January 2010

[Margo C.]

M: Work very much gets in the way of my life from August thru December... It could be worse, work could interfere all year instead of just support. =) It's nice to have time to be human again.

It's good to have you back with us! Like I tell my sons when they complain about things at work: At least you have a job, and no one is shooting at you! (Their Dad spent 3 years flying F-4s in VietNam)

[Shirley M.]

Margo, I have done quite a bit of applique. I plan to do hand applique on this project, but have never done a light background on over a dark fabric. I love your look but does the dark background pose any problems seeing what you're doing? I usually do my handwork at night.

I'd love to hear anyone else's experience with it.

Thanks! Shirley

[Margo C.]

Margo, I have done quite a bit of applique. I plan to do hand applique on this project, but have never done a light background on over a dark fabric. I love your look but does the dark background pose any problems seeing what you're doing? I usually do my handwork at night.

I'd love to hear anyone else's experience with it.

Thanks! Shirley

Shirley, actually, I machine appliqued this year's BOM. Personally, I haven't done an applique project that was really light fabrics on a dark background by hand, so I'm not sure about the vision issues. I always do all of my hand work under an OTT light, and that seems to help me immensely! I do know that there can be a problem with the darker background "shadowing" through a lighter fabric, and often will line the lighter fabrics with another piece of fabric. Other than that, I don't think you will have any problems.

[Paula D.]

Very nice tutorial. I like the idea of the liquid stitch on the back to secure the threads and make back-stitching unnecessary. Clever!

[Paula D.]

Hi Margo, I've never done applique before so this quilt will be a new technique for me. Can you still use Ricky's poly stabilizer even if you hand applique the pieces to the block?

[Margo C.]

Hi Margo, I've never done applique before so this quilt will be a new technique for me. Can you still use Ricky's poly stabilizer even if you hand applique the pieces to the block?

Absolutely, Michelle! In fact, the first time I used it was on a hand applique project. If you need more info about hand applique than what Sue gives in the directions, you might be interested in my tutorials for the 2008 BOM "Bouquets for a New Day". They are still on my Webshots album....at the bottom...the ones numbered 1-17. The one numbered "1. Start with the Star" shows how I get my patterns ready and how I actually stitch the applique. #10 shows a comparison of several stabilizers and #12 shows how I used the stabilizer for that project!

http://community.webshots.com/user/TennGram

(These albums are always available from my profile.)

Let us know how it works for you!

[Shirley M.]

Thanks Margo. I had forgotten about the shadowing. I've prepared applique leaves just like these using the same technique, except used freezer paper. I like the leave-in stabilizer as a foundation better. Removing the freezer paper adds more work.

Thanks to your excellent tutorial, I may go with machine applique this time because i REALLY like the darker background.

BTW...what is Liquid Stitch and where do you get it?

Shirley

[Rhonda B.]

Margo thank you for the tutorial. I like how you did you quilt with the sashings. Would you let me copy your design? If you will let me copy will you help me with the logistics of how to go about doing it? If it would take up to much of your time I can just stick with Sue's design. Thanks

margo
I like the sashings you have done as well are your scallops appliqued or sewn. Thanks for your challenge for us to use our brains. It will be interesting to see how they all finish up. Personally I didn't cut the borders out as I did not like it to be so much white and was going to do something different anyway

Thanks vernalgrandma! You are more than welcome to copy my sashings! When you get to that point (in December) you can use anything you want in the sashings! Sue's design uses sashing strips that finish 4" x 12". My sashing strips are smaller, and finish 3"x12" which is why my entire quilt has a more "chunky" look to it. I knew I wanted to use 9-Patches for cornerstones and strips for the sashing, but didn't want to fool with the math to make them fit the 4" space! I'm mathematically challenged, so this was just the easy way out for me! The only problem you will have is that if you reduce the size of the sashing strips, Sue's design for the swag border will need to be adjusted, or it won't fit.

I hope that all of you will make design decisions that will make this quilt uniquely yours. Just be aware that changes in size will affect everything that comes after that decision.

Like Ricky says in his seminars. "You have a brain! Use it!"

Looking forward to seeing what everyone comes up with!

[Rhonda B.]

Hi Margo,
I am not aware of the glue stick and have done a net search for a product here in Oz. I found a brand called sewrite but not sure if it is the correct thing or not. Do you or anyone else out there know what and where I can buy this product in Australia also the same for the foundation

[Margo C.]

Thanks Margo. I had forgotten about the shadowing. I've prepared applique leaves just like these using the same technique, except used freezer paper. I like the leave-in stabilizer as a foundation better. Removing the freezer paper adds more work.

Thanks to your excellent tutorial, I may go with machine applique this time because i REALLY like the darker background.

BTW...what is Liquid Stitch and where do you get it?

Shirley

Shirley, you can certainly do hand applique with a darker background! Just be sure you have a really good light to work under!

Liquid Stitch is a permanent liquid glue for fabric. It is a Dritz notion and is available in lots of places that sell fabric.

http://www.dritz.com/brands/showcase...p?ITEM_NUM=395

[Margo C.]

margo
I like the sashings you have done as well are your scallops appliqued or sewn. Thanks for your challenge for us to use our brains. It will be interesting to see how they all finish up. Personally I didn't cut the borders out as I did not like it to be so much white and was going to do something different anyway

/quote]

My scalloped swags are appliqued just like the blocks. I created a unit with the green scallops and the pink swag and applied those first, then added the circles to cover the join. It doesn't show up in the photo, but there is a line of mini-piping between the pink and green! Really sweet! Click on the thumbnail photos for a closer look!

[Margo C.]

Hi Margo,
I am not aware of the glue stick and have done a net search for a product here in Oz. I found a brand called sewrite but not sure if it is the correct thing or not. Do you or anyone else out there know what and where I can buy this product in Australia also the same for the foundation

Rondie, I'm not familiar with sewrite, but I think that as long as it clearly says that it is WASHABLE, it will be fine. This is what I used:

http://www.dickblick.com/products/el...l-glue-sticks/

It goes on purple and dries clear.


As for the foundation, you might try some kind of interfacing. You may have to purchase some to see how it behaves after it is washed. You don't want to use anything that will stay stiff, but it needs to start out fairly stiff to get crisp edges. Check out the way I tested several brands here:

http://good-times.webshots.com/album/562799920POBsLP

I wanted to see the how opaque they were, and how soft they were after washing.

[Margo C.]

Thanks for sharing. I like to design things as well but since I'm new to the quilting scene I need a little guidance and help.

margo
I like the sashings you have done as well are your scallops appliqued or sewn. Thanks for your challenge for us to use our brains. It will be interesting to see how they all finish up. Personally I didn't cut the borders out as I did not like it to be so much white and was going to do something different anyway

/quote]

My scalloped swags are appliqued just like the blocks. I created a unit with the green scallops and the pink swag and applied those first, then added the circles to cover the join. It doesn't show up in the photo, but there is a line of mini-piping between the pink and green! Really sweet! Click on the thumbnail photos for a closer look!

[Rhonda B.]

Hi Margo, I have searched around the internet and as I said found a glue here in australia but could not find any of the fusibles you mention. On the Shoppe page there is something called Misty Fuse I have found a supplier here for that would that be okay to use

[Margo C.]

Hi Margo, I have searched around the internet and as I said found a glue here in australia but could not find any of the fusibles you mention. On the Shoppe page there is something called Misty Fuse I have found a supplier here for that would that be okay to use

Rondie, the foundations I'm using are NOT fusible products. They are just fiberous foundations and when washed, they disolve into just loose fibers (you can see the photo in my webshots album).

Misty Fuse is a fusible web. It will remain in the applique. Of all the fusible webs on the market, I think that Misty Fuse is probably one of the softest after the quilt is washed. However, it does not come with a paper backing. You need to transfer the design by using parchment paper, which is sold at grocery stores near the freezer paper. It will NOT give you a stiff edge to use for turning the edges of your applique, but it could be used for raw edge applique. For that you would simply cut out the finished shape and iron it in place. The edges would still need to be secured with some kind of stitching. It would be used sort of like Ricky uses Steam-A-Seam II, then satin stitch the raw edges.