Details of my 1st Retreat!

Posted in Uncategorized by Simple Bird Applique

Thanks so much to everyone that expressed interest in my 1st Applique Retreat! As promised, here are the details…..

The Retreat will be held on Tuesday, March 27-Thursday March 29, 2018. Arrival time is 1:00 pm on Tuesday and we will be staying til 3 pm (ish) on Thursday. We will be staying at Fireside Retreat in Orillia, ON. All meals will be included, starting with dinner on Tuesday night. This Retreat is a perfect opportunity to learn the method I use for all of my applique projects. It is also a perfect time to catch up on your own applique projects and to be inspired by other students. Your fee of $400.00 includes your accommodation, all meals, your project kit and pattern and class notes. What is the project you ask? I am having a block designed specifically for this Retreat and it is still in the works:) I know you will love it! I am limiting this class to 6, so if you are interested please contact me at burke.kerry@ymail.com.

I am getting my class sample ready to teach at The Academy of Applique in February. Seems like a long way off, but really it isn’t. Sometimes the only challenge is keeping the cat away:)

Also, don’t forget that the Friends of Baltimore/Baltimore Squared BOM starts November 1, which is right around the corner. Each month (for 12 months) you will receive the pattern and fabric to complete the entire quilt as shown. You can check out the details on the website.

In the meantime, I am starting to work on my next BOM, Hugs and Kisses by Sue Garman. I will have the details in my next post.

Til next time…..

Kerry

19Sep2017

So Excited…..A Ribbon and a Retreat!

Posted in Uncategorized by Simple Bird Applique

This past weekend, my “To Everything There Is A Season” quilt won a ribbon at the Simcoe County Quilt, Rug and Craft Fair! This quilt was exquisitely machine quilted by Rose Bell of Fancy Feathers. The paper pattern is now available on my website . The digital patterns for the blocks will be available by the end of the week. Many of you have asked about getting the patterns available in digital form and we are doing our best to make that happen, including the patterns from last year’s Academy of Applique, A Taste of Lilies and Crazy For Callas.

The show, which is always held at the Simcoe County Museum, has some very poignant memories for me. I remember coming to this museum many times on school trips and learning about the fascinating history in our own back yard. Later on, my Mom and I would go to this show every year. Although I wasn’t really quilting at the time, I was so interested in quilts and quilting. This show has been extremely influential in my quilting life. It is more than just a quilt show. There are embroiderers, lacemakers, spinners, hookers and weavers eager to demonstrate their many talents. It is an awesome opportunity to see the remarkable talent in Simcoe County. The weather was absolutely gorgeous this year so sitting outside and eating a piece of pie seemed like the right thing to do!

Big News….I am so thrilled to announce that I am launching my very first Applique Retreat! The 3 day event will be held at The Fireside Retreat in the Spring of 2018 (March 27-29). Please join me for 3 days of stitching, learning and sharing everything applique! This retreat will be a great place to learn the techniques I use for all of my applique projects. If you are looking for a stress free way to hand-applique, look no further! Of course, there will be time set aside to work on your own applique projects. Imagine, 3 days of inspiration and creativity and eating! I will have all of the details in my next blog post.

Til next time….

Kerry

8Sep2017

Skinny Stems and Scrappy Blocks

Posted in "To Everything There is a Season", Uncategorized by Simple Bird Applique

In my last post, I showed you how I made the roses in The Rose Kaleidoscope. In this post I will show you how I made the skinny stems. First, I traced the block onto the background with a Clover Water Soluble Marker. I constructed the roses “off-block” which means I put the roses together on a sheet of freezer paper (shiny side up). For that reason, I did not trace any of the inside detail of the roses, just the outside edge.

Next, I prepped all of my stem pieces and the thorns. Normally, I use a 1/4″ bias maker for my stems, but these stems are a little skinnier.

Once I have prepped the pieces, I removed all of the freezer paper. This is a question I am frequently asked…Yes, I remove all freezer paper before I glue the piece onto the background.

The first pieces on the background never look that exciting. But keep watching!

I just realized I didn’t take any pictures of how I prepped the leaves. But there they are!

Now I am ready to place the roses onto the background. I haven’t stitched the leaves or stems in place yet. I might go and do that now before I place the roses. I’ll keep you posted:) This pattern is available on my website. It is one of the blocks in “To Everything There Is A Season”. You can purchase the complete paper pattern set, or each pattern individually. I am going to be stitching each block again and I’ll keep you updated on my progress.

I have been merrily stitching away (on my machine!). I started out just making a few of these Monkey Wrench blocks and I got a little addicted! Now I am putting my sections together. I made 81 blocks, so I made 9 sections of 9 blocks. I tried very hard to arrange the fabrics so that like fabrics didn’t end up together. I numbered each piece so I wouldn’t get confused…that is an important step!

I prefer to put quilts like this together in sections, rather than rows. It just seems like less work! I have yet to figure out a border for this quilt and I must confess, it is keeping me up at night. I am thinking swags (as usual)!

The orange cornerstone fabric is the same fabric I used for the flange on my granddaughters hexie quilt. Funny how a piece of fabric can take you back in time:)

Speaking of hexies, I am still hand-quilting my hexie quilt. The cooler nights lend themselves to being wrapped up in a quilt. Speaking of weather, my thoughts and prayers go out to everyone who is experiencing extreme weather conditions.