For this last part in the series, I am going to cover making stems for your floral appliqué from bias strips. I will also cover how to stitch points and inside corners on your motif pieces. If you missed the two previous weeks of this series, you can find them here: Part 1 and Part 2. In those parts I covered my favorite tools, tips on using templates, preparing the appliqués for stitching, preparing the background and motif layout, and stitching.

Even if the appliqué project you are working on does not have stems, this is a good skill to learn so you can make a floral motif someday. So let’s get started!

Making Stems from Bias Strips

A lot of appliqué projects include floral appliqué motifs. Because of this, it’s a good idea to know how to make stems from strips of fabric. 

Here are a few of my latest projects that use these stems:

I actually use bias strips to make all my stems, whether they are straight or curved. However, if your project only  has straight stems, like Starfire on the right, you can use straight strips if you prefer. You will still need the later steps for making stems that I’ll provide here.

Here’s the steps to cut bias strips and make stems:

Step 1: To cut bias strips first lay out your piece of fabric on the cutting mat, usually with the width of the fabric running horizontally, and align the 45 degree line of your ruler with the bottom edge of the fabric.

The fabric I used for this example is a fat 1/8 (9 x 20″) and I have the 20″ side running horizontally, facing me. Then I place the 45 degree line of the ruler on that horizontal edge (photo above, right).

Now using your rotary cutter, make the first cut and then cut strips, on a 45 degree angle, the width required by the project.

Cut the bias strips 1/2″ wider than the stem width you want. For example, if you want stems that are 1/4″ wide, you will need to cut bias strips 3/4″ wide. If you want stems 1/2″ wide you will need to cut bias strips 1″ wide.

Step 2: To make stems from the bias strips, fold in the long sides of the strip 1/4″ in on each side. I like to use a tool called a bias tape maker. Here’s what mine looks like:

To use the tape maker you slide the fabric strip, wrong side up, into the wider end of the tool until the end of the strip starts to come out the narrow end. You will notice that the sides of the strip are folding in. Start pulling the bias strip through and press to keep the folded sides closed, making the strip the stem width you want. There are different sizes of bias tools to make different widths of stems.

To secure the sides of the stem in place, especially if you are making a lot of stems, you can use a few dots of Roxanne’s Glue Baste-it on the wrong side of the strip inside the folds.

As I discussed in last week’s post, stems are usually positioned and stitched down first when you have a floral appliqué project. Because of this, it’s a good idea to make all the stems you need for a project first before laying out the design.

Here’s my mini video tutorial on making stems for a project:

Stitching Points and Inside Corners

Many quilters just learning to appliqué (and even some experienced stitchers) have trouble with stitching points and inside corners. I found that this is the question most asked when I am teaching an appliqué class. Because of this, I decided to make a short mini tutorial video on stitching that includes points and inside corners. It’s easier to demonstrate than to explain in words, so hopefully this helps you understand this part of appliqué stitching.

I hope the video helps give you an idea how I handle these areas on an appliqué motif. Feel free to search out other quilter’s tips on this. 

Here’s that video:

So, that’s it for my needle-turn hand appliqué tutorial. Leave a comment below or ask a questions and be entered into a drawing for my new pattern, Starfire (shown above), along with a pack of needles and Roxanne’s glue. 

The drawing will be on Monday, March 30th. Good luck! ***We have a winner! Congrats, Donna Logan!***

Happy Quilting!
Deanne