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Apr
23
Support your work
Filed Under Designers, Guest posts, Hand appliqué, Patterns | 4 Comments
Kay has graciously invited me to be a guest on her blog, but before I begin, I’d like to introduce myself. I’m Mary Warner-Stone, appliqué designer, lecturer, and teacher.
Here I am, appliqué in full swing, in front of my Fire Flower pattern.
I’ve been sewing since I was a kid. I discovered while trying to sew for 4-H and junior-high home-ec classes that sewing clothes just didn’t appeal to me. It was about that time I discovered the cathedral window quilt block in a women’s magazine. I fell in love with selecting fabrics from my mother’s stash, folding, ironing, hand stitching the seams. The entire process of making this fascinating block excited me. Rather clever to show the raggedy faces in the windows for a 12 year old kid wasn’t it?
I didn’t realize at the time that my passion for quilting was just beginning. I experimented with different quilt patterns and sewing on the machine, but always fell back into the rewards that hand sewing gave me. While in my early thirties, I took a class from a master appliqué artist, and I knew then that hand appliqué was the style of quilting I wanted to pursue.
I’ve since published six appliqué patterns, available on my website. I’ve been teaching both machine and hand appliqué, and just this year I’ve been invited to lecture at guilds.
Much as I like hand sewing, I have to admit I am not a notions junkie. I grew up with parents who were handy, creative, and frugal. If we could make it, or make it work, then there was no need to buy new. But I also understand the value of good tools, and I would like to share with you my finds and opinions about what works best for me. I’ll start with the use of a lap board for hand appliqué.
Good Tools for a Good Job
My dad taught me that working with the right tools will make any job easier. I’ve learned that also applies to hand appliqué. With the right tools, good tools, working on your project will be easier, quicker, and you’ll have fewer frustrations.
One of those tools I use every time I sit down to appliqué is the June Tailor Quilter’s Cut ‘n Press II board. It serves multiple uses for me, and is well worth the money.
When I start the set up of an appliqué block, I use the cutting side of the board to trace designs onto the freezer paper. The cutting side is also rough enough to act as a sandpaper board while tracing the designs to the fabric without the fabric slip-sliding around.
When I start to sew, I flip the board over to the padded side to lay my block on while I’m stitching. I prefer a board that is 12” by 18”. This is large enough for my blocks to lie flat without too much over-hang, but isn’t so big that the board teeters and falls off my lap while sewing. It’s important that you control both the block and the appliqué you’re sewing to the block. If your work flops around while you’re sewing it will have the tendency to warp, and the appliqué may pucker. Never a good thing! Laying the block on the June Tailor Quilter’s Cut ‘n Press while sewing will help eliminate this problem.
I also enjoy how it makes my sewing time more comfortable. My elbows and forearms rest on the cushioned board. No more scrunched arms close to my chest and tired hands from supporting the block during long stretches of sewing. I sit either cross-legged or with my feet resting on a footstool so that my knees are elevated closer to my chest.
The press side also works as a pincushion. When I first started doing appliqué, I had very young children, an infant and toddler to be exact. I allowed myself one straw needle and six sequin pins, which were stuck in the edge of the board when not in use in the block. If one of those pins were missing I was down on the floor searching so that one of my kids would not find it first. Now that my children are older – and not likely to swallow a pin - I still find it convenient to have my pins and needles handy at the edge of the board.
The June Tailor Quilter’s Cut ‘n Press is one of the handiest, most practical tools that I have in my sewing room, and I’m sure that you will find that it makes your hand appliqué sewing time more enjoyable.
May you find joy in all you do.
Mary Warner-Stone
www.marywarner-stone.com
Thank you Mary for an excellent article! I agree completely with the use of a lap board, down to the exact kind! I only have the smaller one, though, and I’m so glad you showed yours because mine is so old and well loved that it’s too disgusting to be seen in public.
Two notes I’d like to add… one, if you’re creaky in the knees like me and can’t sit cross-legged like Mary, use a footstool to bring your lap up closer to your eyes.
And, a word about the pincushion aspect… don’t flip your board over while it has needles in it… ask my kneecap how it knows :).
More from Mary in the future.
Until next time,
Kay
Quilt Puppy Publications & Designs
Feb
21
Sheer fabric elegance
Filed Under Designers, Embellishment, Fabrics, Guest posts, Threads | Leave a Comment
Syliva Landman Rassmussen has been working a lot with all those gorgeous, unusual fabrics and trims that we love, but our pocketbooks cannot always afford. If these luxuriant, spendy fabrics are calling to you, Sylvia has devised a solution with her SheerFabric Elegance kits. Here’s what she has to say about them:
“Do you enjoy the current fashion in embellishing clothing, quilts, and appliqué? My theory is that too much is…well, just wonderful! SheerFabric Elegance Kits make it easy and economical for you to create gorgeous, elaborately embellished designs on wearables, quilts, and needle work.
Hard-to-find sheer fabrics such as silk organza, tulle, lamé, laces, brocades, re-embroidered sheers studded with sequins, flower petals, leaves, shiny rayon floss, fords, threads, and woven trims are color-coordinated and packaged in small amounts. Avoid having to buy whole or half yards of these precious fibers in the few colors available in shops!
SheerFabric Elegance kits are being offered at $25 or 2/$45, including postage, at a special introductory price, until March 1, when they will sell for $30 or 2/$55. See Sylvia’s Web site Order Form for details and to place your order at www.Sylvias-Studio.com.”
Hurry to Sylvia’s website to take advantage of the introductory special!
Until next time,
Kay
Quilt Puppy Publications & Designs
Feb
17
Fun with thread color
Filed Under Articles, Blanket stitch, Designers, Guest posts, Machine appliqué, Raw edge, Threads | Leave a Comment
Here’s a fabulous guest post by Diane Dixon of Metro Quiltworks about how your choice of thread can work a little magic on the look of your machine appliqué. Thank you, Diane, for this wonderful article!
Let’s Have Some Fun with Thread Color!
Thoughts about thread choices by Diane Dixon of Metro Quiltworks
The color of thread can be a very important feature for you to consider with your next appliqué project. The way the thread color interacts with the fabric can make the stitching either stand out in a bold contrast, or it can create subtle outlining of the appliqué piece without much contrast at all.
Some basic points to consider:
Matching thread color to fabric color:
Do you want the thread color to match the color of the fabric? This will create a subtle look that blends well with the appliqué pieces and may emphasize the overall look of the project since the thread color blends much more into the background.
Here’s an example of a lily flower having the thread in the same color family as the fabric. By using the blue thread in the center, the flower is more formal and contained. Notice the use of yellow thread on the yellow petals. Although both fabric and thread are in the same color family, there is still a subtle contrast because the fabric is lighter in some places than in others. Subtle, but not dull! Also, the lily pads are sewn with green or brown stitches to keep the pieces from getting too “busy” since the batiks used here are quite wild.
Contrasting thread color to fabric color:
Do you want the thread color to contrast with color of the fabric? Using contrast can create a wonderful visual look that can define edges and give excitement to individual appliqué pieces.
Here is an example of two pears on a plate. The purple stitching in different shades really defines the green pear from the green plate. Notice the yellow stitching on the green leaf, the outside plate stitching, and the effective purple on the stem as well.
In the close-up of the red floral appliqué example, there’s a combination of techniques to make this flower sing! Notice the center has a bright red center that uses the same thread color on both the center, and on the interior petals. By using the same thread color on different fabrics, another subtlety comes out. The bright blue stitching on the outside petals, and the red on the green leaf brings all of the colors to another level!
I sometimes enjoy using this technique specifically with smaller projects such as miniature wall hangings, pillows, or table runners because the thread choices really stand out in a more intimate piece - but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try this out with larger pieces as well!
Thread colors play important roles and can change the look of any project. Don’t be afraid to go for it and have lots of fun!
Diane Dixon
Kay here again — be sure to visit Diane’s website to check out her colorful contemporary patterns for quilts, table runners, and wall hangings at Metro Quiltworks - A fresh look at quilt design. Thanks again Diane! I’ve been a “matcher” so far but now I’m inspired to try mixing it up!
Until next time,
Kay
Quilt Puppy Publications & Designs
Feb
2
Luminous Landscapes reviewed
Filed Under Books, Designers, Guest posts | Leave a Comment
Syliva Landman Rasmussen, esteemed quilt designer and writer and fellow appliqué enthusiast, has posted a review of what she calls “the most fabulous book on the subject,” Luminous Landscapes by Gloria Loughman. Sylvia sent me a snippet of the review, below.
“Gloria Loughman, author of one of February’s books, Luminous Landscapes, begins her book’s acknowledgments by listing her husband, Tony. ‘What a partnership we shared as we worked together on this project,’ she writes. One lingering, inspiring visit with this stunning book in hand justifies her mention of him as photographer for her book. C&T Publications, known for outstanding photos of quilts, further enhances this book, making it truly an art book with Tony Loughman’s skilled photography. The uninitiated to the quilting world, leafing through the pages of inspiring landscapes in the book, may mistake the realistic photos as coming from magazines such as National Geographic or travel magazines.
Luminous indeed are Gloria’s quilts. So thorough is she as she explains and shares her technical secrets, that the “Table of Contents” alone outlines them in perfect sequence. Quilters all know that design is the primary issue when planning a new quilt and this is where Gloria begins her book. The first quilt in the book appears to be a group of fantasy trees from another world. The quilt, Kimberley Mystique, depicts the most unusual vegetation and trees knotted and twisted in all colors of the rainbow. However, they do not come from another planet. The mysterious, fantastical trees grow in Gloria’s native Australia.”
Be sure to go to Sylvia’s Studio to read the entire review. “There’s much to say about it!” reports Sylvia.
Thank you, Sylvia, for sharing a bit of your review. There will be more good stuff coming from Sylvia later this month!
Until next time,
Kay
Quilt Puppy Publications & Designs
Jan
1
Wool appliqué
Filed Under Designers, Embellishment, Fabrics, Guest posts, Raw edge, Threads, Wool | Leave a Comment
You won’t believe what a fantastic post I’ve got for you to start out the new year, courtesy of appliqué designer Kaye Moore!
I’ve met Kaye a couple of times at her booth at Pacific International Quilt Festival. (I joked with her that she’s one of the reasons quilters want to put an “e” on my name.) This last October, I was drawn into her booth once more by the beautiful appliqué samples hung everywhere.
Kaye works exclusively with wool now, and I asked her if she would be willing to talk about some of the wonders of wool for appliqué. Wow! Kaye, who admits to being “a little bit passionate about wool,” sent me a fabulous, info-packed article! Here it is, in her words. Take it away, Kaye!
“The discovery of wool is simply one of the most wonderful stitching discoveries I’ve ever made. Without a clue to the new path I was about to travel, I purchased a wool kit for a pennyrug at a quilt show several years ago. I completed it quickly and purchased another and another and so on.
I had been in the quilt business, vending at quilt shows around the country, but had not found my “niche”. Thankfully my niche found me. Very quickly my booth became an all-wool booth.
What’s so wonderful about wool, you ask? For starters, you can appliqué without turning the edges under as you must do in traditional appliqué using cottons. Since the wool has been felted during the dyeing process, the edges will not ravel.
What is felting? Felting is the process of washing the wool in hot water, shocking it in cold and drying it in a hot dryer. Wool from old garments or cut from a bolt at a fabric store can be felted using this method. Felting compresses the fibers, making them very tight, thus no raveling.
While many designers recommend fusing the appliqué pieces to the background, I do not recommend that. To me, that defeats the purpose of wool, which is supposed to be soft and easy to sew through. I simply cut out the images to be appliquéd, pin them to the background, and buttonhole stitch them in place. Details such as veins in leaves and flowers, French knots, etc., can be added using simple embroidery stitches.
There may be an occasion when you get a wool that is very loosely woven and no matter how many times you felt it, because of the way it has been woven, it will never felt to the point where it will not ravel. In that instance, I do apply a bonding agent to the back of the piece to be appliquéd, but then I do not bond it to the background fabric, but simply stitch it to the background.
I do tell my customers, however, that if they have used a bonding agent in the past and are pleased with the results, then by all means do so again. Purchase the bonding agent of your choice and follow the manufacturer’s directions.
The traditional stitch for working with wool is the buttonhole stitch, but a primitive overcast stitch can also be used. Wool appliqué can be done by hand or machine.There are a lot of threads available and it’s best to try several to see which one works best for you. I like to use a variety of threads, often mixing them on the same project. Perle Cotton No. 12 and DMC floss are my two favorite threads. Perle Cotton No. 8 works well if the piece you are making has a primitive theme. I think No. 8 is too thick for most projects that are a little more sophisticated. There are also some wonderful hand-dyed wool threads available, many that have been dyed to match the wool. You can also add beading and ribbon embroidery to your wool projects.
Using hand-dyed wools for the appliqués is a delight for those of us to are enchanted with wonderful colors, which vary in depth and hue on a single piece of wool fabric.
All the quilts I have designed using wool appliqué have backgrounds from flannel. My favorite two flannels are Marcus Brothers flannel and Moda’s Marbled flannel. I do not pre-wash the flannel as it often has a sizing agent in it which gives it good body and makes it wonderful to stitch on.
I use flannel for the background of my quilts for three reasons:
1. It is much easier on my customer’s pocketbooks than wool.
2. When you sew the blocks together, you have a traditional seam. With an all-wool quilt, you either have lumpy seams or you must butt the edges of the blocks together and zigzag them. Then you must find a way to cover up where they have been joined.
3. If this is a quilt you are going to hang, you do not have to worry about it sagging. An all-wool quilt can be very heavy and possibly sag with time if it is a wallhanging.
While it would seem logical that quilts made from hand-dyed wool can be washed, I do not recommend washing your wool quilts. Depending on how the wool was woven and how it was felted, there is a possibility it can continue to shrink. I simply don’t think it’s worth taking the chance of ruining your quilt by washing it.
So, how to you care for a wool quilt? About once a year or so I put my quilts in the dryer on “Air” to remove the dust and refresh them. Should your quilt become soiled, you can have it professionally dry-cleaned or use a dry-cleaner packet you purchase at the grocery store. Pennyrugs and table toppers can be spot cleaned. Wool naturally repels water, so a spill can often be blotted up before any harm is done.
Wool projects are great “take along” projects. If you are waiting at the dentist’s office or for a child at an after-school activity, working on a wool project is a great way to pass the time and when completed you have a beautiful gift or treasure for yourself.
If you have not tried working with wool, I suggest you purchase a small project that can be completed quickly - one that has simple details. Once finished, I think you will be anxious to get that second project. I often tell my customers wool projects should carry a warning label because working with wool is addictive. It has certainly proven to be true for me!”
Thank you so much, Kaye! This is great information and all of us appliqué fans appreciate it. Please visit Kaye’s website to see her wonderful wool designs plus some fabulous patterns by other designers.
Here on the blog, hover your mouse over the designers and pattern companies in the sidebars to see others who specialize in wool.
Until next time,
Happy New Year,
Kay