My Garden path

I was lucky enough to nab an advance copy of  The Garden from GloriousColor,  and have gone a little different route with it.   I thought you might like to see a few of my early blocks,  just thrown up on my wall for the moment.   They will have a checkerboard sashing later on.

I'm actually doing machine applique with the blind hem stitch using mono on top and a matching thread in the bobbin (in case it shows up a tad).   I am doing a freezer paper underneath and am gluing with Rubber Cement (Sharon Pederson's technique) which works so much better than the traditional glue stick.  Then a quick stitching and voila.

Front Basting?....I'm Hooked!

Not entirely what applique planet I have been living on, I had never heard of back basting let alone front basting!! When Liza posted about her front basting method here, and then Gay posted a link showing Liza actually stitching this method here, I just had to give it a go for myself. Not one to shrink from a challenge I thought I would try it out on my second coral tree!!!

Up until now I had always been a freezer paper, finger press and pin girl. I had already cut out the freezer paper for this tree and drawn around the freezer paper for the outline. I'm not sure how Liza draws her outline onto her fabric, but next time I will put the pattern over my lightbox, then place the fabric over that, then draw around the outline, thus skipping the freezer paper altogether. (Any hints Liza?)

Once the outline is drawn, pin the shape to the background fabric (I didn't need many pins to hold it in place)...

(Once again with this complicated coral tree shape I am only cutting around the fabric as I get to it, to help avoid very frayed edges. With most shapes I would simply cut around the entire shape in one go, then pin and stitch it onto the background.)

Once the shape was pinned to the background, I used my freemotion (darning) foot to stitch over the drawn line. The one thing you have to be careful about with the freemotion method is that your stitches don't become too small or they will be very hard to unpick!!!

 Here is the coral tree front basted (outline stitched) and ready to be appliqued....

To begin appliqueing simply unpick a few outline stitches...as Liza explained the fabric now has a memory of where the outline stitch was, so when you turn the edge under with your needle the fabric turns under very naturally and easily. If you click on these photo's they will enlarge to see closer detail.

Once you have appliqued around to the next lot of outline stitches, simply unpick a few more and continue with the needleturn applique. I found as I unpicked the outline stitches that it really helped to pull the thread left hanging loose on the back (bobbin thread) through to the front and cut off both the outline stitch threads. This avoids having the back thread getting tangled up in your applique stitches.

And that is it! I truly hope I haven't confused you further, I am not the best at explaining details, which is why I try and put in a heap of step-by-step photos!!!

One thing I do know is that I am truly hooked by this front basting method and will definitely be stitching this way from now on....thank you Liza.

 

Cathy xo

Cabbage Quilts

May I ask a question?

What is your favorite applique method? Needleturn, starch, glue stick, etc by hand? Or is it turned edge, raw edge, etc by machine? I'm still saving my pennies to buy my background. I hope people are still doing Kim's projects and this blog is still active when I finally get to start.
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Mariners Compass on APC cover

Hi everyone,

My name is Robyn.

Apparently, on this blog, there has been some recent interest in my Mariners Compass Quilt which was on the cover of Australian Patchwork and Quilting Magazine in December 2008. After publication of the magazine, I was surprised at the numerous emails I received from Australia, New Zealand and other countries requesting information about the pattern, but Kim had not published it.

I made this quilt in a class with Kim using reproduction fabrics for the first time, forcing me out of my comfort zone. As is typical of Kim's quilts, this pattern was quite a challenge.

The quilt top is entirely hand pieced and the hexagonal medallions and scallops were mostly fussy-cut. They were then sewn over cardboard and appliquéd onto the background fabric.

The most challenging parts of the quilt were the large borders, where all the flowers were reverse appliquéd. I really enjoyed this technique as it was something quite new for me.

The quilt was commercially quilted by my friend, Kay Fernihough at Quilts on Q.

Every so often when making a quilt, I don't want it to be finished as I am enjoying the journey so much and this was one of those quilts.

My Block 1

No excuses for it but sheer laziness in posting the pictures of my block or blocks I should say I'm up to block 5 but because i use glue baste it i like to wash the completed blocks separately and rid the blocks of all the glue before i iron and cut them into the correct size. I have only washed one block so far see its laziness.

The background fabric i love but can be a bit challenging at times so i have to use really bright colours as the pretty one just sink into the background. I love the basket on this one, mind you this block was finished the first 2 days of receiving the kit.

I am ordering the Flower Garden quilt kit next fortnight my partner is buying it for my birthday and I'm going to use the mint spots for this one can't wait.

You have all been so busy I'm just loving whats coming out of this blog.

Must dash.

Adele in Oz

Second Roseville Block

Finally finished my second block, after doing a bit of unstitching.  (I left off the center stem, which I didn't realize until near the end, of course.)  One change I made on the block is on the turquoise flower at the top.  My center seemed to disappear, so I added another slightly larger orange circle behind it.

I'm enjoying working on the Roseville blocks so much (dare I say addicted), that I'm struggling to face the fact that Christmas, Thanksgiving, and my family are all coming soon. And looking around my house at what needs to be done, this is likely the last real stitching progress I'll make for awhile. I have selected fabrics for 2 more blocks, with the hope that I can squeeze in a few stitches...

All Things Kim

Would you like to learn more about Kim, our quilt design star? I found a delightful interview on the Alliance for American Quilts website, made at the Houston Quilt Festival in 2002. It's a transcription, and there are some parts missing, but I enjoyed it a lot. The address is http://www.allianceforamericanquilts.org/qsos/interview.php?pbd=qsos-a0a2j0-a
Just if your fingers are getting sore, and you need a break, of course.