Quick and Easy Quilting and Trapunto from Your Sewing Machine

Just a little quilting, easy to do on a sewing machine, will individualize
the garments or accessories you make from standard patterns.

The ways you can use touches of guilting and its close relative, trapunto,
to transform the clothes and other things you sew into one-of-a-kind designs
are limited only by your imagination. Briefly, quilting is achieved by making
a sandwich of two fabrics with a soft fiIling of polyester batting, then sewing the
sandwich together in an ornamental pattern.

Trapunto, a raised quilting, is made by stitching the outline of a design
through a fabric and a sheer lining under it, then inserting stuffing through
the lining to pad the design. The sewing machine makes easy work of both tech-
niques, which can be used on a wide range of fabrics from  filmy ones to heavy
denim weights.

     GENERAL DIRECTIONS

DIAGRAMS:  Enlarge and transfer designs to paper. Place nylon organza over
drawing and trace design on fabric. Baste organza directly to wrong side of
material for trapunto design; pad with batting first for quilting.

MACHINE QUILTING: Following the shape of the fabric piece to be quilted,
cut batting and organza at least one inch larger on all sides. Mark outlines
of pattern on the organza. Lay fabric, right side down, on flat surface. Cover
with batting layer, then the organza. Starting from the center, pin the three
layers together in radiating lines about 1 " apart to prevent fabric from slip-
ping. Set sewing machine for seven stitches per inch; adjust tension to avoid
pulling layers of fabric out of shape. Stitch along pattern lines, working from
center outward. When slitching is completed, trim excess batting and organza.
During construction of garment, trim any batting and organza in seam allowance
to 1/8" after seam has been stitched.

Note: When quilting large areas, for easier control, roll up excess fabric,
keeping flat only the portion you are stitching.

Trapunto: Trace on organza the outline of the shapes to be quilted. Pin and
baste construction, keeping both pieces flat and smooth. Cover entire area
with basting to prevent slipping when you stitch. Using normal stitch length
and machine tension, stitch along all lines of design. Now, using a small
knitting needle, poke a hole into the backing of the shape to be stuffed,
separating the fibers of the organza without breaking them. Using the needle,
poke a small amount of stuffing at a time into the shape until it is filled
to the desired fullness, then smooth the fibers together over the opening.
When all shapes are filled, trim organza to within 1/2" of stitching around
all shapes. If cording is used, such as for stems on flowers in the skirt
slit one end of the passage and, using a tapestry needle or small
safety pin attached to the end of the cording, work it through. Remove needle
or pin and stitch end closed. A lining may be added on the back of the design
for a neater finished appearance.