Tag: #applique

Dear Jane: F-6 – Deanie’s Daisies

~ Terry Whitmell ~ Leave a comment

This is Week 6 of the Dear Jane Stitch Along, and this group is continuing to work from the centre of the quilt top out. I was looking for a colour that would work next to the red and yellow, that I hadn’t used before. This purple may be a little light in tone, but I think it will work well as I add more blocks scattered throughout the layout.

Successes:

  • I did actually successfully make the petals in the middle, using light interfacing, sewing the shape, then cutting a slit and turning it inside out.
  • The Invisifil thread works beautifully to attach the applique.

Challenges:

  • I thought I could snowball the corners, but didn’t do the math correctly, and then actually cut off one of my triangles. So I then cut according to the rotary cutting instructions, and was able to sew the triangles on to the centre diamonds.
  • The sew and turn technique for applique is very difficult to do with these tiny pieces. The curved sides worked beautifully, but the sharp end points were lost.

So, for the next applique block, I think I will try cutting the template pieces out of fusible interfacing, and apply them to the back of the fabric. Then I will try using fabric glue to fold down the sides. 

And even though they would have been “fiddly”, I think that the four corner blocks would have been much more precise had I chosen to do Foundation Paper Piecing.

Here’s the updated quilt image:

Dear Jane: RS – 7 – Fedelia’s Hearts

~ Terry Whitmell ~ Leave a comment

I’m not yet tired of red, so here’s another interesting border block.

This is needle-turn applique, using Wonderfil’s Invisifil thread in grey.

Successes:

  • It is done

Challenges:

  • I have not much experience with needle-turn applique, and it shows.
  • I first attempted it “naked”, just turning the fabric edge under. And it ended by with very jagged curves.
  • So I reprinted my templates on card stock, and tried two more techniques:
    • I first tried a technique with aluminum foil, and could not secure the template, fabric, and foil without sliding
    • I then used just the cardstock template, and carefully ironed the edges over
  • You can see that the hearts are a little better as they increase in size, but they are still not what I would like to see
  • So, my next applique will use a technique I learned from Liz Thompson at Quilt Canada 2024 in Edmonton:
    • Using water-soluble thread, sew your applique piece to a scrap of fabric or interfacing
    • Trim edges, and then cut a slit in the waste fabric
    • Turn inside out, and carefully press
    • Gently place your piece in water, and separate your applique piece from the waste fabric
    • Press to dry
    • Hand-stitch

Here’s the quilt, with nine blocks:

Dear Jane: Block G-7 – Indianapolis

~ Terry Whitmell ~ Leave a comment

Block #2 for me is the first block in the Dear Jane Stitch Along, in Facebook. The plan in this group is to do one block per week, for three years. I plan to catch up with the group, and follow along, while completing other blocks to fill out my weeks. This is the centre block of the quilt, and anchors a nineteenth-century version of “Trip Around the World”. I don’t know if I will stick to this colour plan, but I found this lovely green, to remind me of spring!

The videos created by @JayneStitches are detailed and easy-to-follow, and allowed me to confidently tackle this complex block. And the printed instructions were a perfect complement to the files from EQ8. Here are the instructions with my centre circle in process:

I followed the Facebook group instructions for the first two steps, but then used the Foundation Paper Piecing page from EQ8 to do the cross strips:

I had a lot of fun with this one!

Successes:

  • Combining applique with FPP worked very well
  • Use of Best Press to fix edges made the needle-turn applique easy and precise
  • I can put my blocks away, and still see how the quilt is going, through the use of the Progress Chart in EQ8

Challenges:

  • There were remarkably few challenges with this block, despite my trepidation!

And here’s what the quilt looks like so far: