Use this stitch for either the Freezer-Paper (or
Template-Plastic)-and-Starch method or the Needle-Turn method. Cut a
length of thread 12" to 18" (30.5 to 45.5 cm long). Thread the newly cut
end through the eye of the needle, pull this end through, and knot it.
Use this technique to thread the needle and knot the thread to help keep
the thread's "twist" intact and to reduce knotting. Beginning at the
straightest edge of the appliqué and working from right to left, bring
the needle up from the underside, through the background fabric and the
very edge of the appliqué at 1, catching only a few threads of the
appliqué fabric. Pull the
thread taut, then insert the needle into
the background fabric at 2, as close as possible to 1. Bring the needle
up through the background fabric at 3, 1⁄8" (3 mm) beyond 2. Continue in
this manner, keeping the thread taut (do not pull it so tight that the
fabric puckers) to keep the stitching as invisible as possible.