Setting the Table

Posted in Civil War Bride Quilt, Hand-Applique Techniques, Uncategorized by Simple Bird Applique

For some reason, this block seemed to be taking a long time! Finally, it’s finished!

The first thing I did was change the carpet. I wanted the tablecloth to be the focus of this block. The first fabric I used for the carpet fought with the fabric for the tablecloth, so I changed it. Maybe it’s because they both read as “mediums” or maybe it’s because they are both “busy”. Either way, it just wasn’t working! I prefer to audition a few (or more!) fabrics until I find the one that screams “I am the one!”

Out with the old…

…in with the new!

Next, I added the bottom layer of the tablecloth. I did not need to make another template, I just used the one from the original tablecloth. Of course, it didn’t have to be the full size, so I just used what I needed.

Then, I added the vase, some vines and a couple of apple stems. The fabric for the vase is from a line called “Maid of Honor” by Bonnie Sullivan and Maywood Studios. It actually looks like cracked pottery!

Lots of leaves followed, along with a couple of apples. Or are they peaches?

This morning I embroidered the cherry stems…

…and yippee! This block has just had a bubble bath and is resting comfortably!!

Til next time…

Kerry

19Jun2013

I See Table Legs!

Posted in Civil War Bride Quilt, Hand-Applique Techniques, Uncategorized by Simple Bird Applique

Every quilter looks at fabric differently. Some see color, some see patten and some see possibilities!

When I started thinking about choosing fabrics for the next block of Civil War Bride, I wanted to do something really special for the table legs. I searched high and low through my stash and this is what I found! Do you see the table legs?

First, I measured the width of the stripe I wanted to use.

Then I measured the pattern. Pretty close!

So I cut the freezer paper templates out and placed them very carefully on the wrong side of the fabric.

Since I will be using one of Karen Kay Buckley’s “Perfect Circles” for the round part, I am just cutting straight pieces for the legs.

Here are the legs.

Moving right along to the table cloth! This is how I traced the tablecloth. First I traced just half of the pattern on the freezer paper.

I folded it in half and cut along the line. Call me crazy, but I like when both halves of a pattern are exactly the same!

Next, I ironed the pattern on the back of the fabric making sure that the pattern was centered. I wanted the red stripes to be at each end of the table.

…and here we go! There is still a piece that goes under the tablecloth, I just have to choose a matching fabric!

Til next time….

Kerry

16Jun2013

Another block…another nest!

Posted in Civil War Bride Quilt, Hand-Applique Techniques, Uncategorized by Simple Bird Applique

Time to start another block of Civil War Bride. I almost(!) have enough blocks to sew another row together!! And you know how excited I get when I can stitch another row together. So here we go…

First I prepped the branches and stitched them in place. I used a brown fabric with shocking pink little flowers on it just to give the block a bit of oomph! (Definition of oomph…An extra push. An ingredient or a factor that will make something better or perfect.)

Next, came the leaves and the nest. Do you recognize the nest? You may have seen it here.

So, keep this tip in mind if you are making this quilt. You can make a couple of nests, audition them both, and use both! Waste not, want not and all that jazz!

Then, I placed a bird in the branches.

I really like to use Ultra-Suede for the feet and the beaks. First, I cut 2 triangles for the beaks. You don’t have to include a seam allowance, except for the part that goes under the body.

I glued half of the beak in place then trimmed a tiny bit of the corner off.

Then I glued the other half of the beak in place. I trimmed a bit of the corner off, also, so that the triangles would not overlap. Ultra-Suede is rather thick! Finally, I put the bird fabric back in place and stitched it in place, stitching right through Ultra-Suede, and into the background.

On to the feet! I ironed the freezer paper templates onto the Ultra-Suede. I am not really sure if there is a wrong side or a right side. They both look good to me!

So I cut the feet out and placed them under the body. At this point, the entire body has not been stitched in place yet. When I stitch the Ultra-Suede in place I try to match the color of the thread as closely as I can. I take just a tiny “bite” of the Ultra Suede and (very important) I don’t pull the thread too tight. If I do, then the Ultra-Suede looks dimpled along the sewn edge.

Since I wanted this to be a male bird, I added a golden brown wing and tail. Very manly!

I wanted the second bird to be female, so I chose a pretty fabric for her body and a nice red feather and tail. I added the eggs to the nest and…Voila!

Til next time…

Kerry

12Jun2013

Parallel and Perpendicular

Posted in Friends of Baltimore, Hand-Applique Techniques, Sue Garman Pattern, Uncategorized by Simple Bird Applique

I was raring to go! I finished another 4 blocks of Sue Garman’s “Friends of Baltimore”, which meant I was ready to stitch together another row! But first I had to add the embroidery to the schooner.

Before the embroidery…

…and after the embroidery!

Once all the ropes were stitched in place, I started to “square up” my blocks. When I say “square up” I mean any straight lines are running parallel and perpendicular to the edges of the block. Here are a few (hopefully!) helpful hints…

First of all, if you have ever wallpapered, you know that before you start, you have to use a plumb line to make sure you begin with a straight line. The same holds true for squaring-up a block. First you have to find a straight line somewhere in the block. It sounds easy, but there are no straight lines on this block!

So…using the schooner block as an example…here are my thoughts!

Luckily, there are some pretty obvious straight lines in this block. The masts! So, I want the masts to be parallel to the edge of the block.

Next, I placed my window template on the block. You can read more about that here.

So, I measured the distance from the bottom of the mast to the template.

Then I measured the distance from the top of the mast to the template. Both of those measurements need to be the same!

Then, I took my 6″ ruler and made sure that there was an equal distance from the applique to the template on both sides..

…and top and bottom.

When I was sure the block was square and centered..(and I mean really sure!) I marked along the inside of the template with a marking pen and then I cut on the line with my rotary cutter and ruler. Easy peasy!

So, once the blocks were trimmed, I started to sew the row together.

And, finally, 3 rows sewn together!

Til next time…

Kerry

7Jun2013

New legs for a peacock!

Posted in Bouquet For a New Day, Civil War Bride Quilt, Hand-Applique Techniques, Hand-Quilting Tools, Sue Garman Pattern, Uncategorized by Simple Bird Applique

If you have some time on your hands on Saturday, June 15 at 10 am, come on down to Elite Quilting in Barrie, Ontario where I will be doing a demo of the starch and freezer paper method of hand-applique. The cost is $10.00. Colleen will also have all the supplies on hand for you purchase so you can go home and practice this method. Hope to see you there!

Back to the block! I must admit, I was a little alarmed how freakishly out of proportion the birds legs looks! So I gave the peacock some new legs. I like to use Ultra-Suede for the birds legs and beaks when they are just too darn tiny to applique!

Once the legs were stitched in place, I used a Micron marker on the edge of the Ultra-Suede to hide the stitches and add a bit of definition.

Once I felt better about his legs, I added the stems.

Next, some leaves and a bud.

And, finally, the rest of the leaves and the flowers! Spiffy!

I finished hand-quilting another block from Sue Garman’s “Bouquets for a New Day”. (Only 3 more blocks to go! Yippee!) The vase was very baggy!

So, just like the vase in the last block, I needed to add some quilting to the vase to make it…un-baggy! After much debate, I decided to do the same cross-hatching as in the background of the block, except I did the stitching in red thread. Voila!

Til next time…

Kerry

26May2013

Itching to finish!

Posted in Friends of Baltimore, Hand-Applique Techniques, Sue Garman Pattern, Uncategorized by Simple Bird Applique

I was just itching to get this next block of Sue Garman’s “Friends of Baltimore” finished! But it just seemed to go on and on. I started working on the red ribbons. As you can see, this section of the ribbon was really skinny! Here is how I tackled it. Even though the freezer paper template was barely an 1/8″ wide, I still cut my 1/4″ seam allowance all the way around.

Once I prepped the first side, I trimmed the seam allowance so that I could just see the edge of the template.

Next, I prepped the other side and trimmed it down also…

…and stitched it in place.

Then I prepped and stitched the second ribbon in place and added a pretty bow.

I thought I was done (and was high-five-ing myself!) and realized, no, I still had the bluebird to stitch. So, here is the finished block…all tidied up after it’s bubble bath!

I took a close look and saw that, once again, I forgot to stitch a tiny piece. Drat!

Now, on to the exciting part! The reason I wanted to finish this block so much, is that I now have enough blocks to sew another row together…I know!!! So I dusted the cobwebs off my sewing machine, and started to make some half-square triangles. You can read a little more about the method I use here.

It’s one thing to sit and sew a bunch of half-square triangles together. It is another thing entirely to stitch them together in a row and arrive at the measurement it is supposed to be. Here is a little tip I use to make life easier.

First, I sew my half-square triangles (HSTs) together in pairs. Then I press the seam open.

Then I stitch the pairs together to make sets of 4. And I press the seam open. And then, I measure the piece. These HSTs finish at 1″, therefore, 4 HSTs sewn together should measure 4 1/2″.

Then I stitch the sets of 4 together to make sets of 8. I press the seam open and measure the piece. It should measure 8 1/2″. This section needed a nip and tuck!

Now, I take my sets of 8 and stitch them together to make 16 HSTs. And, hopefully, it measures 16 1/2″.

So, now I can start to sew the row together! Bruin always likes to be in on the action!

First, I sewed on the bottom sashing, and then the side sashing on both blocks.

And…two blocks sewn together!

I would like to continue, but look at the time!

Keep stitching…

Kerry

19May2013

A good day…considering!

Posted in Friends of Baltimore, Hand-Applique Techniques, Sue Garman Pattern, Uncategorized by Simple Bird Applique

Exciting times! Earlier this spring, a dove built a nest and laid some eggs in a tree that is visible from our front window. Last weekend, my husband was trimming the bushes around the tree and noticed the Mama bird keeping her 2 baby birds warm.

On Thursday, I noticed a bit of commotion around the tree (and our cat was going crazy!) Good thing he is an indoor cat! The baby birds were finally leaving the nest! I made sure my still-living-at-home, recently graduated 21 year-old daughter was paying close attention! Here is the Mom and Dad and one of the babies.

The other baby is over here, maybe in a time-out?

Anyway…back to the block! I added a few more flowers and leaves…

Next, it was time to make the vine. First I ironed the freezer paper to the wrong side of the fabric. I trimmed just one side of the vine.

I prepped one side…

…then, I trimmed the other side.

I finished prepping the vine, removed the freezer paper and added a few dabs of glue….

…..and added it to the bouquet!

In the meantime, I noticed that I had forgotten a little bud in the top right hand corner of the bouquet. So I prepped the missing bud, and also the blossom that goes at the end of the vine. And stitched them in place.

Here is the missing bud…

…and the blossom at the end of the vine. Spiffy!

I must confess, I did not look at the pattern, and mixed the two pieces up. I did not think it mattered….keep reading!…

So once all flowers and vines and leaves stitched in place, it was time to make the stems. I used bias bars to make them and used 4 different fabrics. I did not want to glue all the stems in place before stitching them, so I glued and stitched a few at a time. I took a few minutes and traced the stems so I wouldn’t have to keep putting the background back on the lightbox.

I added a few more stems and stitched them in place…

…voila!

Next, I added the leaves. So far, so good!

I was pretty impressed with myself (which usually means I have screwed up somewhere!) and started prepping the ribbon. I put the pattern back on the light box and started to glue the ribbon in place. Yikes! Good thing I keep the stitch ripper handy!

Ah….that’s better!

Til next time…

Kerry

9May2013

Oh…to be organized! Take 2!

Posted in Friends of Baltimore, Hand-Applique Techniques, Sue Garman Pattern, Uncategorized by Simple Bird Applique

Just like my scissors, my last post seemed to disappear into thin air!! Here it is again…

Ask anyone who knows me and they will tell you that I am far from organized. (organized: functioning within a formal structure, as in the coordination and direction of activities). Being organized does not come easy for me. (I would like to think that is a sign of a highly creative mind!)

Take, for instance, my Dilemna-of-the-Week. My beloved Gingher embroidery scissors went missing. They seemed to have vanished into thin air. I checked all the obvious places, but they were gone! I asked my family members if they had seen my scissors. Picture lots of eye rolling. No one had seen my scissors and no one seemed concerned that my stuff was disappearing into thin air!

Then I remembered gathering up a load of fabrics and throwing them into the washer to be pre-washed. I must have gathered up my scissors also, because that is indeed where they were found!

So when I start a block that has many, many pieces in it, like this one, this is what I do to stay organized…

When I cut out my pattern, I keep it in sections, like bunches of leaves or whole flowers. I prep one section at a time.

Next, I place a copy of the pattern on my plywood-styrofoam thingy. It is actually a sub-floor that I bought at Home Depot for $5.85. It is particle board on one side and styrofoam on the other side. It measures 24 inches square.

Once my pieces are prepped…

…I pin them in place.

Now I know exactly where they are! How is that or being organized?

Til next time….

Kerry

5May2013

Getting Ready to Start

Posted in Friends of Baltimore, Hand-Applique Techniques, Sue Garman Pattern, Uncategorized by Simple Bird Applique

I am eager to start the next block of Sue Garman’s “Friends of Baltimore”. But, before I can start cutting and stitching, there are a few things that need to be done. First, I pre-washed the fabrics for the block, including the background, in Synthrapol. This stops the colours from running.

So, while the fabrics were soaking, I decided to start making my freezer paper templates. I took a good look at the pattern. I only had one thought: that is a whole lot of templates, and a whole lot of tracing! (Between you and I, tracing is the part I dislike the most!) So this is how I avoid tracing…

This particular pattern is larger than an 8 1/2″ x 11″ sheet of paper, so it has been divided in four parts.

I scan each individual sheet and import the images to my computer.

Next I open up Adobe Illustrator…

…and I scroll down and click on PLACE.

The image then pops up on the screen like magic!

This is the really cool part! I hit REFLECT and the image….well, it reflects! (If you use the needleturn method and trace your patterns on the right side of fabric, you do not need to reflect the pattern.)

You know you have done this properly if the writing on the pattern is backwards! I place a piece of freezer paper in the printer, click on print…

…. and voila!

Now, I am going to make one big pattern out of the 4 sections. I trim the patterns on the dotted lines.

I like my freezer paper templates to be double thickness. So, I iron each section to a big piece of freezer paper and match all the dotted lines…like I am wallpapering…only better!

Now I get to cut out every one of those itty bitty pieces!

Here is a little something I want to share!

I use my light box all the time. I love it…because I don’t have to trace the pattern on the background fabric. Do you see a theme here? Sometimes when there are multiple layers, it is hard to see what is underneath the pieces I have already glued in place. By gluing the leaves in place, I have covered up the flower that will sit on top of the leaves. Confusing! So here is what I do to make life easier.

I use my applique pressing sheet and build the flower on it, rather than on the block. This is also called “off-block construction”.

I put just a dab of glue on each petal, and slowly add each piece, until I have a flower.

I very carefully lift the flower off the applique pressing sheet…

…and place it on the background. Easy Peasy!

Til next time…

Kerry

2May2013

A Productive Day!

Posted in Bouquet For a New Day, Civil War Bride Quilt, Grandmothers Choice, Hand-Applique Techniques, Sue Garman Pattern, Uncategorized by Simple Bird Applique

It is not very often that I sit at my sewing machine and stitch the day away, but that is what I did yesterday! I cut out and stitched…get ready….12 blocks from Grandmother’s Choice Block of the Week! My plan is to make 3 quilts using these 8″ blocks, so I am stitching 3 variations of the same block. I love to see how different fabric placement can drastically change the look of the block. Here are the blocks:

This block is called “I Am An Anti”. Honestly, I did not fussy cut the pink squares on purpose. It just happened!

Next on the runway is “Carrie Nation”.

Followed by “Mr. Roosevelt’s Necktie”.

And, last but not least, is “Jack’s Delight”.

Jenny and Bruin like to keep me company when I sew. They are kind of famous! Check out their youtube video here.

This is my latest finished block from “Bouquets For a New Day”. 5 more blocks to go!

The navy blue fabric in the vase is left over from an Irish Chain quilt I made for my Mom.

Most of this block from “Civil War Bride” is stitched in place. I started to think that maybe the table that the vase is sitting on is too dark for the overall look of the block. So I cut out another table piece and auditioned it. I do like it better.

My #1 rule in applique (and life) is this….fix something while it’s in the block stage, rather than finish the whole quilt and kick yourself because you were too busy…or too tired…or too lazy to fix it! I have been guilty of all 3!

Til next time…

Kerry