The Zig and the Zag on Chevron

Chevron is truly ALL the rage these days.  You can find chevron rugs, chevron aprons, chevron website templates, chevron mugs...and yes, chevron fabric!  I thought you guys might enjoy a few tips about the different types, where to find it, and how to best use it for all things applique. 

First, there are several sizes of chevron as well as colors. 

For most of my applique work, I prefer to work with the small chevron.  Remember, the larger the chevron, the less often it repeats.  So, on smaller applique designs, the small chevron pattern will repeat more frequently and have more of an impact. 



Here is the frequency of pattern repeat for each size:
Small: horizontal repeat = 1" vertical repeat = 1"
Medium: horizontal repeat = 2" vertical repeat = 2"
Large: horizontal repeat = 4" vertical repeat = 4"
(pictures and measurements are from Riley Blake)

After deciding on the size...you have the tough choice of picking what color you want.  I'll take one of each, please.  Most of the basic colors come in an alternating white chevron pattern or a tone on tone chevron pattern.  Both of these can make your applique design feel different.  I think the tone on tone is a little more subdued...where the white chevron make more of a bold statement.  Again...both are great and I will still take one of each.  Ha!



But don't settle for just the basic colors of the rainbow...there are now multi-color chevrons!  Check out the picture below for just a few examples.  I know I will be using the Halloween and Christmas chevron in some of my fall designs...and they have lots of color combos perfect for football season!  Any Auburn/Alabama divided houses out there?  Check out the orange/blue/crimson/grey chevron!  Perfect. 



Have you made your wish list yet?  Good...now let's get shopping. 

I am going to share a handful of places to buy chevron.  But...before I go on...please understand this is a very small list...there are LOTS of places to get your hands on this super fun fabric.  But, if you hit a wall and just can't find it anywhere...I hope some of these links will help.

My first stop is usually Etsy.  I just typed in "chevron fabric fat quarter" and got 1713 results.  That should keep me stocked for while, don't you think?  I have ordered from Half Stitched before and received my fabric very fast!  I have also been impressed with the selection at The Fabric Shoppe.
But again, there are so many out there...so just have fun looking...mark a few as your favorite...then make a decision.  I have always enjoyed my Etsy experience...but be sure to check a seller's feedback before ordering. 



Next up...fabric/quilting stores.  Being able to shop in person is wonderful...but the next best thing is a great online store!  Here are a few of my go-to online fabric shops:

* TJ Fabrics: they have a lot of assorted fat quarter bundles perfect for applique!
* The Smockingbird: this shop is in my hometown and I always try to stop in and say hello when I am in town...and 9 times out of 10 I leave with a bag of new fabric!  They have chevron and also have a great selection of auburn/alabama prints come football season.
* The Sewing Room: I visited this store for the first time last fall and stocked up on chevron...and got matching embroidery thread at the same time! 

All of the above are in Alabama...which is where I grew up so I guess I am biased...but I do think they are great fabric/sewing resources! 

And here are some of our recent designs that I tested using chevron fabric. It's bold...it's fun...and it's in!
 


What will you make with chevron?
Do you have a great chevron resource? Please share in the comments below! 

Adding Extra Fabric or Stabilizer

Top o' the morning to you this fine St. Patty's Day morning. 

We had absolutely gorgeous weather yesterday which meant we were outside basically from sun up to sun down...which meant I did not accomplish my three blogs in three days goal. (sigh)  But we were able to watch my 4 year old's soccer game, start our seeds for our garden, do a little landscaping, and take in an afternoon baseball game so all in all it was a wonderful day.  They are calling for possibly more snow next weekend (or a very cold rain) so I am glad we got outside while we could!

During a couple of recent stitch-outs I decided to add some extra fabric/stabilizer in the middle of the process to ensure a great finished product. I had just finished stitching our Zig Zag Bunny on a shirt and everything was going as planned.  Just before I started stitching the name above the bunny, I checked the number of stitches left on the design.  It seemed to me that the font I was using was extra dense (lots o' stitches) so I decided to add a layer of tear-away stabilizer under the hoop to make sure the dense letters did not cause the shirt to pucker. 




Once the design was finished stitching I just tore away the extra stabilizer. No puckering.  Perfect!



On our Scallop Bunny Patch design I used a very bold chevron pattern for bottom fabric (the scallop applique) and a solid light pink fabric for the top applique (bunny). As I was placing the light pink fabric on top of the chevron fabric I noticed I could still see the chevron lines through the pink fabric. I decided to add a layer of while flannel in between the light pink fabric and chevron fabric to ensure no chevron lines would show through.



When you have multiple layers of fabric for one applique layer I recommend cutting as close as possible to ensure the satin stitches cover everything.  If you don't have white flannel, you could also try a second layer of the solid pink fabric (or whatever fabric you are using) or a white cotton, etc.  I just had the flannel handy and it worked for me. 

Here is the finished product...success!



So, don't be afraid to modify your process mid-way to achieve the finished product you are hoping for.   A little extra stabilizer or another layer of fabric can make all the difference!

Tracking Thread Colors

I recently learned a lesson the hard way and thought I would share my carelessness with you so you don't make the same mistake I did!

I noticed a few weeks ago that I was running low on several thread colors. When I lived in Richmond, VA, I had a great local shop where I got a great deal on thread and I could just go in and match whatever color I needed.

Now, I am 30 minutes or so from a good thread shop so I decided to try to order my replacement thread online. I found a great site...and the prices were better than what I paid in Richmond. However...several of my low thread spools were missing their identification number sticker! I tried my best to match colors online...how do you think that turned out???

Let me show you...



low baby blue on the left "replenished" with silver on the right...



a pretty lime green on the left "replenished" with a more yellowy green that doesn't quite match any of my fabric!!!



and look at this...a pretty pink on the left that perfectly matches the pink on the right. You know why???



Because the magic sticker was still on top of the spool!!!

So...my advice to you is to make a list of your thread color whenever you buy it! You never know when you want to replace it and if that oh so important sticker is still going to be around!

I recommend keeping track of the following information as a document on your computer:

1) Thread Brand 2) Thread Identification (color/code) 3) Where you purchased it 4) Specific Project - if you purchased it for a special project or to match a particular fabric you might want to note that too.

Hope this helps and keeps you from ordering unmatched thread in the future!

If you have any additional thread tracking tips...please leave a comment below!

Let's Start at the Very Beginning...

...a very good place to start.

Anyone else singing "Do-Re-Mi" from the Sound of Music now?
Love that movie!

Since this is the beginning of All Things Applique's blog, I thought it would be a good time to go over some of the first products you need when you start embroidering.  For you seasoned embroiders out there...keep reading...I bet you find something new that you want to try too!

A few weeks ago I attended an embroidery conference where I had the opportunity to take several embroidery classes as well as meet with lots of embroidery vendors.  It was mainly an educational trip for me, but I did make one purchase...

The Gunold Introductory Kit

This box is packed with lots of goodies any embroiderer would love!  Here is all that came in my box as well as a brief description of the products:



A: KK 100 - a temporary spray adhesive perfect for applique fabric

B: Curved End Scissors - I purchased my first pair of embroidery scissors from Wal-Mart for $7.00 several years ago. And really, they have done great, but I have been wanting a new pair for over a year and just haven't made the purchase. These retail at $10.30 from Gunold and are fantastic. They cut without any effort and I am able to get so close to the tackdown stitch even around small curves.

C: 2 spools of Sulky Rayon thread (white and black)

D: 6 spools of Gunold Poly thread

E: Stitch Saver - A textured, 100% polyester fabric that looks like it has been embroidered. I thought this would be great for those large fill stitch areas that take so long...eyes, truck tires, etc. It is pricey, but you would only need small squares each time you use it so I imagine it would last a long time.

F: a 10 pack of 75/11 needles

G: Disposable Snips - these are $14.00 for a dozen and are perfect for thread trimming at the end of a project.

H: Metallic Thread....love this...especially for holiday projects!

I: Bobbins! Can't live without these, right?

Here is a closeup of the Stitch Saver:



And one more close-up of the scissors and disposable snips:



Doesn't that sound like a lot of fun product to try? Well, that is just the top layer of the box! Check out what else was inside:

Who needs thread charts? We all do! It is really helpful to match your fabric to actual thread samples.



The top is the Sulky Rayon color card and the bottom is the Gunold Poly color card.

The Poly line has variegated thread...which I love!



When I first started embroidering I was so confused with what stabilizer to use for what project. I ended up with lots of rolls of different types of backing. Some I used and reordered. Some are still collecting dust. Sigh. I wish I would have known about these backing sample kits when I started!



This has over 20 square samples of backing. It is great to be able to feel the difference between the different weights and between the cutaway/tearaway/topping, etc. and know what you are getting before you order.

Each sheet is labeled with it's name, weight, and catalog number.



In addition to the backing sample back, I also received a good starter collection of some of the most popular types of backing:



*25 pieces of Quick Tear - Tear Away Backing
*25 pieces of Soft n Sheer - Cut Away Backing
*25 pieces of Solvy (great for bibs and terrycloth)
*25 pieces of Totally Stable - Cut Away Backing



*5 pieces of Filmoplast Self-Adhesive Backing
*12 pieces of Tear Away for Caps

And finally...one more product that I can't wait to try:



Puffy Foam! I will be digitizing some designs specifically for puffy foam very soon. This will really add dimension to your products!

So, there you have it.  Getting started in embroidery in a box.  Pretty fun, huh?  This box won't answer all of your questions...but it really is a great place to start.

Questions? Please leave a comment or e-mail us at allthingsapplique@gmail.com