I have a friend, Betty, who is an "expert" at the "Buttonhole/Blanket" stitch commonly used to sew around applique pieces on quilts. Betty has a way of making this stitch so the stitches stay a bit neater. I have lots of people ask me about how to do this stitch--especially how to start it. A long while back, we (I actually think Robin Walston) took pictures of the steps it takes to do the stitch. I think they turned out pretty good. Here they are. I hope you find them useful.
Step 1--Bring the thread up from the back of the background fabric. (I usually use 2 strands of embroidery floss.)
Bring the thread up just outside the applique piece.
Step 2--About a quarter of an inch to the right (or however large you want your stitch to be) push the needle down into the background fabric. Bring it up into the applique fabric about a quarter of an inch from the edge (or however large you want your stitch to be) and....wait for the next step.
Step 3--(This is Betty's "trick" for making a neater stitch.) Take the thread from the eye-end of the needle and...
wrap it under the tip of the needle.
Step 4--Now, pull your thread to tighten the stitch.
Step 5--You are ready to make another stitch. Insert your needle the desired distance away from the first stitch and repeat the steps.
I hope you find this little tutorial useful. Let me know.
1 comment:
Beth, Thank you so much for the very good explanation and pictures for this stitch! I have always wanted to accomplish it but could never achieve the "neat" look! So easy with your instructions! Thanks for sharing!
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