One Piece at a Time

Home Again Block 3 is ready to go!

 

This sweet little block is a great way to practice the petal technique I showed you a few weeks ago.

The blocks in the quilt pictured here are 7" finished. You can download the 7" version here:

Download Home Again Block 3-7inch

If you want to do 9" blocks I have that too. Here is a link to the 9" block:

Download Home Again Block 3-9inch

If you want to do the medallion version you can find the center block here:

appliqueaddicts.patternbyetsy.com/listing/761410657/home-again

If you are making the version with 9" blocks you will need a different center block. A 27" block is the size you will need. My pattern Miss Mimi would work perfectly.

Have a nice weekend!

Workshop Wednesday: Dark Background Fabric

One challenge that I am always having with applique is dealing with "shadowing". This is when darker fabrics show through lighter ones and can happen when we use darker background fabrics. I really struggled with getting good pictures to illustrate this so hang in there with me.

Here I am using a white applique on a black background. You can see the black fabric creating what looks like a faint shadow in the middle. You can try to eliminate this by trimming the background fabric away after you're done stitching but to me this is TERRIFYING! I've also tried a variety of interfacings to no avail. So far, this is the best thing I've found.

Trace your applique shape onto bright white fabric. For ease here I am using a circle but it works for all shapes.

Cut the shape out just inside the lines like this.

Glue the cut piece of white fabric to the back of your applique.

And proceed as you usually would. Simple right? And cheap!

New block coming on Friday so STAY TUNED.

Workshop Wednesday: Making Larger Shapes

I hope everyone is enjoying the blocks so far…I know I am.

Here's another little trick I've learned for making larger shapes like the birds and vase in the center block. Since these shapes are larger, I can sometimes find it hard to keep the template from wiggling around while I starch and press. For these types of appliques, I use freezer paper templates. The freezer paper sticks to the back, making it easier to starch.

For this process I like this brand of freezer paper. It's a bit ticker than the kind you buy at the grocery store and your templates can be reused. You can find it here.

To make my templates I first trace the shape on a single sheet, then iron that sheet to a second sheet. Then I cut the template out and iron it to the wrong side of my chosen fabric. Once that is done, I cut the fabric out using my usual seam allowance.

From here I do the normal starch and press thing, being a bit more careful to not get the template too wet.

Then I remove the template and use glue to baste the shape together if needed.

Check out this version of Home Again!

Lea Anne from Podunk Pretties is making Home Again and I sure love her fabric choices. Lea likes to machine applique so make sure you follow here for all her great tips and techniques.

Home Again Block 2...Let's beat the winter blues!

We had a bit of snow here this week so it was the perfect chance to bake cookies and stitch this sweet little block!

Here is another easy block so everyone can practice getting nice sharp points.

The blocks in the quilt pictured here are 7" finished. You can download the 7" version here:

Download Home Again Block 2-7 inch

If you want to do 9" blocks I have that too. Here is a link to the 9" block:

Download Home Again Block 2-9 inch

If you want to do the medallion version you can find the center block here:

appliqueaddicts.patternbyetsy.com/listing/761410657/home-again

If you are making the version with 9" blocks you will need a different center block. A 27" block is the size you will need. My pattern Miss Mimi would work perfectly.

Have a nice weekend!

Workshop Wednesday: Petals

Okay so, after I learned to make fabric circles I had this thought…why not petals?

Here's what I figured out:

Place your petal template onto the wrong side of your fabric and trace. Cut a scant 1/4'' from your drawn edge as shown.

Stitch around the petal in the seam allowance using a running stitch.

Place the template on the wrong side as shown.

Hold the ends like this and start to gather by pulling the thread.

Pull until the petal is fully gathered.

Apply starch to the whole petal just like we did with the circle.

Press until dry.

Remove the template and there you go! A perfect little petal for your applique!

Just in case you didn't know....

I got a little busy with my freelance work this week so I couldn't do a Workshop Wednesday.

Be back next week with a tutorial and a new block!