Putting It All Together!

Posted in Friends of Baltimore/Baltimore Squared, Uncategorized by Simple Bird Applique

I am really happy with the steady progress I am making on this quilt. All of the 9 blocks are stitched and washed. Now I am going to show you how I trim the blocks to the correct size. I always cut my backgrounds at least 2″ larger to allow for shrinkage due to all of those tiny stitches. Before I trim the blocks, I press them really, really flat. I place the square upside down on the ironing board and iron with steam. My ironing board is very cushy, otherwise I would iron the blocks on a thick towel.

This is the block after it’s been pressed. It’s a little flatter and crisper!

I use a window template to trim the blocks, rather than measuring with a ruler. I used a heavy plastic for the template and cut a square in the middle the size of the unfinished blocks (15 1/2″). I used to draw a complete square, but now I just mark the corners. It is so easy just to “eyeball” each block:)

Now I take my long ruler and line up the dots and trim away. Easy Peasy!

All of the blocks are ready to be stitched together. Major Goosebumps!

There are only 5 spots left in the Bed of Roses BOM that starts July 1, so if you are thinking of signing up, don’t wait too much longer:) Details on the website.

Til next time….

Kerry

14May2017

Washing My Blocks

Posted in Uncategorized by Simple Bird Applique

Now that I am (almost) finished stitching all 9 blocks, I am getting ready to stitch the blocks together. I am excited! I am adding a few touches of hand embroidery to the blocks, which I am rather enjoying.

I am making sure all of the blocks are washed before I trim them to the proper size. First, I fill the sink with very hot water and I add a squirt of liquid hand soap. Then I toss the block in. It’s not neatly as heart wrenching as you would imagine. Trust me:)

I usually let it soak for half an hour or so to get the starch and glue out of the block.

When its finished soaking, I rinse it under water to make sure all the soap is gone.

I gently squeeze the excess water out and lay it out on a thick towel to air dry. That’s all there is to it!

I have started working on the paper-pieced stars that make up the cornerstones in this setting. I had forgotten how much I love paper-piecing. It is so precise and you are practically guaranteed perfect results. What is not to love about that?

Paper-piecing is really not difficult as long as you do not have a cat on your lap.

Remember that you have until July 1 to sign up for Bed of Roses, a Block of the Month I recently completed. Here are some photos, just to tempt you! Details are on the website Simple Bird Studio.

Til next time…..

Kerry

2Aug2015

Bed of Roses – Block 3

Posted in Bed of Roses, Bed of Roses BOM, Hand-Applique Techniques, Uncategorized by Simple Bird Applique

When I begin a new quilting project, I soon form an impression or a feeling about the quilt. The impression I have about Sue Garman’s “Bed of Roses” is that it is a perfect example of the quote by Aristotle: “The whole is greater than the sum of its parts”. The part (or pieces) of this quilt are actually quite simple….bias strips, circles and very simple shapes. Put them altogether and you end up with an awesome and very complex looking block. This block (and Blocks 1 & 2) are available on my website Simple Bird Studio. You can order just the patterns, or you can order each pattern with the same fabrics I am using.

If you would like a few simple tips on how to make bias strips, circles and other common shapes, you can watch my youtube videos. Always entertaining!

So, let’s start with the bias. These pieces get glued in place first because they will go under the next piece. Notice that I have trimmed these bias strips on an angle where they meet and will be covered.

Next, I added the flowers, which are made up some very simple pieces.

The next shape is very unassuming (and not very exciting!). But just you wait!

Add some more simple pieces and look what you end up with. I can’t be the only one getting goosebumps!

Now this next piece might look a little overwhelming, but just clip the curves and away you go!

Believe it or not, it just gets easier from here! Add some leaves….

…and some circles……

…and you have just completed a very easy (but most complex looking!) block!! How easy was that?

Til next time…

Kerry

27May2015

Bed of Roses…..Part 2!

Posted in Bed of Roses, Bed of Roses BOM, Uncategorized by Simple Bird Applique

Thanks to everyone for the overwhelming response to the first block of Bed of Roses!! I quickly sold out of patterns and BOM kits, but don’t worry, I quickly placed another order for patterns and they are on the way.

So, here are a few details about the Bed of Roses BOM. If you ordered Block 1 (pattern and fabric) I assume you are going to want all 12 blocks. I have put aside a complete set of patterns (and fabric) with your name on it. The fabric that you will receive in your kit is the exact same fabric as in mine! At the beginning of each month, I will write a blog post outlining how I prepped and stitched each block. That block will then be added to the website and you can order it at that time. Note: If for some reason (like maybe you are on vacation and quilting is the last thing on your mind!) you don’t order it at that time, that’s ok!! I will ship your block to you whenever you order it.

Bed of Roses is broken down into 12 patterns, so I will do one a month. However, you can start whenever you want. If you want to wait for a couple of months to see more of the finished blocks, you can order at that time. Really, I just want to keep it simple!!

Speaking of “keeping it simple”, I just finished the second part of Block 1. The first pattern consists of one block (which I showed in my last post) and 2 corner triangles. If you check closely you can see that I modified the flower centers a little. Feel free to do the same, or you can do the centers the way they are in the pattern. Again….just trying to keep it simple!

So, I stitched both corner triangles at the same time on a background square (rather than cutting 2 triangles and stretching the bias edges), a tip provided by Sue in the directions. You can see the diagonal centre crease.

Next, I added the pretty pink flowers.

Then I added the yellow centers and the green thingies.

Pretty simple, eh?

Til next time…

Kerry

25May2015

Bed of Roses BOM

Posted in Bed of Roses BOM by Simple Bird Applique

I decided a while ago that I would like to start a new quilt. Something a little simpler (ok…a lot simpler!) than “Friends of Baltimore” and “To Everything There Is A Season”. But challenging enough to hold my interest. After giving it a lot of thought, I have decided to start Sue Garman’s “Bed of Roses”. You may think I am crazy, but let me explain! At first glance, it looks like a very complicated quilt, but it really isn’t. In fact, I was blown away by how easy (yes…easy!) the first block was.

The patterns for Bed of Roses are available on my website. You can order the complete set, or you can order a pattern or two a month. The choice is yours. I have added another exciting option….I am offering this quilt as a Block-of-the-Month, complete with the pattern and the exact same fabrics that I am using. I will post a detailed tutorial of each block from start to finish on my blog around the first on the month and you can stitch each block along with me. Check out my website for the details! Also, make sure you check out my Youtube videos where I show you how to make bias stems, circles and some other neat stuff!

Before I started to work on this block, I pre-washed all of my fabrics including the background. The fabrics I have chosen for this quilt are Toscana and Shimmer, both are from Northcott.

Ok, so here is Block 1. If you can make bias strips, make circles and stitch some gentle curves, then you can do this block. It has some very simple elements in it, but the arrangement of those simple elements makes it look like a very complex block. Watch closely and you will how easy this block is…

First, I made the bias strips and glued them in place. It doesn’t look like much now, but keep reading! By the way, I have traced the pattern onto the background using a Clover water soluble marker. I am using a crisp white background, so I do not need a light box to trace my pattern. I simply placed my background fabric on top of the pattern and traced away!

Next, I added some more stems. These stems will be covered up with another stem, so I like to trim the edge on an angle.

So, here all the bias strips glued in place. That wasn’t painful at all, was it?

Next. I started to prep the pieces and put them into place. I started with the centre pieces. I prep my pieces using liquid starch and a mini-iron. Once the piece is prepped, I remove the freezer paper template. You can see that the seam allowance is ironed in place, so there is no need to turn the edge under as you are stitching.

Next, I use Roxann’s glue (instead of pins) to hold the pieces in place until I can stitch them.

Once I glued the centre pieces on, I came across my first “uh oh…now what do I do?” I am not sure how well it shows in the photo below, but the yellow fabric is quite a bit lighter than the dark pink fabric it is on and the dark pink shows through. So…..I went to put the kettle on and made myself a cup of tea. Let’s be honest, you have a few options here. You can leave it alone and love your quilt just the way it is. Or you can fix it and love your quilt. Either way, you (and only you!) have to be happy with your results. I knew I had to fix it.

So this is what I did…I took the yellow pieces off and added another layer of yellow fabric to the existing piece (without the seam allowance). I just tucked it inside the piece with the seam allowance.

I glued everything in place again and look!….no shadowing!!

So, now I just started to add all of the prepped pieces. This is a very simple tip that I like to use whenever I have a few layers that need to line up. Once I prep my piece, I remove the freezer paper template and place it on top (shiny side up) and draw on the seam allowance wherever there is a raw edge. I do this to all of the pieces.

So, now when I start to place the pieces on top of each other, I have a nice crisp line to use as a guide. Very precise!

Now I have a line so that I know exactly where to place the next piece. Magical!

I did the same thing with the smaller flowers…

Here are most of the pieces glued in place and ready to stitch. Depending on the number of pieces in a block, I like to prep some pieces and then go and stitch. Some people like to prep the entire block before starting to stitch. The choice is yours!

Next, I added the leaves.

It was when I was at this point in the block that I realized that there wasn’t anything that I would describe as “difficult”. Quite the contrary…pretty simple.

Now onto the circles. When I do my circles, I like to use Perfect Circles. One afternoon I decided to go on a “Circle Marathon” and just do all 72 circles in this block…you know…get it over with! I lined the completed circles up in rows so I could see my progress. Thank goodness for audio books, that is all I can say!

Once all the circles were ready, I glued them in place and started to stitch them. I don’t recommend gluing all 72 circles in place before you start stitching. The thread gets caught up in the circles and its annoying!