Fun with Stitches on Your Wool Applique!

I was teaching a wool applique class on Saturday and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing how each student interpreted my project. From using a different background fabric to adding a bird to a flower pot, it was fun! I also showed students different stitches they could use to secure the appliques motifs. I instantly thought …. blog post! I wanted to share some of the fun stitches that can be done in addition to the usual blanket and whip stitches.

First, lets review the stitches that are normally used in wool applique. I like to use a whip stitch to secure thin stems. Here’s a whip stitched stem:

This is a diagram of the whip stitch I drew for my patterns:

The other stitch typically used is the blanket stitch. Here’s my diagram of that stitch and how it looks done:

Those are great stitches! But, now for some fun!

Here are a few fun options for stitching on stems.

This one is a criss-cross pattern:

Here’s a beautiful version of this with the criss-cross stitching in a bold, dark thread:

This next stitch is just a running stitch up the middle of the stem.

Circles on wool applique are usually stitched using the blanket stitch, but there are a few other ways to secure these. You can do a French knot in the middle of the circle with lines stitched in a way that creates a radiating pattern out from the center:

or, just do several French knots to secure them!

You can also embellish things like leaves with veins while using that to secure the leaf to the project:

Finally, here’s a fun way to stitch down a small square that is the top of a Christmas ornament:

So I hope this display of stitches inspired you for your next wool applique project. Have fun and experiment with new ways to stitch pieces on to background. If it doesn’t look good to you, it can always be changed. All it costs is a little time.

Happy Quilting and Stitching!
Deanne