Japan: Every Quilter Can Do This

UPDATE: 28 March, 2011
Australia Post has decided not to assist quilters posting out donated quilts to Japan. This is a shame, but I guess there isn't enough publicity in it for them.

Looking through my quilt cupboard...

I do not believe one can settle how much we ought to give. I am afraid the only safe rule is to give more than we can spare.    
C. S. Lewis







This is something practical every quilter can respond to, knowing that it will make a real difference. Let's look through our cupboards and finish those WIPs.

Remember: the need is great and any size quilt means that, whatever our quilt pile, we all have something we can contribute.

Naomi Ichikawa, editor of Patchwork Quilt Tsushin Magazine is asking for comfort quilts to be sent to Japan. She says:

It is still bad situation now in Japan. We are still nervous about shaking and radiation, but no way to escape. I start to announce to the quilters to send us comfort quilts for the people who are suffered. I would like to do it to the world quilters. We will deliver the comfort quilts to the people who are very difficult situation. Could you please help to announce it to the quilters in your country?
We accept any size of quilts (baby to adult). New or unused. The deadline would be the end of May or later.

★Send the quilts to:
(after the begining of May）

Naomi Ichikawa
Patchwork Tsushin Co.,Ltd
2-21-2,Yushima,Bunkyo-ku,Tokyo,Japan zip:113-0034
I will appreciate if you help me.
Naomi

(Thanks to Glenda for passing these details on to me. Please pass these details on and list it on your own blog / website / group / forum / noticeboard / meeting hall / etc)

?

Wouldn't it be great if a postal provider offered to ship all our donated quilts to Japan for free?

I've sent an email to Australia Post in the hope that they might step in and assist us in donating our quilts to Japan for this Humanitarian Appeal. As there is only 1 drop off point in Japan, free shipping could easily be facilitated by providing quilters with a 'code' which we could apply to our parcels.

If you are an Australian quilter, please contact Australia Post and ask them to help us help others.

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?

Visit my online shop for instant digital downloads

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.