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Appliqué books
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Apr
17
My favorite quilt
Filed Under Borders, Color, Embellishment, Freezer paper on top, Hand appliqué, Needleturn, Stems/vines | 29 Comments
Today I’m writing about my favorite quilt as part of the Bloggers Quilt Festival put on by Amy of
Park City Girl.
My favorite quilt is usually the one I just started 
but if I had to pick just one, I’d have to say that it’s my Sixteen Baskets.
Here are the reasons why:
In many ways I think this is my best work. It’s hand appliquéd, back during the time that I favored the freezer-paper-template-on-top method (before I learned back-basting). The tiniest motifs are machine appliquéd or hand embroidered.
Each of the blocks is my original design… they’re published in my book Baskets to Appliqué. It was an exciting, emotional, fulfilling process developing the concept for each basket, and I still remember that time…. the mischevious kitty, the fat quarters rolled up, the nod to Baltimore, the pastel eggs inspired by Janet’s chickens who gave us eggs exactly those colors.
This quilt is also hand quilted. I took a picture that’s unevenly lit on purpose to try to get the quilting to show up. I love hand quilting and don’t get the chance to do it as much as I used to.
I love the soldier blue and the dogtooth border. (Also that it’s called a dogtooth border, because I love dogs.)
So that’s my favorite quilt. Thanks for visiting to see my entry in the Bloggers’ Quilt Festival! Visit Park City Girl every day through April 24 and get a ringside seat for other bloggers’ favorite quilts! It’s quite a show!
Until next time,
Kay
Quilt Puppy Publications & Designs
Sep
26
American Quilter celebrates appliqué
Filed Under Articles, Baltimore Album, Designers, Hand appliqué, Machine appliqué, Needleturn | Leave a Comment
The November 2008 issue of American Quilter magazine, put out by the American Quilters Society, features “Appliqué Your Way” … yay!
Faye Labanaris contributes an article with photo tutorials for four different kinds of needleturn hand appliqué. Suzanne Marshall shares her method for creating bias stems. And Ann Holmes shows how she constructs her pieces for machine appliqué, in which “there’s no sewing until you quilt it.”
Not only is this issue full of great appliqué information, there’s a bagful of eye candy in the form of the winners of the recent Nashville show. Best of Show and Best Hand Workmanship Award both went to Baltimore Album-style quilts :).
The celebration continues in the next issue with Jeana Kimball’s back-basting technique. Jeana is one of my all-time favorite appliqué idols and I can’t wait to see this article.
Until next time,
Kay
Quilt Puppy Publications & Designs
Sep
8
The Appliqué Society shares
Filed Under Articles, Hand appliqué, History, Needleturn | Leave a Comment
The Appliqué Society has a page on their website called Just Appliqué that offers really fun, useful, and interesting things for appliqué fans.
There are articles on international appliqué, there’s a resizing calculator, there’s a Show and Share section, free patterns, and a wonderful series of articles on the basic appliqué stitch, how to put together an appliqué sewing kit, and some information about the history of appliqué.
These resources are there for you to enjoy whether you’re a member of the Society or not. Thanks TAS!
Until next time,
Kay
Quilt Puppy Publications & Designs
Aug
13
Darcy shows us how
Filed Under Blanket stitch, Designers, Embellishment, Hand appliqué, Needleturn, Photo tutorial | Leave a Comment
Darcy Ashton of Ashton Publications has put up a couple of fantastic posts on her blog recently. This one shows her process of marking and constructing her appliqués (and at the same time we get to see her new two-color bunnies), and this one shows how to achieve those soulful eyes that her animals have.
Thanks Darcy!
Until next time,
Kay
Quilt Puppy Publications & Designs
Jul
10
Joanna’s Appliqué Today
Filed Under Hand appliqué, Needleturn, Photo tutorial, Threads | Leave a Comment
I discovered a very colorful, joyful blog by a young woman named Joanna. She has put up a couple of outstanding tutorials on needleturn appliqué, the first on prep and the second on the stitching.
Joanna marks differently than I do, handles points and notches just a touch differently, and uses glue to stick things down, whereas I’m a baster. Vive la différence! There’s no one right way. Appliquérs find the methods that work for them.
Thanks, Joanna, for your effervescent Appliqué Today.
Until next time,
Kay
Quilt Puppy Publications & Designs
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
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