Machine Appliqué - an introduction

This month, the Beginner Block Lotto choice is this Posy block--it's a great one to try or practice turned-under machine applique. I thought this introduction might be of interest to the newbie quilters in Doll Quilt Swap II, so I am posting my notes here.



I made five blocks using three different techniques (with one variation) and three different stitches on the machine and took photos along the way. You can view my step-by-step photos with commentary on Flickr in my set Notes for Machine Appliqué Posies. I'll also go through them here--to make it easier to print them off for reference. As always, all the images are clickable for a larger image.

ABOUT THREAD AND STITCHES

Using these techniques, there will be nice, turned under edges on the appliqué. You want the nice edge to be the feature, not the thread. Use a clear (or smoke) mono-filament or mono-poly or thread in a matching color.

Three kinds of machine stitches work well with these techniques.

1. Blind Hem Stitch - when using this stitch, the straight stitches go into the background at the applique edge, then the zig stitch comes into the appliqué.
   
   
2. Zig-Zag Stitch - this is an open zig zag, not a heavy satin stitch. Use this stitch On the applique, at the edge.
   
   
3. Straight Stitch - even IF your machine only sews a straight stitch, you can still do machine appliqué. In fact, Jane Sassaman recommends using a straight stitch to highlight the nice turned under edge.
   

PREPARING THE BACKGROUND FABRIC

First, two things about backgrounds.

1. For all three of the methods here, take a minute and starch the background squares. I usually spray the fabric pretty heavily, wait for it to soak in a bit, then press and repeat.
   
   
2. Applique sometimes pulls the background in a bit, so start with a background square a little larger then you need and square up after the block is complete. For Posy blocks for the lotto, I started with 9-inch squares and squared them up to 8.5 inches for a block that will finish at 8 inches.
   

FACED APPLIQUE

In this method, you'll add a facing to the applique piece. I used a lightweight interfacing with fusible on ONE SIDE ONLY (Pellon's Featherweight). You could use an interfacing with no fusible or lightweight washaway stabilizer. Some use USED dryer sheets--if you decide to go this route, Debbie Kravotil suggests putting them through the wash one more time to make sure the softener chemicals are out.

1. Trace the shape of your flower onto the non-fusible side of the interfacing. (the interfacing can be a rough cut square that is larger than the flower pattern--with room for seam allowance all the way around.
   
   
2. Lay the fabric right side up on the table and position the interfacing on top, fusible side down.
   
   
3. Sew along your drawn line--ALL the way around. Trim the fabric and interfacing away 3/16-1/4 outside your seam. Clip any inside curves in the seam allowance.
   
   
   


4. Carefully slit the interfacing and turn your flower. Use your finger or other blunt tool to make sure the edges are completely turned and nice and smooth. If you used interfacing with fusible, DO NOT PRESS.
   
   
   


5. Prepare the center in the same way
   
   
   
   Your appliqué pieces are ready to go.
   
   
   
   
6. Center the flower on the background square. If you are using single-sided fusible, you can press the flower onto the background --this will fuse it in place. Otherwise, pin it.
   
   
7. Stitch around the flower. If you are using an open zig-zag, the stitch will be ON the flower, zigging onto the background. If you are using a blind hem, you'll be stitching on the background right next to the flower and the stich will take a bite into the flower. If you are using a straight stitch, you want to stitch very close to the edge.
   
   
8. Flip your block over and cut away the background behind the flower, leaving a generous 1/4 inch.




9. Add the center of the flower in the same way. Fuse and sew the center to the Flower fabric. Flip it over and trim away the flower fabric behind the center.
   
   
   


10. Square up the finished block and trim to 8.5 inches and you're done ;-)
    
    
    
    This block was sewn with clear mono-filament using the blind hem stitch.
    

Fabric Audition

A couple of weeks ago, Amy suggested we post hints about our designs for Doll Quilt Swap II. Since I'm finally getting around to working on my quilt, I can post mine:



This morning I went through a collection of 4 1/2 inch and 10 inch squares of I-Spy fabrics from swaps on the forum on About Quilting and thought these might work in my doll quilt.

After a lot of cutting and editing and sewing, I can tell you that some of them did ;-)

Call Me Goodie Two Shoes

DebR has been having fun on her blog, Red Shoe Ramblings, playing with bad words to push her blog from PG to R.

I was pretty sure how mine would be rated ...

Calming Influences

This is Miss Molly. She belongs to my blogless friend, Diane.



Miss Molly loves to be with her people and Diane says that just being with Molly's quiet calmness makes her blood pressure drop.

We all need those calming influences in our lives. They may be animate or inanimate, active or passive. Mountains and oceans are two of mine and, lately, I miss having them near. Maybe I need a Miss Molly in my life?

Speaking of mountains . . . I've recently come back to this work in progress from Meg Manderson's workshop at Blue Ridge Quiltfest last spring. I was inspired by the mountains around us, though some see ocean waves--either way, I feel ready to finish this reminder of a couple of my calming influeces.

Blast From the Past

In 2004, I stored a lot photos on Yahoo. As part of closing down their photo site, Yahoo kindly moved them to Flickr for me ... giving me reason to revisit the past and take another look at a very special event and exhibition.

In February, along with 400 other quilters, I attended a preview luncheon at The Henry Ford Museum for their exhibit, Quilting Genius.



During the luncheon, the curator explained that their goal was to showcase 30 show-stopping quilts from their collection. They did not disappoint. There were wonderful examples of piecing, appliqué, embroidery and broderie perse.



For me, the highlight was my introduction to the Susan McCord quilts.



Susan McCord was a 19th century quilter, the wife of a dairy farmer and a holistic herbalist. Of all the quilts she was known to have made, most are in the museum's collection. Her earlier quilts are pieced with lots of tiny hexagons or triangles. She also made crazy quilts and appliqué quilts. Here are some of my favorite details. (click, click, click for larger images).





Her later quilts featured incredible, original vines--as borders or as the main design element.



Vines is the best known and most traveled of the McCord quilts, but this one--called Branches--was and is my personal favorite.



Even though my photos seem now to capture as much of the event itself as the quilts in the exhibit--there are precious few quilter-free shots--it was fun to revisit that day. If you'd like to see more, check out my (new) Flickr set, Quilting Genius.

I guess I'm not the only one that thinks this exhibit is worth re-visiting. Although The Henry Ford didn't produce and sell a catalog and couldn't extend the short run of the show, despite it's overwhelming popularity, they still have information about it, here, on their site, including their own online exhibit.

Duck, Duck, No Goose

The geese have abandoned the pond out back, but this family of ducks provide plenty of entertainment for me and the cats. Yesterday, Mama brought her young charges up near my patio to feast on the spilled seeds under my neighbor's birdfeeder. The kids are in the shady spot ... Mama stands guard (and chases away the rest of th flock when they're around.)



As soon as I opened the door, to snap a photo, they were on the run, with Mama in the lead.



I couldn't believe how fast they moved. In no time, they were back in their comfort zone, on the water, with the rest of the family.



A heron has also moved into my neighborhood for summer, but he is nearly impossible to photograph--I have lots of photos backlit by the sunrise or taken just after he has flown away ....

Doll Quilt Swap II

After learning about the Doll Quilt Swap on The Calico Cat blog and seeing the sweet little quilts from the first round, I knew I wanted to play.



You can see individual photos of the quilts in the Doll Quilt Swap pool on Flickr. This time around, there are 100 Doll Quilt Swappers--I am clearly not the only one who was charmed by these little pieces of art.

I can't wait to find out what kind of quilt I'll be making and for whom. I'm jealous of those who have already started. Amy has shared some of her inspiration fabrics and challenged other swappers to post a sneek peek. Lisa already has blocks made and up on the design wall for her Denyse-Schmidt-loving partner in the swap.

Making Fabric

Here are some quilts from NQA 2007 with surface design techniques that made me want to go home and try ...

All the color in this quilt, Morning Glory, by Irena Bluhn of Little Elm, Texas, was added to the surface using colored pencils and textile medium, AFTER the quilting was complete.



I especially loved the feathers and the background, created by quilting freehand with green thread.



In Signs of Spring, by Susan O. Schaller of Dayton, Ohio, the flowers and leaves were added AFTER the top was pieced, using freezer paper stencils and Shiva Paintstiks.



Here's the detail of the stenciled design. The quilt was further embellished with crystals and Lumiere paint--sorry for the flash on the crystals.

Bend, made by R. Muncie George of Muncie Indiana and quilted by Doris Goins, used discharge fabric to create design.

Here's a detail of the discharged leaf design. You can see how the same fabric, un-discharged is used between the discharged fabrics.

I think photo transfer is an interesting technique, but rarely see it as well integrated into the design of the quilt as in this quilt, I-Spy, by Phyllis Manley of Bromall, Pennsylvania



Lift the red flaps, like the white glover in the left photo, and you find pockets containing photographs and music plays. It was very entertaining . . . but it was the fabric printed with pairs of eyes that really impressed me.



This is an I-Spy quilt on many levels ;-)

Incredible Quilt, Incredible Threadwork

Nancy Prince's quilt, Life in Holly Ridge, was understandably, always surrounded by a crowd at the NQA show. It was truly a feast for the eyes, from the painted houses in the background to the pieced buildings in the middle ground and all the incredible thread painting in the foreground

Click the images for larger versions to enjoy the work, then surf over to the thread painting tutorial on Nancy Prince's site to see how she makes it look easy.




The statement on the show label says:

Approximately 50,000 yards of thread and 3 million stitches created the thread painted design. It took 1500 hours of frustration, a ton of trial and error, and ultimately total joy to complete the quilt.