TAMING THOSE COTTONS!

One of the biggest reasons I love working with felted wool is its ease of applique since the edges do not unravel!  Don't you think our cottons (with the exception of batiks) have become more loosely woven....where fraying now is so much more troublesome?  Is this why I have been avoiding cottons lately??  

 I still prefer the look of traditional applique so after attempting needle turn applique of one of my leaves onto the deconstructed screen printed background, I gave up on that method.  

Each paper template was retraced onto card stock and cut out.  Using a bit of spray starch on my finger....the fabric's outside edge was dampened and secured to the card stock.....and pressed with a dry iron to hold the crease.

 If you've never done this before.....it's a good idea to protect your work surface (actually with something a tad thicker than the tracing paper I used!)

You'll have to work the damp fabric against the card stock....in this photo, I've just begun.  The first photo shows this same wrong side, nicely smoothed out, just before moving the motif to the pressing surface.

Here it is pressed and ready to be peeled off the card stock and hand basted to the background.  I purposely did not draw and cut these leaves with perfection....nature isn't perfect.

Each leaf will receive this same preparation to provide a smooth edge to applique.  The center edges have been left raw....as they will be covered with a thin strip of either fabric or perhaps Ultra-Suede to represent the center vein/stem.

I'll be busy stitching and will report back....