Sewing Raw Edge Appliqué Using Iron Fusible Thread (FREE Pattern Included!)

Raw edge appliqué is a simple, fast, and easy way to appliqué your pieces together because it doesn’t require any extra steps. The most common way to sew raw edge appliqué is to use fusible stabilizer, however this can leave your appliqué looking and feeling stiff. In this video, we’ll show you how to sew raw edge appliqué using iron fusible thread, as well as some tips and tools to make it easier. Included is a free pattern to practice with or turn into your own unique project!

Trace your appliqué shapes onto the fabric using a temporary pen or piece of chalk and cut them out. We always recommend using batik fabric for raw edge appliqué because the fabric is less prone to fraying. If your shapes are more complex, or have a lot of angles in them, we suggest using a smaller, sharp pair of scissors to do your cutting with as it makes it much easier to do.

We’re going to load the machine with two different threads. In the top is a temporary regular sewing thread that will be pulled out later. However, in the bobbin we’ll be winding this thread called Iron ‘n Fuse. This is an iron fusible thread that will fuse the appliqué pieces to the fabric.

If you have appliqué pieces that have smaller shapes, you can add an optional layer of water soluble stabilizer underneath to make it easier to sew on the machine. You don’t need to cut it out to match the shape of your appliqué perfectly, just cut out a rough shape that your appliqué will easily fit over.

Increase your machine’s stitch length slightly to make it easier to pull the top thread out later. Sew all the way around your appliqué piece.

Position your appliqué on your project and press with high heat. The best part about using Iron ‘n Fuse thread is that it can still be lifted and repositioned as needed. It won’t fuse permanently to your project. Once your appliqué is in place, you can pull out the top thread.

To stitch your appliqué down permanently, you can use any variety of threads depending on the look you wish to achieve. The choice is yours, however for my appliqué I’ll be using this 50wt variegated cotton called Tutti. I love this thread because it’s been double gassed so it has a clean, ultra low lint finish, and the colour changes on the thread are quicker.

Sew around your appliqué about 1/8th of an inch away from the edge. If you want to make a bolder outline on your appliqué, you can go around again a second time. Raw edge appliqué tends to have a scrappy look, so don’t worry about making your lines perfectly aligned with each other.

Alternatively, you can hide the raw edge of the appliqué by selecting a satin stitch on your machine and sewing over the edge to cover it. We chose to stitch a bold outline around the appliqué pieces using this thicker 12wt thread called Spagetti. Like Tutti, it’s also a low lint cotton, but this thicker thread is a great way to add emphasis or an outline to a motif in your project.

After you’re finished permanently stitching your pieces down, don’t forget to wash your project to remove the water soluble stabilizer, if you chose to use it. No matter which creative way you choose to finish your raw edge appliqué project, this method is a fool-proof way to reduce the stiffness of an iron-on stabilizer often used in this technique.

If you’ve tried this for yourself, tag us on Instagram @wonderfilspecialtythread or by the hashtag at #wonderfil. We would love to see your sewing projects and progress! Ready to start sewing? You can find a list of stores that carry WonderFil threads on www.shopwonderfil.com/shop-local/. You can also sign up to receive weekly sewing tips, free patterns, and tutorials in our newsletter. Register by clicking here! You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the unsubscribe button on the footer of every email you receive.

7 Ways to Use a Sashiko Machine

Sashiko is a hand technique originating from Japan that uses a simple running stitch, however this machine replicates the look of a running stitch done by hand. This amazing machine can do all sorts of things with this one simple stitch, however they can be a little pricey to buy. We’ve compiled 8 techniques you can easily do yourself on the sashiko machine so you know how to use every advantage it brings.

The sashiko machine ensures stitches are uniform and consistent, making it easier and faster to accomplish your project. It only has one kind of stitch and threads differently from a regular sewing machine because it only uses the bobbin thread and no top thread.

Traditionally sashiko is done with white cotton thread on indigo dyed fabric, however you can choose any colour of thread and fabric you want. With a sashiko machine, you can even do more than just decorative stitching!

You’ll want to choose a medium weight thread as the sashiko machine will double up the stitches. So if you have too heavy a thread, you’ll end up with shredding and stitch consistency problems. I’ll be demoing with two threads. The first is a 35wt thread called Silco. This is a synthetic cotton thread that’s completely lint free. The second is Konfetti, a 50wt Egyptian cotton thread.

1. Quilting:
If you love the look of hand quilting but don’t have the time or patience to quilt an entire quilt by hand, you can do it with the sashiko machine instead. This is also a great solution for anyone with arthritis in their hands. The sashiko machine gives you the look of hand quilting, but at ten times the speed!

2. Appliqué:
You can use the sashiko machine for raw edge appliqué. This is a simple but beautiful way to appliqué your pieces down with a simple running stitch and combines the traditional look of sashiko with your appliqué project.

3. Adding trims:
The sashiko machine is perfect for quickly adding trims to clothing or home décor items, with the advantage of giving it the hand stitched look. I like to add it to sleeve cuffs, collars, bags, or pillows.

4.Couching:
It’s really easy to do couching without the need for a couching foot like a regular sewing machine requires, however it will look a little different. Place the ribbon or yarn you want to couch down horizontally across the needle and take one or two stitches, then pull it over to the other side of the needle and take another stitch or two. Continue this process to finish couching it down!

5. Braiding:
Another method of couching with the sashiko machine that creates a different look is by braiding two threads back and forth in front of the needle. Take your yarn or ribbon and place the center of it in front of the needle so you’re holding both of the ends in your fingers. Take one or two stitches to secure it, then weave both ends opposite across the front of the needle and take another one or two stitches. Continue doing this and you’ll end up with a woven couched thread.

6. Fabric flower:
Using organza or another similar lightweight fabric, you can create a flower by scrunching up the fabric and stitching over it so that the edges flare up. Take a piece of fabric, about 5 inches wide and 25 inches long, depending on how large you want the flower to be. Position it along the centre of the fabric and push it up against the needle before taking a few stitches. Continue doing this while slowly turning the fabric clockwise. You’ll end up with a beautiful fabric flower that’s perfect for decorating a birthday party, or upcoming baby or wedding shower!

7. Pleats:
You can easily add a decorative pleat on a piece of clothing or home décor item using the sashiko machine. Position your fabric where you want the pleat to fall from and push the fabric up against the needle. Take a few stitches to secure it and continue to press and stitch as you sew straight down. The result is a beautiful gathered pleat.

There’s so many creative ways to use the sashiko machine, so please tell us what you’ve made in the comments below! Ready to start sewing? You can find a list of stores that carry WonderFil threads on www.shopwonderfil.com/shop-local/. You can also sign up to receive weekly sewing tips, free patterns, and tutorials in our newsletter. Register by clicking here! You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the unsubscribe button on the footer of every email you receive.

Easy Serger Blanket Stitch Tutorial

Here’s a super quick and easy tutorial on how to make a quick machine “blanket stitch” edging on your serger. A two-thread flatlock stitch and some water soluble stabilizer will produce a beautiful, hand finished look. It’s a great way to finish blankets or other projects with this incredibly fast and simple serger solution.

Let’s start by setting up the serger. You will need a serger that has the capability to do a 2 thread flatlock stitch. Most sergers are able to do this, so check your manual to set up your machine.

A bold thread will have the best effect for this stitch, so we’ll be using a 12wt variegated cotton called Fruitti in the needle. This thread has been double gassed, resulting in a very low lint finish, so the stitches will look clean and beautiful when it stitches out. Another option is 12wt Spagetti which is the same thread as Fruitti, but comes in solid colors.

You’ll need a 90/14 topstitch needle in the serger to accommodate the heavier thread.

In the loopers, we’ll be using this medium 50wt cotton thread called Konfetti in a colour that matches the blanket. The finer weight works well with the heavier Fruitti thread.

For the blanket, we’re choosing this cotton flannel which is warm and soft to the touch. You can choose to do a single layer, a double layer, or a double layer with batting in the middle. Be aware to follow fire safety regulations when choosing fabric for babies.

Before you begin, cut a length of water soluble stabilizer long enough to go around the edge of your blanket, with a width of about 3 inches. You can use pieces so you do not need one continuous length.

Set up the serger to do a 2 thread flatlock stitch, with a wide cutting width. Place a strip of the wash away stabilizer along the right edge of the blanket and stitch along the edge of the fabric. The stabilizer will lay on top of your project. Continue around the circumference of your blanket, making sure the knife of the serger is cutting off a small strip along the edge as you sew.

When you have finished going around all four edges, remove your work from the serger, leaving a tail to finish off.

Tug on the wash away stabilizer all the way around to pull the stitches to the back and leave a “blanket stitch”. Trim the stabilizer close to your stitching, taking care not to cut into your serger threads. Rinsing the finished project will remove the remaining water soluble stabilizer.

Weave the thread ends into your edging using a large eye needle. A drop of fray check will prevent them from unraveling later.

If your blanket is rectangular, you will go off the edge at each corner. After you have finished your piece, you will need to go back and weave in the serger threads at each corner to finish.

If you make the corners of your project a slow curve, you will not need to finish loose ends at each corner. In this case, begin your stitching line along one edge, not on a corner. When you come to the end, you will need to overlap your starting stitches, then slowly edge your way off the fabric, trying not to create a ‘point’. You will have only one set of loose threads to weave in.

And that is all there is to it! In minutes you will have a nicely finished blanket! This is perfect for making receiving blankets for babies, a simple blanket for yourself or your family, or quickly finishing the edges of a project off.

Ready to start sewing? You can find a list of stores that carry WonderFil threads on www.shopwonderfil.com/shop-local/. You can also sign up to receive weekly sewing tips, free patterns, and tutorials in our newsletter. Register by clicking here! You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the unsubscribe button on the footer of every email you receive.

Introducing Spagetti™ Heavy 12wt Thread

When your goal is to stand out, Spagetti™ knows how to be seen. This thick and juicy 12wt thread is actually the thickest thread you can safely fit through the eye of your machine needle. Some sewers love how boldly this thread stands out, while others might be a little intimidated by it. But we’re here to show you how to use this thread effectively to create color and texture you can’t ordinarily achieve with a regular thread.

Spagetti™ and its neighbour Fruitti™ are both 3ply, 12wt long staple Egyptian cotton threads that have been double gassed for a super low lint finish. Gassing is a term you may have come across in the sewing industry. It refers to a technique thread manufacturers use to burn off 80% of the lint from the surface of a thread. WonderFil actually repeats this process a second time, removing another 80% of the remaining 20% of the lint, resulting in an incredibly smooth, ultra low lint finish. If you take a close look at the thread, you’ll find very few fuzzies sticking out. This greatly reduces the lint build up in your machine, so you can spend more time sewing and less time cleaning it out, or fewer trips to the machine maintenance shop.

You can see in this side-by-side comparison how much thicker Spagetti™ looks beside a regular 50wt thread. While you wouldn’t use this thread for something like piecing, it’s the perfect choice for anything decorative that will show on top. Machine quilting with this thread will really make your quilting pop. And because the thread is so thick, it will completely change the look of your quilt top.

Or you can consider something like thread painting. Most sewers will use a 40wt thread to do this technique, but a 12wt thread sits a little higher on the fabric. You’ll be able to create a beautiful, raised texture simply by switching to this thread that can’t be achieved with thinner threads.

This thread is beautiful for any decorative top stitching, appliqué, or even sewing thicker materials like leather or upholstery, but what about for hand sewing? Big stitch hand quilting never looked better. It also makes for a beautiful sashiko thread, needle punch, or even for hand embroidering smaller details and designs. This 12wt thread is comparable in size to a single strand of embroidery floss.

There’s a lot of great techniques Spagetti™ can shine in, but we don’t recommend using it with itself in the bobbin. A thread this bulky in both the top and the bottom will likely cause a host of tension issues that will decrease your stitch quality.

So what should you use in the bobbin? Meet DecoBob™, an 80wt cottonized polyester. This little thread is incredibly small, but also surprisingly strong. While it’s important to use a fine bobbin thread in every application, it’s especially important when using a 12wt thread in the needle. This fine thread will greatly reduce tension problems because it always knows to give way to the top thread instead of fighting for tension in the machine. These two know how to work together for perfect, smooth stitching.

Of course, you’ll also need to choose a larger needle to accommodate this bulky thread. We recommend a 90/14 or 100/16 topstitch needle whenever using Spagetti™ because this needle has a larger eye. This gives the thread more room to move around and reduces the chance for the thread to shred or break.

Don’t be afraid to go bold with Spagetti™ and see how this thread can change the look of your projects! Inspired to sew with Spagetti™ and Fruitti™? Head on over to shopwonderfil.com/shop-local/ for a list of stores and retailers you can purchase from.

Thread Talks: Thread Terminology Words You May Not Know

There’s a lot of different terms used in the sewing world, so what do they all mean? In this video, we break down the variety of terms used in the thread industry, what they stand for and why we use them. Get threaducated in our Thread Talks videos, become a savvy thread expert and expand your knowledge of the sewing industry!

Thread Weight:

The sewing industry uses thread weight to describe the thickness or thinness of a thread. For instance, a 100 weight thread will be super fine, while an 3 weight thread will be closer in thickness to yarn. While this term is used almost ubiquitously by sewing companies, there isn’t really a definitive system to measure it. Most manufacturers know how thick a 40 weight thread looks like and will use that as a reference point to base other thread weights on. However, since there is no definitive system to measure thread weight, you might find some minor variation between thread weights from different thread companies.

Tex:

Another way to measure thread thickness is by tex. This is a more technical way to measure thread as opposed to weight. It is defined by how many grams 1000m of that yarn weighs. So for example, if 1000m of a certain thread weighs 20 grams then it’s tex 20. Or if 1000m of the thread weighs 30 grams, then it’s tex 30. With tex, the higher the number, it usually results in a thicker thread. Whereas with weight, it’s defined by the higher the number, the thinner the thread. However, if you have a denser thread, or the thread is made from a heavier material such as steel wool, you might end up with a higher tex despite the strands not being a smaller diameter than a cotton thread with the same tex. This is why we use weight to measure most of our thread lines, with some exceptions.

Mercerization:

Mercerization is a standard process used on cotton yarn. You’ll notice that almost all cotton sewing thread is mercerized, but what exactly does that mean? Cotton yarn is mercerized by soaking hanks of it in a caustic soda that is pulled and stretched repeatedly between rods. This process loosens the fibres to help it absorb dye in the next stage of manufacturing. However as a result of this process, it also slightly increases the strength of the cotton and gives the yarn a silkier, more lustrous appearance. Natural raw cotton material is dull looking, however a mercerized cotton has a soft gloss to it.

Long Staple Egyptian Cotton (or Giza Cotton)

Cotton is made up of multiple fibres that is taken and spun together into strands to make thread. The best quality fibres are the longest fibres as these will create a significantly less linty thread. You can see this for yourself by taking longer strands of hair and twisting them, then doing the same with shorter strands of hair. The longer hair has fewer ends poking out than the shorter strands of hair. This is what the term “long staple cotton” is referring to.

WonderFil manufactures all of its cotton thread only from long staple cotton, one of the highest calibres of cotton fibre quality. This cotton can only be grown in moist, mild climates, a few of which can be found in the southern United States or the delta region of Egypt. Even in Egypt there is variation in climates. For instance, Giza cotton is an extra long staple Egyptian cotton grown in close proximity to the Nile river, a veritable oasis in the otherwise dry climate. Because of the Nile’s mineral rich water and the region’s warm, humid climate, it makes the perfect environment for the highest quality cotton to be grown. For example, Efina 60wt thread is manufactured from this extra long fibre to create a clean, ultra low lint thread that looks and feels gorgeous.

Gassing:

Gassing is a process some thread manufacturers do to their cotton threads to reduce its lint. The thread passes between two flames, removing about 80% of the lint from its surface. WonderFil actually repeats this process a second time, so the remaining 20% of the lint has another 80% removed. This double gassing in combination with the long staple Egyptian cotton its spun from results in an extremely low lint cotton thread.

Because gassing a thread adds cost to the manufacturing process, some companies choose instead to cover the thread with glue or residue to keep the cotton fibres lying flat and give the illusion that its low on lint. However this residue will still come off in the sewing machine and can often be even more difficult to clean out than lint. Knowing whether a thread has been gassed or not is a great reference to its quality. To learn more about gassing, don’t forget to check out our video that goes into detail about gassing thread.

Let us know if you still have questions about any other sewing industry terms we may have missed. Ready to start sewing? You can find a list of stores that carry WonderFil threads on www.shopwonderfil.com/shop-local/.

Introducing Konfetti 50wt Double Gassed Long Staple Egyptian Cotton Thread

There’s nothing like a fundamental medium weight cotton thread, your go-to choice for just about everything. But there are a lot of intricacies you may not think about when reaching the spool. Let’s take a look at some of the industry terms we use when talking about this standard cotton thread.

This is Konfetti™ and Tutti™, two thread lines by WonderFil that are spun from a double gassed long staple Egyptian cotton material into an 50wt thread. But what does all of that even mean? Let’s break it down so we know what we’re looking at.

Cotton isn’t just cotton. There’s a whole lot of varieties out there with varying qualities associated with them. While your local dollar store might sell a functionable cotton thread, take a closer look. Some thread manufacturers cut corners to bring the price down, so your cotton thread might have a case of bed head. And by that we mean, it’s gonna be linty. All that lint is going to come out when it’s passing through your sewing machine, meaning you’re going to have to spend more time cleaning it out and maintaining it.

Photo by crazybydesign.blogspot.com

But it isn’t just lint you need to worry about. Some thread manufacturers will want to give the thread the illusion of being less linty without actually doing anything to reduce the lint in the thread. They can do this by applying a layer of glue to the thread which holds all the lint down. You might be able to actually feel the glue if you touch the thread and it feels slightly tacky. This is a worse situation than just having a linty thread because that glue or residue can also come off in your machine, which is even more difficult to clean out than regular lint.

So what can a manufacturer actually do to reduce the lint on a thread? We call that gassing. Gassing is a process where we pass the thread between a flame which burns off 80% of the lint. WonderFil actually repeats this a second time, so the remaining 20% of the lint has another 80% of the lint removed. The result is an incredibly smooth thread with one of the lowest lint finishes on the sewing market. The proof is in the picture.

Pictured: close up of Konfetti™ thread

Another component to look at is the staple of the cotton. This is an indication of the quality of the cotton fibres. The longer the fibres, the higher quality the cotton. Konfetti™ and Tutti™ are made with a long staple Egyptian cotton, meaning it’s a high quality fibre. Think of it this way, if you were you twist together a lock of long hair, the longer the strands of hair, the fewer strands that will stick out. But twisting together hair made up of a lot of short strands of hair will cause a lot of strands to stick out. The same concept applies when making a strand of thread. So the longer the fibre, or staple, of the cotton, the less lint you’ll have on the thread.

So whether you’re quilting, longarming, making cotton lace, or getting your creative juices flowing with some thread painting, these threads won’t let you down. Afterall, there’s no sense in spending big bucks on a sewing machine and then feeding it linty thread. Take care of your machine and let your projects shine with a quality thread line!

Let us know if you used Konfetti™ or Tutt™i thread in one of your projects! Instagram @wonderfilspecialtythread or on Faceback @WonderFil, or use #wonderfil to tag us!