Floriani Applique Technique

Stitch and Wash Applique Technique: a great technique when you are working a lot of applique. I find it quick and easy. It's especially good if you have a lot of small pieces or like creating a 'production line' of shapes. I am using the Stitch and Wash Applique Technique with Floriani brand Stitch & Wash.

Basically, I refer to it as Floriani Applique.Which product do I use from the range? Floriani: Stitch & Wash Fusible - it's on a roll. The label says this:

"Floriani Embroidery
Sewing & quilting Products
Stitch N Wash
Fusible Water Soluble
Tearaway Stabilizer "

There are several brands of fusible water soluble tear away stabilizer. I have never had any trouble with Floriani so this is the brand I recommend. Of course, use any brand you prefer.

This technique is almost the same as the Applique by Freezer Paper Tutorial I demonstrated on a previous post. The only difference is that, instead of removing the freezer paper, you leave the stabilizer in place. This way, the process is a little quicker and you can work rather quickly.

My Freezer paper Applique Technique Tutorial is Here:

The process is the same - simply leave the floriani Stitch N Wash  Fusible Water Soluble Tearaway Stabilizer in place instead of removing it after the shape is created (as you do with the freezer paper).

Trace the shape:

iron it onto the wrong side of your fabric

Starch the seam allowance around the shape, then iron edges over:

the Stitch N Wash  Fusible Water Soluble Tearaway Stabilizer will help you create a neat edge all around. As you can see, I am using Best Press by Mary Ellen which a lot of quilters swear by. I also like Crisp spray starch. Use whichever starch you prefer.

Some quilters like to glue the seam allowance and stick it down .They find this works for them. You can see I do this at times with the freezer paper method. However, I don't do this when using Floriani because I don't like the feel of it. It's personal choice. Experiment and see what suits you.

Simply brush the seam allowance with starch, iron over the fusible webbing and once the shape is set, that's it. Leave the Stitch N Wash  Fusible Water Soluble Tearaway Stabilizer  in place.

Stitch N Wash  Fusible Water Soluble Tearaway Stabilizer softens when washed and doesn't bulk out your shape. If you haven't tried this technqiue because you are worried about leaving the Stitch N Wash  Fusible Water Soluble Tearaway Stabilizer  in place - there isnt any need to be worried. It shouldn't disintegrate or crumble.

Use whichever applique technique suits you best. If the freezer paper and / or Stitch N Wash  Fusible Water Soluble Tearaway Stabilizer applique technique doesn’t suit you, you may prefer raw edge applique. In that case, Stitch N Wash  Fusible Water Soluble Tearaway Stabilizer can help you achieve clean cutting lines, and you simply cut out your shapes without a seam allowance. The shape is then ready for decorative / finishing stitching such as blanket stitch or buttonhole stitch - if you so choose.

Just remember, the attention you pay to details as you go along with reward you twofold when you are putting the quilt top together at the end – so do whichever method you love. When you love the technique, getting it right becomes a pleasure.

My personal love is always the painstaking pleasure of needle turn applique, but that said – I am always looking for new ways to accomplish ideas as well, and I find that Stitch N Wash  Fusible Water Soluble Tearaway Stabilizer applique is a good compromise.

Hearts Desire Block 3: Love Entwined

This is a multiple block, make 3. Each Love Entwined block will be rotated around the center.

If you have directional background fabric, be sure to take this into account.

Hearts Desire Block 2: Sing Me A Song

I suggest you colour in your pattern sheet to get a feel for colour. I did...and I still could't decide. Luckily, when I think about alternatives, I only have to look through my Yahoo Group to see what fab ideas everyone else has had...and just enjoy it.

I really love this fabic, I decided to fussy cut it for the 1st Border

Please don't ask me details about this 'border'

I have no intention of telling you - it's a Mystery

Of course, the fussy cutting is completely optional!

This bird changed his feather's a few times...my DD demanded a pink one...then a blue one...then she wasn't keen on him!

I just made him the way I wanted in the first place!

Hearts Desire Blocks 2 & 3 are launched

So, here we are. It’s the 15th again. And my, doesn’t time fly when you’re part of a Mystery BOM? This month I am releasing 2 blocks and this will cover 2 months.

Why? So the Mystery doesn’t disadvantage your fabric options. I’ve seen how hectic you’ve all been, busily making the most beautiful and varied blocks, I have really enjoyed seeing this mystery through your eyes via your created blocks. Thank you to everyone who has posted images up on the Yahoo Group – it’s such a treat to look through and see how you’re all doing.

And now it’s time for Block 2… and Block 3

Block 2: Sing Me a Song

& the 1st Border

Block 3: Love Entwined

This month caused a little dilemma for me. Ideally, I would have liked to release block 2 and then block 3 next month on April 15th, as would be expected. But I also had to take into consideration that you are making this quilt blindfolded, and it would be so unfair to unleash block 3 next month after you had made and finished Block 2.

For one thing, it would be impossible for you to select your fabrics and potentially run out of them and then have to select an alternative for Block 3. You will see what I mean from the photos. Although these are 2 independent blocks, they do join together to create one ‘set’. And this set fits around the center block. I'm not going to say anymore about it as it's a Mystery. But do remember- don't assemble your quilt top until all the blocks are completed...and that wont be until July 2011.

Please remember: you have 2 months to complete these 2 blocks.


Remember:
Block 2 will be free until April 15th
Block 3 will be free until May 15th

This is boring but it comes up every BOM:
The pattern is a PDF document, and is set to print at 100% A4 for easy home printing
All printers are different and some printers like to re-set PDF pages to 95%

Please note:
Ensure that your printer is set to print to 100%
If your print preview shows you set to print at 95%, ensure that the default to “shrink to printable area” box is not checked. If it is, uncheck it.
Select: Page Scaling: none

Block 1 is now finished

Hearts Desire: Block 1: Be Still My Heart is now finished.

Missed it? Want to make it?

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Grateful Sunday

Like many of you, I have been gripped by images coming out of Japan. Perhaps gripped is the wrong word, but these events really leave me at a loss for words. Natural disasters are devastating, but nuclear disasters are a whole new level of concern.


What can anyone say?

Over at Elizabeth Cat’s blog, she vividly remembers being drenched in Chernobyl rain as a young girl in a checked dress….and it’s these images, these insights, that remind me of how precious and fragile life is.
I feel so grateful today.

Dream Fountain & Red Delicious Juried In

UPDATE: Thanks for all your kind comments!

It feels really great to be included in such a prestigious show !

I am very happy to announce that Dream Foundation and Red Delicious have been juried in to Paducah.

As with each year, just being present amongst so many creative quilters and ideas is the highlight for me.