Quilt Your Block Before Embroidery!

 

Most often, blocks are embroidered before quilting. See how you can quilt the block before adding embroidery!

Last week, I showed you how to use battilizer for quilting. This week, I will show you how to use GlitterFlex and embroidery with this special combination of batting and stabilizer.

 

Bonnie’s latest release, Farm Buddies, is so adorable that I chose the cow for this quilting project.

At the Computer

Open any quilting embroidery design.

The cow measures 4 3/4 by 5 7/16, so I chose a stipple quilting file sized 6 1/4 by 6 1/4. Add the word “MOO.” I changed the eye color to blue to match my border fabric.

Make sure that the quilting layer is situated at the beginning of the stitch sequence and that both the quilting and text layers are different thread colors than any used in the design. Combine the two flies in editing software (I used Embrilliance). Make sure you save both the working file and embroidery file.

If you do not have editing software, just stitch the quilting background before stitching the embroidery design.

The Background

Float battilizer in the hoop or use a magnetic hoop and be sure to add a basting stitch to secure fabric to the battilizer. See tips for hooping battilizer here.

Stitch out the quilting background first.

Fusing the GlitterFlex

After the quilting comes the placement and tack-down stitches (color stops 2 and 3) for the applique cow. Stitch these as you would normally, using a contrasting thread to secure GlitterFlex to the fabric.

Notice the open areas near the outer edges of the applique? When two designs are merged in Embrilliance, many of the stitches underneath are eliminated. That is why areas of the hair, horns, tail, and hooves show open areas of stitching.

When fusing, I had to increase my typical heat setting and fusing time.

 

 

Continue embroidering the cow. It is SO cute! Check back and see how we will finish the block.