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Jul
28
I’m resting up from a week in Long Beach. The trip went well despite a dead battery on the way down. I handled it (I am woman, etc.) and after that everything went as planned, within normal operating parameters.
You may remember me posting about some random hunks of patchwork I had dug out of the UFO pile.
I had an idea! I thought of the fusible interfacing method for turned-edge appliqué! I felt this was a natural for making something appliqué with all those seams.
I marked the hearts on the smooth size of the interfacing and pinned in place over the right side of the patchwork.
I did a whole tutorial on this method over at the Show & Tell Center. Check out The Anatomy of a Lollipop for a refresher.
Shortened up the stitch length a bit and sewed all the way around each shape, on the drawn line.
Cut out the hearts, leaving a 1/8″ seam allowance. Clipped the notches.
Cut a slit in the interfacing and turned the hearts. A quick run along the seam with a craft stick and a poke at the tip with a stylus and that’s it! They look like a stack of fluffy pancakes.
I know from making gobs and buckets of lollipops that these will smooth out and flatten when they’re fused to their backgrounds.
I thought I was now done with those hunks of patchwork. However, as the project went along, I found myself pulling the bigger scraps back out of the trash. Will this never end!!!?
Now what am I going to do with the hearts? Hmmm…
Until next time,
Kay
By Kay Mackenzie
Filed Under Fusible interfacing, Patched appliqué, Prepared edge | 3 Comments
Jul
19
A couple years ago I put up a post about Pup Art, one of Nancy Brown’s quilts.
The Quilt Show has posted a whole slideshow of Nancy’s work. OMG you have got to go and see this. It will make you smile.
Until next time,
Kay
By Kay Mackenzie
P.S. I’m headed to Long Beach tomorrow for the summer edition of International Quilt Festival. Hope to see some of you there!
Filed Under Designers | 5 Comments
Jul
15
Collectors Weekly recently published an in-depth interview with Linda Eaton, textiles curator at the Winterthur museum in Delaware.
The interview includes lots of information about the museum and about quilt history, and shows some beautiful examples of appliquéd quilts from the past. Linda explains what quilts from the 18th and 19th centuries tell us about the lives of the American women who made them.
Do you have old quilts? Collectors Weekly also wanted me to let you know that they’ve started a Quilt Show & Tell page for collectors to share pictures and stories of items in their collections.
Until next time,
Kay
By Kay Mackenzie
Filed Under History, Magazines | Leave a Comment
Jul
12
The winner of A Dozen Roses is Barbara Clayburn! Congratulations! And thanks to all of you who follow this blog. As you may know we hold these drawing every month so watch for book reviews with winning opportunities and keep those comments coming!
In other news, I’m leaving early next week for International Quilt Festival – Long Beach. What a big, fun, bustling gathering of like-minded people! I’ll be in Booth #922 so if you’re there, be sure to drop by!
Until next time,
Kay
By Kay Mackenzie
Filed Under Books, Prizes | 1 Comment
Jul
8
The height of summer seems like a great time to enjoy a book about rose quilts. A Dozen Roses by Jennifer Rounds and Catherine Comys offers a beautiful blooming set of twelve projects including bed quilts, wall quilts, pillows, and shams, using appliqué, piecing, knitting, and even velveteen! So many ways to bring a bouquet into your creative life.
I was particularly intrigued to read about how Jennifer embellished a purchased cotton matelassé coverlet with beautiful sprays of red roses. The method she used is prepared-edge faced appliqué, which she steps you through in detail, and which gives a bit of dimension to the appliqué pieces.
Both the coverlet and the method were new ideas to me so of course I filed them away in my appliqué bag of tricks forthwith! Besides faced appliqué, there’s information on split leaves and inset leaves, folded bias strips, and folded-petal roses.
Martingale & Company / That Patchwork Place has provided a copy to give away, so if you’d like to bring a little rose culture into your quilting, leave a comment by 7:00 p.m. California time on Sunday, July 11. U.S. and Canada only, please (unless you’ll pay the shipping). If you’re subscribed by email, click over to the blog itself and scroll to the bottom of the post to leave a comment and enter the drawing.
Until next time,
Happy gardening!
Kay
By Kay Mackenzie
Filed Under Books, Faced appliqué, Prizes | 20 Comments
Jul
7
Just got a newsletter from Connecting Threads, the fabulous paper and on-line catalog for quilters. They’re celebrating Appliqué Month during July with lots of goodies. Check it out, here’s the link to the newsletter. There’s a free pattern and an appliqué tutorial. Thanks Connecting Threads!
I didn’t know it was Appliqué Month, but yayhoo!!!
Until next time,
Kay
By Kay Mackenzie.
Filed Under Patterns, Quilt shops | 2 Comments
Jul
5
View Brazil in a larger map
I always check the All About Appliqué Flickr Group to see what other appliqué fans are adding there. Last week I saw that some entries in a different language… I was intrigued! I used Google Translate and plugged in the url, guessing that it was Portuguese, and I was right! I was treated to some delightful entries from Divânia. One of them looked like back-basting.
Divânia’s Flickr entry, when translated, came out “Footsteps appliqué.” How delightful! I guess the basting stitches do look like footsteps. “Go slowly dropping the dots of the outline, while applying dots invisible to the application in its place,” the caption reads. Exactly!
Be sure to check in on the Flickr group yourself to see and translate all of Divânia’s lovely entries. While you’re there you’ll also see a couple of wonderful projects that another Brazilian appliqué enthusiast, Mariana, made using designs from my Easy Appliqué Blocks.
Três vivas para appliqué!
Kay
By Kay Mackenzie
Filed Under Back-basting (no-template), Books, Flickr group | 1 Comment
Jun
29
I was just in Reno, Nevada for the Quilting, Stitches and Crafts Expo at the Grand Sierra Resort. As I was touring the show floor, I was drawn with a strong magnetic attraction to this gorgeous Princess Feather quilt.
It’s the 2011 Opportunity Quilt for the Foothill Quilters Guild of Auburn, California. They call it “Prince’s Plume.”
Many hands went into the making of this beautiful quilt.
For more information about the guild or this amazing opportunity quilt, contact the Foothill Quilters through their website, www.foothillquilters.org.
I made a new friend at the show! Knitting designer Lorna Miser, author of Faith, Love, Hope, Knitting was just across the aisle from me.
Lorna Miser
She had luscious loops, skeins, and twists of hand-dyed yarns, as well as cute knitted items like bags and footie socks.
Lorna has a new book coming out in November, The Knitter’s Guide to Hand-Dyed and Variegated Yarn.
My neighbor to the left was an old friend, Dee Lampson of Dee’s Designs. From her I purchased The Most Cute Jumper in the World.
This one had me written all over it. Dee makes jumpers, overalls, separates, and two-piece outfits from her own original patterns, using beautiful high-quality fabrics like we see in our independent quilt shops. Look for Dee at fine art and gift shows, quilting and sewing expos. She specializes in custom sizing, no size is too small or too large. Contact her at “deesdesigns1 (at) sbcglocal.net” if you need one of her designs.
I can’t tell you what a delight it is to see Dee’s creations after all the dreadful things that are offered to us at the mall.
Until next time,
Kay
By Kay Mackenzie
Filed Under Designers, Hand appliqué, Quilt shows | 8 Comments
Jun
18
I’m delighted today to turn the blog over to appliqué author, designer, and teacher Cheryl Almgren Taylor.
Cheryl Almgren Taylor
Cheryl: I am excited to be a guest on Kay’s site today and want to thank her for the invitation to be a part of her blog.
I have loved quilts since I was a small child but never ventured into quilting until 2000. I had been sewing since I was 13 so I had some basic skills down. But I discovered, like many of us, that quilting is a whole new world.
I got into designing because of my grandson Michael and my love of storybooks. I spent 14 years teaching in the elementary grades and loved “read aloud” time with the kids. Several years ago I wanted to make Michael a quilt that would go with his favorite story Going On a Bear Hunt, and this led to the creation of a whole series of quilts that coordinate with childrens’ books. I was surprised and delighted when Martingale & Company (That Patchwork Place) chose to publish my designs in a pattern series entitled Storybook Snugglers.
There were six patterns in this original pattern series from 2007, with two quilt designs in each pattern–one easier version and one more detailed. There are still some patterns available from Martingale.
Monkey Business by Cheryl Almgren Taylor
Last summer my first book Deck the Halls was published featuring a collection of Christmas quilts.
Editor’s note: If you haven’t seen it, check out the post from last November, when Deck the Halls was our featured appliqué book.
Cheryl: Although I love pieced quilts, I am especially drawn to appliqué. Applique enables us to make shapes that are just not possible with piecing, and you don’t have to worry about your quarter inch or matching points! I especially love using batiks and fussy cutting shapes so that the design has shading provided by the fabric. I also like to use a variety of fabrics in the same tonal range when repeating a shape, rather than making everything match. I think it gives more interest to the design. When I’m designing I am almost always telling a story (at least in my head) and my favorite technique is fusible-web appliqué finished with machine blanket stitching.
Wrapped Up in Love from Deck the HallsI know that in certain quilting circles, admitting to a love of fusible web can be the equivalent of admitting you only shower once a week or you let your children eat cereal out of the box while watching Saturday morning cartoons so that you can sleep in late. But I really do love the technique. And although the jury is out on how long my quilts will last into eternity, I know that I can finish more quilts in my lifetime.
An event early in my quilting career also solidified my feeling that there is a time and place for fast techniques. When my first grandchild Taylor was born, of course I wanted to make him a quilt. I envisioned this as an heirloom quilt that would be lovingly treasured, perhaps hung at the foot of the crib as part of the décor and eventually stored away for future generations. I spent nearly a year completing the quilt (it had two ruffles and piping, as well) and I was extremely proud that Taylor received it before starting Kindergarten.
A few short months later, I called my daughter and discovered that Taylor had been sick and thrown up on the quilt. I was horrified and wondered why he was anywhere near the quilt at the time. My daughter, who doesn’t quilt or sew, explained that she believed children should play with their quilts and enjoy them, not save them as heirlooms. Well, there’s certainly something to be said for that philosophy, but as a quilt maker it made me realize that recipients are not always aware of how much time goes into making a quilt and that fusible web fills a need in those circumstances. It’s quick(er), it’s user friendly, and it gives beautiful results.
Christmas Kisses from Deck the Halls
For those of you who have never ventured into the world of fusing, here is some advice I think you might find helpful.
First off, purchasing fusible web can be overwhelming if you don’t know what you are looking for. There is everything out there in fusible land, from fusible interfacing to fusible batting. If you have never ventured into this department before, you can become overwhelmed and confused. And depending upon where you are shopping, the store clerk may not know a piece of fusible web from a French fry. The item you want to purchase is paper-backed fusible web. Brands that may be familiar are Heat ‘n Bond, Wonder Under, and Steam a Seam (as well as many others) and I highly recommend a lightweight product.
When using fusible, remember that if your design is asymmetrical you must trace the pattern in reverse on the paper backing of the fusible product. Also remember to trace each piece separately. If you have a large pattern piece, cutting the center portion out of the fusible will create less stiffness in the finished design. My books and patterns all have a section that gives detailed information on this process.
Another important thing you should know about lightweight fusible web is, that it’s a temporary bond. It must be stitched down around the edges or it will eventually float away. This is not true for all fusible webs—only the lightweight type. However, using a heavier fusible makes a stiffer quilt and I don’t recommend using them.
And now we get to the fun part of fusing—finishing the edges! There is such a choice of fabulous threads out there in different weights, colors, and fibers. It’s awesome! So the first thing you have to decide is what element you want the threads to play in the finished product. Do you want them to recede into the background or pop out as a design element? Do you want them to add some pizzazz or blend in? This is an important design element in your quilt and you will be happier with the finished quilt if you decide how this element should look just the same as you select your color choices.
I have developed some personal choices that work for me, but please bear in mind that I don’t work for these companies, receive compensation from them, or guarantee their products. I’m just sharing my personal experiences with you. My “go-to” thread for finishing appliqué edges is Mettler 50 wt. Silk Finish cotton thread in a matching or coordinating color. The thread is thick enough to make it viewable, but it doesn’t distract from the design. If you want your thread to recede a little more, consider using a 60 wt. Mettler or a 50 wt. Aurifil, again in a matching color. Using YLI silk threads in a 50 wt. can give a beautiful, subtle sheen to edges but since the thread is a finer consistency, you may want to be selective in its usage. If you want your thread to pop out and become a design feature, try a slightly darker hue or be bold with a darker thread choice. Using a thicker 40 wt. thread will also make the stitching a dominant part of the design and some people even use a 25 wt. thread, which will be very thick. It will give you a primitive, country feel. Finally, when you want a little glitz, consider a Sulky rayon/polyester or metallic thread. These threads can bring glamour and pizzazz to your work.
I hope this advice is helpful and has inspired you to launch into a new appliqué project. I can only say that if you’ve been afraid to try fusible web before, give it a try. It’s a very user-friendly technique.
Happy quilting!
Cheryl
Kay: Thank you Cheryl! It was a treat learning more about you, and your appliqué wisdom is much appreciated. We’re “like this” in so many ways. Can’t wait to see what you do next!
Until next time,
Kay
By Kay Mackenzie
Filed Under Blanket stitch, Fusible web, Machine appliqué, Patterns, Spotlights, Threads | 5 Comments
Jun
16
Remember those hunks of random patchwork I mentioned last time?
I dug them out of the UFO pile and now I know what I’m going to do with them. Naturally it’ll be appliqué. Stay tuned!
But while I was looking for them I found another batch. Hmm…
Until next time,
Kay
Filed Under Improvisational appliqué | 2 Comments
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