76. Wild Quilting! Textured Applique

It’s time to learn one last fun construction technique for Express Your Love. Way back in the spring I set my first version of this quilt aside with the promise that we would come back later and learn a cool technique to finish off her hair.

So today we’re going to learn textured applique or WILD Quilting! This form of applique is free form, fun, and the very reverse of nit-picky, perfect turned edge applique. I love to use it for quilts that need more than just plain flat fabric appliqued. When you need the quilt to look alive, like it’s so full of texture that it’s ready to jump off the wall, this is the technique to use!

This is just green fabrics rustled, pleated, and twisted in layers over the hair section. I’ve secured all the fabrics using water soluble thread to hold them firmly in place temporarily. The intention here is to hold everything securely together without worrying if the thread looks ugly or not because it will just wash out later. See what I mean in this video:

The motto here is There is Never Enough Fiber, so feel free to branch out beyond just wrinkled fabric and add yarn, beads, sequins, paint, and maybe the kitchen sink if you feel like! The point here is to create rich layers of texture, so have fun, play, and remember you can always add more fiber!

Let’s go quilt,

Leah Day