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Jul
2
Little Homes
Filed Under Books, Fusible web, Improvisational appliqué, Machine appliqué, Patterns, Raw edge | Leave a Comment
While I was at Quilt Market in Portland, I saw the display by Ackfeld Manufacturing of bunches of darling wire hangers, and it got my mind spinning with ideas. I ordered some of the little hangers and as soon as I got home I set out making some little quilts. I love small things so this was a barrel of fun for me, and it also have me a chance to show off the motifs from my new book Home: A Heartfelt Nap Quilt and how you can use them different ways.
These are all machine appliquéd with a blanket stitch, and I just used scraps left over from making the original Home quilt. I didn’t really plan anything out in advance, just chose the motifs and played around until I thought, ‘hey, that looks good,’ then fused them down. It’s great working this way in between fussier projects!
BTW these little guys are for sale hangers and all, so if you’re interested shoot me an email at topdog at quiltpuppy.com.
Until next time,
Kay
Quilt Puppy Publications & Designs
Jun
22
Glue stick turned edge hand appliqué
Filed Under Designers, Freezer paper on top, Glue stick, Hand appliqué, Patterns, Photo tutorial, Prepared edge | 7 Comments
As promised, today I’m learning a method of hand appliqué preparation that’s new to me. Holly Mabutas of Eat Cake Graphics gave me her pattern insert with instructions for what she calls “glue stick turned edge appliqué” and I’m trying it out! What intrigues me about this method is that the margin of the fabric is glued back on itself. I’ve tried the other kind of glue-stick appliqué, where the margin is turned and glued over freezer paper, then after stitching you soak the block, slit the back, and get the freezer paper out. That method never ’stuck’ with me, no pun intended. Now I’m going to try it this way, where the freezer paper is on the front of the fabric.
The first thing I did was to go out and get a brand-new glue stick. I happened to know that the ones I had were a mite dried out — moral of the story, don’t buy them too far in advance, or try keeping them in the fridge as a friend of mine told me.
As it happens, we’re having a heat wave in Santa Cruz. There are just a few days a year when we roast… yesterday it was 102º and I was sweating just sitting upstairs in my studio. So today I gathered up everything that I needed and put up my handy-dandy little table from Costco downstairs in the living room to work in cooler conditions.
Freezer-paper templates traced and cut out.
I used the bunny block from my Spin in the Garden pattern.
I had to run upstairs to iron the templates onto the right sides of the fabrics. I used a piece of cardboard underneath, which helps create a better bond.
The next step is to trim the motifs, leaving a scant ¼” turn-under margin. Here are the pieces, trimmed and clipped. There’s a dashed line on areas that are going to be overlapped by another piece.
Gluing the margin back onto itself on the wrong side. Holly says to use an awl… I didn’t have one so I used a stylus with a tiny, sharp tip. The moist sponge is for cleaning off the glue stick when it gets thready. I’m working on top of an plastic sheet protector.
Here are all the pieces glued and with templates removed.
I wasn’t a whiz at the previously unused fine motor skills required to turn the margin with the implement, but I’m thinking I can smooth things out as I stitch. And, as Holly says, “Don’t be too hard on yourself if things aren’t perfect the first time or even the second. With a little patience and practice you’ll do just fine. :)”
Again using the sheet protector, I’m positioning the pieces to join them together into units. No background fabric involved at this point! Holly advises using little dots of Roxanne’s basting glue for this step. I didn’t have any so I hauled out some really ancient stuff called Border Patrol. Turns out this was a misstep on my part, and I’ll tell you why later. Anyway, I used it on the edges of the tail and ears that were going under the body piece, and glued the bunny together.
Here’s a whole bunny, separate unto itself, edges turned and ready to hop onto different background fabrics until it finds its favorite one.
Here I’ve positioned all of the elements on the background fabric and have used the liquid glue to secure them in place. Still hoping I can work out those pokies.
All stitched… and it worked! I was able to manipulate out the little bumps. For the more serious ones, I dipped a cotton swab in water and soaked the edge of the motif. The glue released immediately and I was then able to smooth out the curve with my needle.
Okay so here’s why the liquid basting glue I used was not a good choice. Turns out, unlike Roxanne’s, it’s a permanent glue, and I used it in some injudicious places. See the little spot on the bunny’s paw? It’s confusing, but when you look at glue labels, you want it to say “water soluble” or “washes out.” “Washable” means it doesn’t wash out!
Anyway, aside from that little “learning experience,” I’d say this is the best method of turned-edge glue stick appliqué I’ve tried. For one thing, you don’t need a reversed pattern… what you see is what you get. Plus, you don’t have any freezer paper to remove once you’ve finished stitching. Holly appliqués these by hand, and so did I. If the templates were on the inside you’d have a crinkly, crunchy time of it, but here, where they’re gone already, it was a pleasant stitching experience. And a big thundercloud came along and cooled things down considerably.
Thanks a million, Holly, for sharing your preferred method with me, and allowing me to show it other appliqué fans. If you like an edge that’s already turned before you start stitching, this might become your favorite too! Get one of Holly’s adorable patterns and try it out for yourself.
See A Spin in the Garden over at Quilt Puppy.
Until next time,
Kay
Quilt Puppy Publications & Designs
Jun
16
Spotlight on Holly Mabutas
Filed Under Designers, Glue stick, Hand appliqué, Patterns, Prepared edge, Spotlights | Leave a Comment
I met Holly Mabutas a year and a half ago at a quilt show in Hollister, California. When I saw Holly’s Eat Cake Graphics booth, I was instantly captivated by her darling appliqué style.
We became friends right away. I’ve been bugging her to give me an interview because I’m fascinated with her story of rubber stamps and appliqué designs. Here’s Holly and Puppy Tucker, the star of her blog, Sprinkles of Thought.
Kay: Holly, how did you get your start in cartooning?
Holly: You know, I can’t ever remember a time when I didn’t doodle. I do remember seeing my mom do a little sketch of our dog when I was young. I was fascinated watching the pencil lines come to life and wanted to be able to do the same.
I started out by trying to duplicate the drawings in my coloring books. With a lot of practice I got better, started drawing my own ideas and from there I guess started developing my own style. I don’t really have a formal art background - I took a few art courses in junior college – I’ve just always loved to draw. And I guess when you do something you love and practice over the course of a lifetime you’re bound to get better at it. 
Kay: Where do you think the inspiration comes from for your adorable style?
Holly: I’ve always loved the cute and whimsical world of art. I was a HUGE fan of the comic strips Calvin & Hobbes and Bloom County. I also love children’s book illustrators – and have quite a few books (is that bad to admit for someone over 40 whose children all have fur and tails). I also think that I’m drawn to whimsical stuff because with everything going on in the world I want to focus on something happy, so that’s what I draw.
Kay: Tell me how you started up your rubber-stamp company.
Holly: I actually worked in a rubber stamp store in Los Gatos, California, for quite a few years. I was in there all the time and they asked if I’d like a part time job – I jumped at the chance, of course I never really did see a paycheck. Then I was approached by an acquaintance of my mom’s. She wanted to know if I might like to go into business, again I did a happy dance and said yes.
Eat Cake Graphics came about when my business partner and I decided to go our separate ways. I actually “opened” (although there were no balloons or fireworks) in January 2000.
So here I am, eight years later with over 600 images and still trying to figure out the ins and outs of online shopping carts – good grief does it ever get easier!
Kay: Tell me a little bit about how you segued into quilt patterns.
Holly: I never really thought I’d be designing quilt patterns! I walked into a quilt shop in the mid/late 90’s and saw a quilt on the wall using a technique called appliqué. I thought it looked fun so I signed up for a class. It was fun but it wasn’t until I stumbled upon another appliqué technique, using a gluestick, that I really became hooked (probably more like obsessed). In one of the ongoing monthly classes I was asked if I could come up with some simple blocks to go along with a project we were stitching. I said sure.
I think it was then the light bulb went off and I thought, hey, I really like seeing what my little sketches could become in fabric. I took some of my stamp images and on my computer played around with the layout, took the printout to a local copy shop, enlarged it, came home and started playing with fabric. It actually worked and when I showed it to people they asked about a pattern…and well, here I am.
Kay: Thank you, Holly, for giving us the back story. Here are some of my favorite of Holly’s patterns.
Windy Wintery Day
Don’t Drink and Fly
Home in the Middle
Holly gave me her pattern insert with instructions for her turned-edge gluestick appliqué method, and in my next post I’m going to give it a whirl. I’m always interested in learning new ways to appliqué! This one combines glue-stick prepared-edge with hand stitching. Stay tuned!
Until next time,
Kay
Quilt Puppy Publications & Designs
May
28
Building a Home
Filed Under Books, Patterns | Leave a Comment
I just put up a post on the Quilt Puppy Show & Tell Center that shows how Home: A Heartfelt Nap Quilt went together in my studio. I’m certainly no Darcy Ashton when it comes to photography but it’s fun to see the motifs appearing bit by bit.
Until next time,
Kay
Quilt Puppy Publications & Designs
May
26
Background/foreground appliqué
Filed Under Designers, Fusible web, Patterns, Raw edge | Leave a Comment
At Quilt Market, I stopped by the Patchworks Studio booth to meet Canadians Daphne Greig and Susan Purney Mark. Daphne and Susan are well known for their wildly popular books Fat Quarter Frenzy and Fat Quarter Frenzy Two. I found out they’ve also developed a very cool appliqué style they call Give and Take Appliqué™.
My husband the scientist would call it “figure and ground illusion.” Whatever you call it, it’s really very striking and an idea whose time has come! Visit the Patchworks Studio patterns page to check out Give and Take Appliqué™.
More to come from Quilt Market,
Kay
Quilt Puppy Publications & Designs
May
25
Newly listed designers
Filed Under Blogroll, Designers, Patterns | Leave a Comment
When I got home from Market, one of the first things I did was to add a bunch of designers and pattern companies to the lists in the right-hand sidebar. Here are my new additions:
Bayou Patch Designs
Bloomin’ Minds
Ewe-unique Creations
Granola Girl Designs
Hatched and Patched
Jenny Creek Designs
Kitambaa Designs
Log Cabin Quiltworks
Patchworks Studio
Primitive Gatherings
The Quilt Company
Rabbits Haven
Sue Spargo Folk-Art quilts
Under the Garden Moon
Cathy Van Bruggen Designs
Waltzing With Bears
The Wooden Bear
There were scads more appliqué designers that I also saw and/or chatted with that were already on the lists. Other appliqué designers… if I’ve missed you, give me a shout!
Much more to come pursuant to Portland…
Until next time,
Kay
Quilt Puppy Publications & Designs
May
22
Thoughts of Home
Filed Under Books, Patterns | Leave a Comment
I traveled to Portland last weekend to attend Quilt Market, the semiannual behemoth trade show for the quilting industry. I had THE most fabulous time. Saw old friends, made new ones, put lots of faces together with names, and learned a ton of new things. I was scouting the appliqué! Over the next couple weeks I’ll be posting interesting nuggets from my trip.
First though, I need to introduce my newest design! I got the pattern booklet back from the printer just three days before the trip.
Home: A Heartfelt Nap Quilt
Home is filled with symbols of warmth and welcome. As the years go by, I appreciate more and more the simple comforts of home and shelter. From beloved pets to pie and coffee to the feeling that “home is where the heart is,” this nap-size quilt with its cozy and familiar motifs is my commemoration to the places we make our own.
I did have a wonderful trip, but it’s nice to be home :).
Home is available on the Quilt Puppy website.
The 16-page booklet has full-size patterns plus complete construction information. Use any form of appliqué — nothing fancy required!
Until next time,
Kay
Quilt Puppy Publications & Designs
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
Apr
5
Raggedy appliqué
Filed Under Blanket stitch, Designers, Hand appliqué, Patterns, Raw edge | Leave a Comment
Designer Darcy Ashton has devised a darling way to use raw-edge hand appliqué to make raggedy bunnies. I would never have thought of it!
Here’s a picture of one of Darcy’s bunnies, after appliquéing and before quilting and fluffifying.
Photo courtesy of Darcy Ashton.
Now go to Darcy’s blog to see the finished quilt with the bunnies fluffed up. Adorable!
Until next time,
Kay
Quilt Puppy Publications & Designs
Mar
26
The Appliqué Society
Filed Under Articles, Designers, Patterns, Spotlights, Words | Leave a Comment
When I started a blog about appliqué, I said to myself, “You outghta be a member of The Appliqué Society.” So I joined up. I’ve received three newsletters so far, which have given me some sense of what the organization is all about. This from the TAS website:
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“The Appliqué Society’s mission is To Promote, to Teach, and to Encourage the Love of All Types of Appliqué in Quilting. We work to educate and promote public interest in the world of appliqué, as well as encourage and inspire creativity. The Appliqué Society (TAS) and its members want to ensure that the art of appliqué will continue through the generations.”
Membership benefits include a newsletter every other month. This publication is not a slick, overly produced piece. Printed in black and white, with hand-drawn patterns, it's reminiscent of real hometown quilters and appliqué fans. The content is wonderful. So far, the cover stories have been interviews with designers Elizabeth Scott, author of The ABCs of Words on Quilts, Pamela Humphries, author of Award-Winning Appliqué Birds, and Ricky Tims, author of Rhapsody Quilts. Within each interview there’s always a question or two about the designers’ techniques, which I’ve found truly illuminating in each case.
There are free patterns, as I said in many cases lovingly hand-drawn, features on specific topics in appliqué, product reviews, etc. In three issues I’ve picked up at least six tips! I’ll share just one of them, to give you an example. Member Jan Walter from central Illinois contributed a darling Santa pattern, and gives advice about the white beard and mustache: “For iron-on appliqué, back your whites by ironing a medium-weight interfacing on the back before ironing on the fusible web.” Thank you, Jan! We’ve all struggled with what do do about shadow-through with white appliqué pieces.
TAS has many noted professional members among its midst, who do a lot to support the organization by contributing patterns and articles. TAS membership also gives you the opportunity to join or start a local chapter, and stitch with like-minded quilters.
You might enjoy belonging to the Society as well. Visit the TAS website.
Until next time,
Kay
Quilt Puppy Publications & Designs