July | 2016 | Simple Bird Applique

The contracts are signed. The patterns are designed. I have stitched my class samples and submitted class descriptions and supply lists. Now I can finally tell you my exciting news…..I will be teaching two classes at Barbara Blanton’s Academy of Applique! Pinch me! I must be dreaming, but the last time I checked, my photo is up there with some pretty amazing world-class teachers, so it must be true!

As much as I would love to show you my class samples, the teachers have been asked to keep their samples under wraps until the catalogue is published. Sorry, but this is all I can show you…

Anyway, now that my samples are finished, I can finally start to put my Bed of Roses together. I must confess, I have not finished all of the side triangles (or borders). But I do have enough that I can get going! I also know that once I see a few blocks stitched together, I will be very motivated to get things finished.

Ok, so I want to show you how to trim the side triangles and corner triangles. The instructions are written very clearly in the pattern, but I just wanted to give you a few pointers.

Cut 2 pieces of freezer paper 15″ square. Cut one of the pieces on the diagonal to end up with 2 triangles.

Next, cut the second piece of freezer paper on the diagonal twice to end up with 4 smaller triangles. So far, so good!

So let’s start with the smaller triangles. Basically, we are going to iron a freezer paper triangle (FPT) on to the right side of the 4 corner triangles. First, I placed the FPT on the paper pattern and traced a few leaves, just to make sure I could line the pattern up and everything would be centered.

Next, I ironed the FPT on top of the stitched triangle, placing the drawn leaves directly over the stitched leaves.

It should look something like this. As you can see, I am doing both triangles at once.

Now, we are going to machine stitch 1/8″ away from the FPT, just on the bias edge.

This next part is super-important, so if you remember only one thing from this post, make sure it is this! The FPT does not have any seam allowance included, so you must add 1/4″ seam allowance to the fabric.

Once the triangle is trimmed, you can remove the FPT.

So now you can repeat the same process with the remaining 3 corner triangles. Then you can trim down the 8 side triangles, but this time you will be using the larger FPT. Sometimes it is hard to tell what Bruin is thinking, but I think he is pretty impressed!!

Til next time….

Kerry

I am very excited to announce my new Block of the Month! With Sue Garman’s permission, I am combining two of her fabulous quilts, “Friends of Baltimore” and “Baltimore Squared”. We will be stitching 9 of my favorite blocks from “Friends of Baltimore” and using the setting from”Baltimore Squared” to bring the blocks to life. Of course, you can expect a step-by-step tutorial on my blog for each block and also any finishing techniques. I can’t wait to begin and I hope that you will join me! I truly believe that every appliquer has a Baltimore quilt in them and I hope this is it!

So this BOM is set up differently than the last two and you will find it much more convenient. When you sign up, you will enter in your credit card information, and your card will be automatically charged each month. You won’t need to order each block individually. Yippee! You can sign up for “Friends of Baltimore/Baltimore Squared” on my website. Sign-ups will begin today (Canada Day!) and continue until August 31. When you sign up, you will be paying for Block 1. On September 1, I will ship Block 1 to everyone that has signed up. On October 1, your credit card will be charged for Block 2 and then I will ship them out the following day. Much easier to you (and me!).

I can’t tell you how thrilled I was when I found out my “Friends of Baltimore” was awarded the Excellence of Workmanship in Applique at Quilt Canada a couple of weeks ago. Pinch me, I must be dreaming!!! Since this is like the Academy Awards of Quilting, I would like to thank Sue Garman for creating such an awesome pattern and for being such an inspiration to me…..I would like to thank Ruth Quinn of Stitching Impressions for the truly amazing machine quilting that she did. I would especially like to thank Colleen Dadd who convinced me to “just throw the quilt in the washing machine” and who also took the time to re-wash the quilt so she could block it for me. And I would like to thank everyone who commented on my blog posts and encouraged me to keep going on this quilt. I thank you all from the bottom of my heart!!

Moving right along….I finished the borders for my Trail Mix quilt. How lucky was I to find the exact shade of brown I was looking for in my very own stash?? I love when that happens!!

First border is on…and it fits perfectly!!! Interesting…..I just noticed one of the blocks in the border is going the going the wrong way…..such is life!