Inspire. Empower. Create.
Just to let everyone know, we pulled our winner today!! And the lucky girl is Niki (Niurka) who wrote:
Those cupcakes are so stinking cute!! I would love to have one of those. I currently use an ugly yellow tomato pincushion
Thanks to everyone who participated! We had an extra 67 valid forum entries that we added to the pot! And we’re all glad Niki’s tomato pincushion will have a new friend!
Niki your brand new cupcake pincushion is headed your way soon!
Easy “Broken Leg” Applique
I consider myself a “piecing quilter “, not an applique quilter. But when you are desperate for a project and can’t get out of bed…You acquire new skills. I must say this is not the first time I have broken a leg and the last time I did , my good friend Amy, who is an amazing appliquer,told me that now that I couldn’t get away from her, she was going to teach me. So now I will teach you! There are amazing tools and helps out there, but not having them ,shouldn’t stop you from doing what you need to survive! and to survive I need to SEW!
Start with an easy picture..A coloring book works nicely. Make the lines darker so that you can see through it to trace. This is because we don’t have light boxes in our beds!
Also lightly trace it on to your background square as this will help with the placement.
Then trace each individual part on to scrap paper.
Then you have your children, grandchildren, or husband gather up scraps of fabric and put them in a bag by your bed.
Then you want to choose the fabric you want and using your paper pattern you trace around it.
I do have an applique board that my husband made for me that makes the tracing so much easier. To make the applique board, You take a piece of fine grit sandpaper and glue it to a piece of wood. This becomes your drawing table and holds the fabric in place making it easy to trace.
You trace your entire piece and cut out about 1/4 inch on the outside of the trace line.
Now comes the fun part…since I don’t keep freezer paper in my bed, I don’t use it and I also don’t have an iron so we finger press.
Take your cut piece of fabric and fold it on the traced line and press down with your thumb nails. Do this all around the fabric. Having this edge finger pressed down will help with the sewing.
Lay your fabric pattern down on the background fabric and loosely pin in place.
Choose thread that matches your applique fabric and bring up your thread out through the fold.
Use your needle to fold under the 1/4 edge. Bring you needle up thru the fold of the fabric and STRAIGHT down to anchor the stitch and continue sewing. So you fold, bring needle thru the fold, straight down and anchor and come back up thru the fold . You stitches should be about 1/8 of an inch apart.
Stitch
I generally start placing pieces from the bottom and work up, or inside and work out. And after awhile you will have a completed applique.
Okay, so the truth is out. I LOVE the disappearing nine patch. I have been raving about it like a crazy woman in the shop.
Another thing that I just adore is when someone I have talked to about it, brings back something she’s made and shows off her quilt top! Those things combined equals the best.day.ever!! 😉 This amazing lady (who chose to conceal her identity 🙂 ) has already made two of these quilts. (yes, I said two..and I think she’s planning on a few more!) Her first was with the Soiree charm pack (Lila Tueller) and it was so darling! Well, I just about had a fit when she brought this quilt in…..using our new Micheal Miller fabric and some bright Moda fat quarters! I love how BOY it is….and how bright and fun it is! Thanks Mystery Lady for stopping by to give me my very own show and tell!!
So, thanks again for stopping by to say hi and don’t forget to sign up for our giveaway…..and join us in the forums!!
{I promise we don’t bite…not too hard anyway!}
We’ve all enjoyed a little Sew Mama Sew and we thought we’d share the love by participating in their May Giveaway Day!
I’ve been hard at work
making these fabulous cupcakes designed by Sandi Henderson!
They are so fun!
I couldn’t resist making myself one so they wouldn’t all have to leave me!
I think everyone needs a happy spot like these for their sewing room!
This is the star of the cupcake show today!
With a little of Sandi Henderson’s Ginger Blossom, and some of Amy Butler’s Daisy Chain, how could you go wrong?!
On to the details –
So as you can see I’m dying to give away chances for this prize and you’ll get those chances simply for talking! So leave us a comment and swing on over to the forum and let us know how you feel about quilting or whatever it is that you want to talk about! Chances are someone else wants to talk too!
I’ve been having a great time working on the Kansas City Star Quilt!
This is a quilt pattern that is provided free through the Kansas City Star newspaper on a monthly basis. They do a new one every year and the patterns usually have a historical link of some kind. I’m really excited to see the new blocks each month. I’ve been using the provided fabrics from the Missouri Star Quilt Company, and watching Amy’s (our resident applique specialist!) sample blocks closely, and working hard to try to stay at least close to on time! Hahaha! I’m already two months back since the May block just came out 🙂
These blocks are done in period style fabrics, I’m thinking it would be pretty cool to see one done in brights just for the fun of it!
This is my January Block
and February’s
and March
April and May are still in the bag. 😀
I’m working on it, but it’s exciting to know that when I’m through I will have a serious treasure, that would have been quite an ordeal to attempt if I was picking up the pattern as a whole and trying to do it all at once.
Not impossible
I know 🙂 but very intimidating!