Choose the hand appliqué quilt technique when you need to apply a special decoration to your quilt. This traditional form of appliqué is the most common type of quilting technique.
To use the hand appliqué quilt technique, prepare pieces of fabric to be appliquéd by hand by tracing around the template on the right side of the fabric. Add a 3/16-inch seam allowance as you cut out each piece. Fold under the seam allowance along the marked seam line. Baste around each piece to hold the seam allowances turned under, clipping curves where necessary.
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Pin the first piece to be stitched to the background. Hand stitch it to the background with a blind stitch or, for a more decorative look, use a blanket stitch and contrasting thread.
When the appliqué is complete, consider carefully trimming the background fabric from behind the appliqué inside the stitching line. This must be done with great care so that the appliqué is not snipped, but it does reduce the bulk and make quilting easier.
Want more information on quilting? Try:
- Not interested in hand appliquéing? Check out tips for the Machine Appliqué Quilt Technique.
- Whether you want to piece your quilt together by hand or machine, see Quilting Patchwork Techniques for helpful tips.
- Learn How to Quilt or brush up on the basics with our refresher course.
