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Jun
11
Great article on Baltimore Album history
Filed Under Articles, Baltimore Album, Designers, Hand appliqué, History, Needleturn | Leave a Comment
The International Quilt Association puts out a quarterly journal for its members. In the latest issue there’s a fabulous article by Rhianna White called Quilting 101: Baltimore Album Quilts.
It’s a great lesson in the origin and history of the popular appliqué art form, and if you’re interested in the history of appliqué you’ll love this article. Renowned experts Elly Sienkiewicz and Mimi Dietrich contribute to the information.
Very generously, the IQA puts this journal up on its website in pdf form for all to download and enjoy. Go to quilts.org, click to enter, then look in the left sidebar for “IQA Journal.”
Until next time,
Kay
Quilt Puppy Publications & Designs
Apr
29
Suzanne Marshall’s marvelous methods
Filed Under Books, Designers, Hand appliqué, Needleturn, Stems/vines | Leave a Comment
I subscribe to The Quilt Show on the internet with Ricky and Alex. I just got done watching an episode from Season 2 where Suzanne Marshall was the guest. She demonstrated some of her hand appliqué techniques, and I sat there amazed and agog as she showed some astounding things I had never seen before. I watched as she easily made bias tape without any kind of gadget or bar, then transitioned an appliqué pattern drawn on notebook paper into a beautifully hand-stitched block.
It just goes to show once again how many different ways there are to appliqué!
Ricky said that Suzanne’s first book, “Take-Away Appliqué,” is now out of print. However, her current book, “Adventure & Appliqué,” is going great guns, and contains the instructions for everything I mentioned above. Suzanne’s website is www.suzannequilts.com.
Until next time,
Kay
Quilt Puppy Publications & Designs
Apr
9
Clipping
Filed Under Freezer paper on the back, Freezer paper on top, Hand appliqué, Needleturn, Turned edge | Leave a Comment
To clip or not to clip, that is today’s question.
Quilting professionals have differing opinions on how to handle clipping. Here’s my personal best advice on the subject.
NOTCHES
V’s, valleys, inside points, crannies… they go by a lot of names. Whatever you call ‘em, some teachers advocate clipping all the way to the bottom. I clip almost to the bottom. The way I stitch notches, by taking a slightly bigger bite with the needle, then snugging the stitch down, it works out better to have a couple threads to grab.
CURVES
Inside curves: Again the divide… to the line, or almost to the line. I’m a fan of a series of shallow clips on inside curves. If you’re using a small 3/16″ turn-under margin, you shouldn’t have to clip deeply to get the fabric to turn under nicely.
Outside curves: No, I say, no clip! Again, the scant margin allows the fabric to go under without wrinkling up on itself, causing “the pokies.” If you clip this outer curve, the fabric has a tendency to go loosey-goosey.
In either case, notches or curves, a full 1/4″ turn-under margin may cause you to have to clip where you don’t really need to. Go for the scanter margin. This small margin makes some quilter nervous, but fine work is achieved through this closer trim.
This information applies to hand appliqué. The machine appliqué method that uses freezer paper and glue is not among my skill set, so I’m not sure about best clipping protocols there. And of course, for raw-edge machine appliqué, there’s no clipping ever!
Until next time,
Kay
Quilt Puppy Publications & Designs
Feb
15
Flowers received
Filed Under Freezer paper on top, Hand appliqué, Holiday, Needleturn | Leave a Comment
… just barely. The DH had a hectic day and got to the flower shop 20 minutes after its official closing time. But there was still a trail of men going out the door with bouquets, so though they were sweeping the floors, Dana was able to pick up the beautiful flower arrangement he had ordered. His record stands.
“Seedlings” — for next year!
Until next time,
Kay
Quilt Puppy Publications & Designs
Feb
14
It’s a happy day for hearts
Filed Under Books, Embellishment, Freezer paper on top, Hand appliqué, Holiday, Needleturn | Leave a Comment
Happy Valentine’s Day! The chocolate has been bestowed, and now I’m anticipating the bouquet. This has been a tradition throughout our 18 years of marriage, chocolate for him, flowers for her, and he hasn’t missed one yet. So although there aren’t any flowers yet, the day is young :).
Here’s another of my favorite blocks from Growing Heart to Appliqué.
I call it “Fly Away.”
Freezer paper on top, hand appliquéd, hand-embroidered stems.
Until next time,
Kay
Quilt Puppy Publications & Designs
Feb
11
Heart seeds
Filed Under Embellishment, Freezer paper on top, Hand appliqué, Holiday, Needleturn, Turned edge, Words | Leave a Comment
Here’s another block from Growing Hearts to Appliqué. A fun one, yes?
When brainstorming on a theme,”growing hearts” or whatever, it’s so wonderful to let your imagination roam free and think up all sorts of notions about how to portray your ideas.
For this crazy design, I used freezer-paper templates on top, and I hand-embroidered the letters. The little black heart seeds are inked on with a permanent fabric marker.
And don’t faint, but maybe you can see that this quilt is hand-quilted. It still happens now and again.
Until next time,
Kay
Quilt Puppy Publications & Designs
Feb
6
One of my favorite hearts
Filed Under Books, Freezer paper on top, Hand appliqué, Holiday, Needleturn | 2 Comments
Valentine’s Day is coming up. I’ve already got the heart-shaped box of chocolates for the DH stashed away. Like many quilters, hearts are a favorite motif of mine. I love them so much that I published a whole collection of heart designs, Growing Hearts to Appliqué. Here’s one of my favorite blocks, which I call “Cutwork.”
To make this, I used freezer-paper templates on top. In this method, you trace the shapes onto the paper side of the freezer paper, cut them out on the drawn line, then iron the templates to the right side of the fabrics. Cut out the shapes, adding a 3/16″margin all the way around. Then you can baste them in place using a tracing-paper overlay as a placement guide, either leaving the templates on as stitching guides or taking them off for good old-fashioned needleturn. There’s been a lot of appliqué under the bridge since I made this, but I think I probably left the templates on for the straighter parts and removed them to work on the intricate parts.
I’ll put up some more of my growing hearts blocks as the month goes along.
Until next time,
Kay
Quilt Puppy Publications & Designs
Jan
26
Reverse appliqué
Filed Under Cutaway, Designers, Hand appliqué, Needleturn, Reverse appliqué | Leave a Comment
Susan Brubaker Knapp of Blue Moon River emailed me to let me know that she’s going to be offering at least one appliqué tip a month on her blog, as she releases blocks for “Bohemian Bouquet,” her 2008 Mystery Block of the Month quilt.
Susan’s first tip is already up… a very handy post on how to handle appliqué shapes where the interior is cut out.
You might want to subscribe to Susan’s blog so that you won’t miss the rest of her great tips!
Until next time,
Kay
Quilt Puppy Publications & Designs
Dec
5
Suzanne Marshall on Quilting Stash
Filed Under Designers, Embellishment, Hand appliqué, Needleturn | Leave a Comment
My friend Annie Smith of Simple Arts does the most fabulous thing, which is a podcast for quilters! Have you listened to Annie yet? If not, run don’t walk to SimpleArts.com. You don’t need an iPod… you can listen to Quilting Stash right on your computer.
Annie had the chance to interview accomplished appliqué quiltmaker Suzanne Marshall when they were both taping for The Quilt Show with Alex and Ricky. You’ll enjoy listening to this account of how Suzanne got her start as an appliquér and how astonished she was from those self-taught beginnings to learn that one of her pieces had made the list of the Twentieth Century’s 100 Best American Quilts.
While you’re at Quilting Stash, check out all of the other wonderful podcasts that Annie provides for us avid quilters.
Until next time,
Kay