Beginners Class/Blanket Stitch By Machine

Quilting "How-To" Class

Blanket Stitch by Machine by Elsie Campbell

Learn to use this decorative stitch for a bold edge on your appliqué projects.

Stitching fabric upon fabric has been used for centuries for utilitarian purposes to patch rips and tears or worn spots in clothing. When it began to be used as decoration, textile historians cannot determine. But to quiltmakers, it doesn't really matter. Appliqué quilts are among the most beautiful in museums and private collections.

Bits and pieces of fabric applied to the background can be stitched in place in many ways. The blanket stitch is the most commonly used decorative appliqué stitch. It can be done using thread of the same color and value as the appliqué, nearly disappearing along the edge of the piece, or it can be stitched with contrasting thread to accent the outline of the piece.

Today's sewing machines usually have a built-in repertoire of stitches including a decorative blanket stitch. Having this advantage at your fingertips can speed up a once-tedious process. It is easy to mock the look of many hours of hand stitching by adding this stitch to appliqué blocks. Here are a few pointers to help you achieve the look you want with this specialty stitch.

When using contrasting thread for the bold look, you'll need to know how to precisely place individual stitches to make attractive corner turns and curves. Practice makes perfect, so stitch a sample or two before working on your final project.

Before you begin -

Thread

Regular sewing thread or embroidery thread can be used for the blanket stitches. I used a 3-ply, 50 weight 100% cotton thread. Even if you've selected an embroidery-type thread or top-stitching thread, use a 50-weight cotton thread in the bobbin.

If you've chosen embroidery thread, you might wish to try threading the machine with two threads at once. Basically, this doubles the weight of the thread, and may double the impact of the stitches by making the thread appear thicker and more like decorative top-stitching.

Needles

If you've chosen a specialty thread like machine embroidery thread, the needle should match the thread. An embroidery needle has a specially designed scarf (groove in the needle that the thread glides through) which accommodates fine, slick threads. Use the size appropriate for your thread, usually a size 14/90 or 16/100 for thicker threads.

Stabilizers

I chose to use a narrow rim of paper-backed fusible web for my Heart block. This has the advantage of not only stabilizing the piece, but also providing an edge that will stay in place as you stitch around it. By cutting away the center of the fusible web before fusing it to the appliqué fabric, the appliqué is softer and more pliable and adds less weight to the finished piece.

For this technique, trace the appliqué shape on the paper side of the fusible webbing. Roughly cut the shape out, leaving about a 1/8" to 1/4" outside the traced line. Then cut the inner portion away within 1/4" of the line, as shown.

Following the manufacturer's instructions, adhere the prepared shape to the wrong side of the appliqué fabric. Then cut the shape out exactly on the marked line. Remove the paper and position the piece on the right side of the background square. Fuse it in place. Now you are ready to proceed with the blanket stitching.

Machine set-up

Engage the needle-down feature if it is available on your machine. Then set up the blanket stitch. Some machines have 2 choices - single stitched and multiple-stitched blanket stitches. Experiment with them to see which one will give the results you want. The multiple stitch takes longer to execute but yields a bolder, more prominent look.

Set the stitch width at about 3.0 to 3.5 mm, and the stitch length between 3.5 and 5.0 mm, depending on the size of the appliqué piece and the look you want.

You might find it necessary to loosen the top tension slightly, or the top stitches may pull the bobbin thread to the front of the piece. If the same threads are used in the top and bobbin, this won't be obvious. If 2 different kinds of thread are used, the dot of bobbin thread pulled to the top may be distracting.

Use an open-toe embroidery foot for this process. The open-toe feature will allow you to monitor the stitches more closely as you make them.

Stitching -

There are two kinds of corners: "inside" and "outside." Each requires two steps for completion. Begin stitching any place along the straightest portion of the appliqué . You will be stitching clockwise around the piece. The stitch forward is taken in the background just outside the appliqué. Two stitches will zig in and out to the left into the appliqué.

Outside corners

As you approach an outside corner, carefully stitch exactly to the corner, stopping with the forward stitch and the needle down in the background fabric.
Turn the piece so that the zigzag stitch will divide the corner exactly in half, following an imaginary line through the center of the corner. Carefully take the stitch and stop with the needle down exactly at the corner of the appliqué and in the background fabric.
Stop and turn the piece so that the next forward stitch will align exactly with the outer edge of the appliqué. Continue stitching around the edge of the piece.

Inside Corners

Inside corners are similar to outside corners in that you will stitch exactly to the corner, stop, and pivot the piece before taking the zigzag stitch into the appliqué. There are 2 looks for this turn. The first leaves a rather open-looking corner. Stitch it similar to the outside corner.
For a more dense-looking corner, lower the needle exactly into the background fabric at the corner. Then raise the presser foot and turn the piece so that the next zigzag stitch falls along an imaginary line. Lower the presser foot and take the stitch. Raise the presser foot, turn the piece, lower the presser foot, and take the next stitch in the corner, as before.
Turn the piece and continue stitching the edge. The completed corner turn is as shown.

Curves

Inside and outside curves require that stitches be perpendicular to the edge of the appliqué as much as possible. The stitches will appear like spokes on a wheel, always pointing toward an imaginary center. To keep the stitches positioned at the correct angle requires constant readjustment of the piece. Gentle curves can be accomplished by applying slight pressure to one side of the fabric while stitching as shown.

For more acute curves, you'll need to raise and lower the presser foot as many times as needed to keep the edge of the presser foot at a right angle to the edge of the appliqué. Remember to always make the adjustment at the end of the forward stitch part of the process with the needle down in the background fabric, never in the zigzag part of the stitch.

A well-executed machine blanket stitch very closely resembles its precise hand-stitched counterpart but takes only a fraction of the time. Try it on your next project, and enjoy the compliments as your friends and family wonder how you did that!

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