Let's Talk Applique!

As anyone who knows me knows, I adore applique! Especially hand applique! It is the reason I quilt.

Over the many years I have been quilting now (almost 20 wow!), I have tried to learn something new, or at least try a new method (to me anyway lol) every year. Over the many years I have tried many different ways to applique, both hand and machine. And I have incorporated a little from each method, well most methods into the way I applique now.

Recently an online friend (thanks Retta!) sent me some fabric and a little book by Ami Simms called Invisible Applique. I had never tried her method, and of course decided I had to try it lol. While her method of using the ladder stitch is not for me, I did learn (why I didn't think about it before is beyond me lol) a new way to make sure that intricate blocks like the Baltimore Blue and Christmas Windows blocks are stitched down right where the pieces need to go. I had made clear overlays and was doing it that way, but if you are familiar with the method, pieces can shift when you remove the overlay. So what I am doing now and it works wonderfully for me, is to use a blue water soluble marking pen, (be sure you read and see if you can iron over the markings, on some of the old kind you couldn't but the one I recently purchased there are no heat warnings) mark the entire block on the background fabric and then worry about one piece at a time. I like to iron the block multiple times before it is finished so that the pieces lay down flat as I add the next pieces. This pen has completely washed out with just a small paint brush and some room temperature water. And I have ironed the completed block and it has been over a week and the lines haven't reappeared on the back or front where I was "off" just a tad in some places.

On the Baltimore Blue block some pieces fit on top of others so I will use a marker to mark the underneath piece and sew that on (which I normally do anyway) then fit the bottom piece into the drawn background.

Clear as mud? Feel free to ask any questions this post raises for you lol.

I am sad

I was prepping templates and fabric for the rest of the Baltimore Blue blocks cause I had a dream a few nights ago that I didn't have enough fabric. Well the dream was right. I went to buy more fabric this morning and guess what? They don't have it anymore ! So since it is the greens, I bought what hopefully is enough to do the whole quilt, and I will remove the pieces on the first three blocks that are finished and put the new greens on. They are in the dryer right now. So I am off to remove the other pieces. Sigh. Such is the life of a quilter.

Another new project

Well as of right this moment I have 4 quilts going and 2 knitting projects. I know I am a glutton for punishment. But by having so many different things going I don't get bored. Right now I am hand appliquing three projects.

The baltimore blue
The hawaiian
and a block of the month from my local quilt shop called Christmas Windows

And I am machine appliquing a pattern called A Summer Garden

If Kaci comes by today I will have her take pictures for me of the completed Summer Garden blocks for you to see. And once the first block of Christmas Windows is completed (either today or tomorrow) I will post a picture of that for you also.

Happy quilting!

P.S. If you have a quilting blog or webshots, leave me the address I would love to see them.

Be Warm Wallhanging

This is my latest completed project. I hope to make a lot of small wallhangings like this in the next few months and swap them out.

Noah's Ark Quilt

Here is the baby quilt I did for a lady where hubby works.

Bear Quilt

Here are pictures of the baby quilt I just finished.

Two quilts I did this week

These were two simple quilts I worked on this week for a friend of Leslie's little girl.