Sarah Payne’s Appliqué School

Following on from Sarah Payne’s Quilt School comes her latest book – Sarah Payne’s Appliqué School which focuses on teaching the reader 3 forms of appliqué; machine-sewn raw edge appliqué, machine-sewn turn edge appliqué, hand-sewn needle turn appliqué.

The book starts off with a detailed guide to the tools, materials and techniques you’ll need for the projects. Covering techniques including freezer paper appliqué, reverse appliqué, pulled thread appliqué, needle turn appliqué, iron on adhesive appliqué, the common stitches used for attaching the appliqué, hand quilting and free motion quilting. There are good step-by-step photos as well as written instructions to help you follow the steps required.

The remainder of the book is project based, split into lessons, each project focusing on different skills. In the introduction to each project it tells you which skills you will practice when making the project. The colourful projects are divided into the 3 forms of applique mentioned above. The projects are mainly for the home – cushions, quilts, wall art, wall hangings etc as well as a few bags too. I especially liked the robot friends height chart and the Japanese wall art projects.

The projects are easy to follow, detailed instructions, close up photos and best of all full-size templates at the back of the book, so no faffing around with resizing templates. You can also download them from bookmarkedhub.com if you don’t want to trace them from the book.

If you are new to applique, by the end of this book you will have mastered several different ways to do it and will have ideas of how you can incorporate it into future projects. It is very beginner friendly, easy to follow and with handy tips scattered throughout the book.

-- Fiona Pullen * The Sewing Directory *

TV personality Sarah Payne takes a deep dive into the wonderful world of appliqué. Whether you're a novice of experienced sewist, this terrific title is sure to teach you a thing of two about both hand and machine appliqué. Filled with fun and accessible lessons, it features an array of clever needlework techniques, from reverse, raw-edge and turned-edge designs. School is back in session!

* Sew Magazine *

In her fun and practical introduction to the craft, well-known TV personality Sarah Payne leads us through a series of techniques to build up our skills. Packed with information and colourful projects, her book is a guide to hand and machine appliqué for all sewers and quilters.

* Machine Knitting Monthly *

This fun and practical primer leads readers through a series of hand and machine appliqué techniques. The opening section presents chapters on ‘Tools and Materials’ and a fully illustrated guide to ‘Basic Techniques’, which is a handy reference whatever appliqué project you are creating. This is followed by sections on ‘Machine-sewn raw-edged appliqué, ‘Machine-sewn turned-edge appliqué’ and ‘Hand-sewn appliqué’. The sections are divided into a series of lessons, each one presented as a step-by-step project featuring designs that build up your skills – full-size templates are provided. Items include cushions, home and fashion accessories and wall-hangings. An ideal introduction to appliqué, the colourful, up-to-date designs will appeal to those who like a more modern aesthetic.

* The Quilter *

After the success of her first book, Sarah Payne has now turned to applique. The techniques are divided into three sections - machine-sewn raw edge, machine-sew turned edge and hand-sewn applique. Each section has projects to practice the techniques. There is a comprehensive tools and materials section which covers equipment, threads and fabrics. The anatomy of fabric is a very useful section for beginners as is the section on waddings.

The basic techniques follow next and it is certainly worth-wile reading through the different options. Attaching the shapes by wither machine of hand follow next, along with some commonly used embroidery stitches that can also be used. There is a useful page on designing your own shapes and then a short section on finishing your projects.

There are sixteen projects which feature the different techniques. Most are smaller items such as pictures, cushions, runners with one or two smaller quilts. 

This is an excellent book on various applique techniques. Chosen as the British Patchwork and Quilting Book of the Month. 

-- British Patchwork & Quilting * British Patchwork & Quilti