhan taught us to put the cut bias strips in a plastic bag and spritz them with spray starch. This was long before Best Press was invented. I use that now. 

Hope this is helpful.

Blessings,

Chris

linking with: midweek-makers, myquiltinfatuation. needleandthreadnetwork.