Tuesday 8 June 2010

Sorry for being a bad blogger.....























This week I have fallen in love (again) with Ann Marie Horner fabrics....this has stemmed from my newest quilting project....the Kathy Doughty "Holiday Morning" quilt or Birdie quilt as I am calling mine. Its from Material Obsession by Kathy & her friend Sarah Fielke. It is described as being an Intermediate quilt & there is quite a bit of applique using foil which I have never attempted before.

The book gives instructions to make a wall hanging sized quilt but I think I might increase the size by making it with 9 panels instead of the 4 described so that it is big enough for a bed. Firstly have I chosen my fabrics, which I purchased from Fabric Rehab (very pleased with the speed of delivery). I chose a variety of different designs but one of them was the Citrus Little Folks Flower. I was amazed by how soft and beautiful this fabric felt (wished I had bought more than a Fat Quarter). I still needed some blue and more brown for the borders so I have also ordered some more Little Folks fabric in blue and pink (not sure what the pink is for but if its as soft as the citrus, then I just have to have it!).

Anyway that explains my renewed love of Ann Marie Horner fabric...now back to the birdie quilt! Before embarking on the new applique technique & cutting into my lovely new fabrics - I decided to make a small sample birdie panel out of my scraps that I had lying around. I squared off a panel of plain white fabric and sewed a few strips of brown fabric together which could be used for branches and trunks. Then, against all instinct I cut vertically through the panel of white and then cut the panel halves horizontally at different angles - I then sewed them all back together again with the brown branches and trunk in between as see in the photos.

For the applique I traced the shapes onto greaseproof paper & then on to card, cut them out and used the card templates to mark the shapes on to the fabric for birds and leaves. The shapes were then cut out with a scant 1/4 seam allowance added on. Next was to cut out foil shapes, slightly bigger than the fabric shapes.

Now the fun! Following the book instructions I had to place the card shape on top of the fabric (right side down) and then place the stack on top of the foil. Gently fold the foil up & over the fabric & the card & finger press the creases in. It said not to iron as you end up with points on the creases around curved edges on the shapes but in doing this I found it very fiddly to pin the shape to the panel. I did resort to using the iron and found that if I was careful to pin so as not to get points, the shape was much easier to pin to the fabric. I then used slip stitch or blind stitch to attach the shape to the white panel. The final step was to cut away the white fabric underneath the shape - the idea being that there is less fabric to sew through when you get to the quilting stage.

So that is as far as I have got with the sample - now I need to add a border & wadding and then I am going to have a go at hand quilting the sample before attaching a backing fabric and perhaps some binding...it might even be good enough for a present for someone....anyway there are some photos of my work so far for you to take a look at.

I must also say that apart from this project I have not been idle but have neglected to take photos of my other creations....I have made a set of Amy Butler stash bags using the Amy Butler fabric shown in a previous post, I have also made an iphone pouch and a Tilda Doll for HM. I promise to take some snaps & upload them when I get the chance.

As for the rest of the week ahead, dearest PM is off on his annual boys jolly (which he denies as being a holiday) so I will be home alone looking after the Twins, HM, the rabbit & the cat....so plenty of time for sewing projects & spending time with my sister too...happy days xxx