Focus on Applique: Odd Embellishments

Hi Debra I've really been experimenting a lot lately with some beautiful threads. There are SO many on the market now, and they have really added some interest to my pieces. Also, quite some time ago, Polly sang praises for a new tool she had called a "Bedazzler". I purchased one, and have used it twice to add shiny crystals to my pieces (twinkling in a night sky, and cats eyes). Once I used silk forget-me-nots on a wall hanging to look like flowers along a picket fence, and give the piece some dimension. Another time, I used a template and "painted" fabric glue on a WH, then sprinkled with silver glitter for stars on some indigo batik

- the effect was really quite striking.... but it can never be washed! It's just a seasonal piece, so that shouldn't be a problem.

Patti in Seattle

This is an easy one for me - I don't.

I have never got over my early prejudice against sewing things onto quilts. Silly really as I often love the effects achieved by others, but I remain firmly stuck with FLAT quilts. I don't even do 3D flowers in album blocks.

The closest I would come to embellishment is beading and embroidery on the little quilted Christmas cards I sometimes make. Not sure if I will get to them this year or not.

But I have used leather, suede, lace, netting, organza and even vinyl in applique. And I have button tied quilts too. Does that count at all?

Now and then I use an odd embellishment for a crib-size shelter quilt. You must, of course, subject the embellishment to whatever abuse you imagine the rest of the quilt is going to suffer. (I only mean hot water wash and serious clothes dryer, you don't have to chew it or hurl spinach, . . . nevermind.) Skinny brown or bright yellow rick-rack is great for bird legs and green for flower stems, chenille is fine and fun to feel on carrot tops and bunny tails. My stash includes a busy collection of embroidered lady bugs, bees and a few silly spiders - these from Cheeptrims.com and I'm not affiliated but can be bought. There's also a small stack of ultrasuede scraps - good for tiny pieces that would be hard to do in cotton and possibly too fragile for hard wear. Polly

Black pipe cleaners for spider legs on3-D spider on a Bug Jar WUH for my Sis's 4th grade classroom.

Butterfly (she still uses it)

Sure they count. How did you add the leather suede and vinyl? If I new how to add it I might be able to use it in the future too. I wanted to add a scuba diver to my fish wall hanging but I wanted him to wear something shiny like vinyl and I couldn't figure how to add the little guy after making him.

As to the flat quilt syndrome you have, well I stick to that for all bed quilts but enjoy breaking out of it a little for wall hangings. I consider it important to have a soft and highly machine washable bed quilt. I only add harder things to wall hangings. Debra in VA See my quilts at

What cool ideas for a bed type quilt. Brown could be used for gnarly twigs too. I would never think to use rick rack as legs and stems. I've only seen it used as trim on clothing. Debra in VA See my quilts at

Chicken feathers? What did you do with them?

Debra in VA See my quilts at

I hadn't thought of pipe cleaners. We used to use them for all sorts of craft things when I was a kid, and back then there was only one color, off-white, and they were all only about 6 or 8 inches long. Now they come in dozens of colors and several fuzz styles and they are really long. Debra in VA See my quilts at

The vinyl was sewn very slowly and carefully with a special needle and zig-zag stitch. Seemed OK but I think you need to be careful of the vinyl you choose. Some age fast and go brittle. And I used one with a woven backing.

Leather and suede are easier, but there are special needles that make that easier too. I would prefer them to vinyl I think for sewing. For wall hangings I would probably just use glue the pieces.

I don't make wall hangings often because I don't have any wall spece to hang them - literally. My house if full of shelves, cupboards and space (as in arches, doors, windows, etc) and very little wall area. It's not until you go to hang something that you realise that you have "no walls" lol