Folk Art 2

To continue with the Folk Art Quilt... thanks for waiting for part two.

Three different ways to create the prairie point are shown in this book.

Prairie Points – 3 ways: single-fold (218); double-fold (p219); continuous prairie points (p163)

 
Construction of the Continuous Prairie Point:

The next step was to work on the prairie points that are going around the edge of the quilt. I had not seen continuous prairie points before, nor had I made them.

If I remember correctly, the strip was 4" wide, and then pressed in half to mark a center line from which to create each fold of the prairie points. Then cuts were made every two inches on both sides of the center line, alternating along the whole length of the fabric strip.

Pressing a Fold-line

Cut to the Pressed Line

Then each cut square was folded once towards the centerline and pressed, as shown on the left below. The second step was to go back and fold each triangle shape to create another triangle, shown on the right side of the photo below.  Once all the triangles were folded, all the points facing downwards were folded up to create the finished prairie point. These I pinnned and then basted along the cut edge. They were set aside.

Folding the Prairie Points in Two Steps

Basted Prairie Points Strip

Before stitching the prairie points onto the edge, several things needed to be done first. Stacking the layers of the quilt top, batting, and backing together, to do the quilting. Shown below are the center of the quilt, and the applique elements. I stitched around the star design to quilt through all the layers. Then added a shadow stitch around the complete design.

Quilting the Layers

Quilting All Around the Outside of the Design

Still having a square-shaped quilt, it was ready to mark the cutting line. I placed the pattern piece back onto the quilt and marked the edge with a pen. When completely marked, I stitched inside these marks about a quarter of an inch, and then cut on the dotted line, marked in pen.

Marking the Cutting Line

Stitching 1/4" Inside the Marked Line

Attaching the Prairie Points

Closeup of Binding

I enjoyed making this quilt. It has lots of variety; especially, with the applique techniques, involved. And this quilt makes a delightful centerpiece, if one has a place to display it. I have done lots of square-shaped quilts on this challenge; however, it is my first round one.

My Finished Project

Size: 20" diameter

This concludes my 2010 quilt technique challenge. I will try to complete the final quarter review within the next month.

Enjoy the holiday season....

Folk Art 1

Time to reveal my last project... I chose “Folk-Art Applique Table Center” on page 160.

The project is listed under hand appliqué in the book. However, I didn’t use any hand appliqué. Instead, I used three different methods for machine appliqué.

Machine Appliqué methods used:
1. Fusible-Web Method -- using Lite Steam-A-Seam 2.
2. Reverse Appliqué -- where a seam allowance is cut inside an appliqué shape that was marked on a top layer of fabric.
3. Iron-on interfacing used as a foundation fabric -- great for crazy quilt, appliqués, and selvage blocks.

Book, Fabrics

For this last project, I am going to divide it into two parts. That way, I can dialog the process the way I wish to and still have time today to continue with my preparations for this week's exams.

CONSTRUCTION

First, I hand-stitched my layers together and marked where the leaves were to go using a yellow tracing paper. Below it shows that I machine stitched on this yellow line before the shapes can be cut out. I had three layers of fabric - top, white, yellow-green. The backing fabric was stitched on after all the applique was complete.

Stitching on the Yellow Line

The pattern was copied from the book with my printer and the pages assembled before I could transfer some of the details to my top fabric.

The Paper Pattern

Next, with a small pair of scissors I cut just inside the machine stitched lines. This was done in two separate steps as I didn't want to cut too deep and mess up the process. Below you can see one shape is cut one layer deep revealing a white fabric. The shape beside that one is cut two layers deep to reveal the yellow-green fabric.

Because the yellow-green fabric is much darker then my top layer fabric, I used a white layer in-between them so that the darker colour would not show through the lighter fabric.



Yellow-Green Leaves

After all the shapes for the leaves were cut out, I used a light coloured thread and zig-zagged around the cut edges. Also shown below are the cut-out pieces for the flowers and the red hearts.

Applique Pieces- Leaves, Flowers, Hearts

The green flowers (tulips) and red hearts are ready to attach to the quilt top. Along with the leaves, this quilt uses three applique techniques. And now that I think about it, it appears to be a very fitting finish to my year's technique challenge, in that I end with my favorite technique.

Applique Pieces Ready to Attach

The tulips are stitched to the quilt tip using the machine buttonhole stitch in a variegated thread to match the fabric. Also, you can see the zig-zag stitch around the leaves. As this is a folk-art quilt the leaves to me don't really look like leaves, but they do create an interesting pattern around the edges of this quilt.

Leaves and Flowers

Lastly, the hearts are stitched to the quilt top. I was originally debating whether to use the buttonhole stitch or the zig-zag stitch. But after trying both, I wasn't happy with either. I also considered trying handstitching them on, but of course, you can probably guess how that went.  Or didn't go!!

So, digging out my sewing machine manual, I decided to use a stitch I hadn't used yet, and that one worked perfectly. A new machine stitch and no messy results, well, that was perfect! The book calls is an applique stitch.

Stitching on the Hearts

Before stitching on the flowers and hearts, I machine stitched the star in the center of the quilt top, as shown above. First, I marked it with the yellow tracing paper and then marked the points with pins and then carefully stitched on the yellow lines.

This may look confusing, but it worked really well. I didn't want the tracing lines to be dark, so this helped me see the points where I needed to turn the fabric. After stitching it in yellow, it needed more punch, so I stitched more lines with a red thread.

The Pins Mark the Star's Lines



Next week's entry will show the completion of the construction process and final photos... Enjoy your creative time!!


More Book Titles...
If you wish to see more quilting books you can check out my website for more details. Those books reviewed are listed on the "featured" page.

Fusing Fun

Book:
Fuse-and-Tell Journal Quilts/ Laura Wasilowski

Time to reveal my next project... I finally decided on “Peaceful Landscape: A Deceptively Calm Day” on page 48.

Book and Fabrics

Thinking It Through

What I found most difficult is settling in on one project that I could make… and then… it was even hard to stick with the chosen design.

Perhaps, it was because when creating a journal quilt it really is better to write your own story. As I very rarely follow any project exactly as it is created, this was no exception.

So to begin, I figured it best to just START with the design and allow the magic to unfold as it wanted to…

Construction Process

My first major roadblock, was finding out the quilt shop didn’t carry the fast2fuse interfacing. So, I bought the Pellon 809 Decor Bond, instead.

For the fusible web, I usually use Lite Steam-A-Stem 2. I love working with fusible web designs. One day I would like to try some of the other fusible web products.

So to begin… I chose my fabrics and cut them ALL to the required sizes. Then, after attaching the fusible web to the fabric pieces, I began. To keep the confusion to a minimum, I added a label to each colour.  (i.e. sky, water, grass, etc.)

Applique Fabrics

Next, it was time to play with those pieces and fit them into place. I really have difficulty with just tossing random pieces onto the background fabric. So, I changed it!!

Here’s what I thought it needed…

I didn’t have any silk fabric pieces. As I had ironed the fusible web to all my cut-to-size pieces, I wasn’t able to fray the edges. However, I did have another piece that was already frayed and laid it underneath the piece in question.

A Frayed Edge

Then, on the green strip; I clipped the top edge to make it look more like blades of grass. I put a piece of the release paper under the clipped edge when pressing the quilt, so it wouldn’t fuse flat.

Grass

I liked this layout. And thought a frayed edge on the background fabric would look nice placed onto another blue fabric. So I added strips of fusible web to attach both fabrics.

Design Layout

Then, the embroidery stitches were added… And, I did them ALL by hand. I enjoyed trying out so many different stitches.

I used: straight stitch, cross-stitch, running stitch, pistil stitch, French knots, couching, scattered stitches, and backstitch.

Embroidery Thread Options

After, the embroidery work was finished… I just didn’t love the blue fabric for the background. So, I cut the frayed edges. Then, I added a piece of fusible web to attach it to another fabric. I settled on a dark purple.

Attaching to the Background Fabric

So… here is what it looked like after the embroidery was complete and attached to the new background fabric.

Close-ups of Embroidery

 

Because the Pellon interfacing only had one iron-on side, I first stitched the back fabric onto the interfacing with gridlines and then assembled the layers.

I added a feather stitch with the sewing machine to attach the picture to the background fabric.

Another fancy machine stitch was added around the edge of the blue background and the baby rick-rack was sewn through all layers near the edges. And, then, fancy heart buttons were added to each corner of the quilt!

Baby Rick-Rack & Buttons 

My Finished Quilt

 

Finished Size: 18.5” x 15.5”

I love to follow Laura’s blog and see what new ideas she comes up with… they are so inspiring!! Also… check out her section on where and how to use embroidery under “Thread-u-cation”.

If you haven’t yet tried making a journal quilt.. then this may just help you decide. Write YOUR OWN STORY… soon!!

Next Week...
It is time again to do a three month review of the five books I've reviewed in July, August, and September.

If you wish to see which books I’ve chosen for next month you can check out my website for more details.

Happy stitching, everyone!!

Iron TLC

It used to be that I wondered how anyone could get their iron base so dirty when working with fusible products! But... as I believe, when one wonders too much about such things - they have a way of showing up in one's life. I found out how easy it is to get fusible on the base of my iron.

It didn't really happen until I started this Quilt Challenge of mine in January. As you probably already know my favorite technique is working with fused applique designs. And up until now, I had traced out the designs onto the paper-backed fusible web. These shapes are pressed onto the fabric and then cut out, leaving no chance to get the fusible web on the iron. (I use lite Steam a Stem 2 fusible web.)

Fusible Web

However, when I worked on the Simple Stained Glass Quilt there was a large piece of fusible web used and the fusible side of the grid interfacing I used on the Watercolor Landscape Quilt was on the reverse side of the design. So, in both cases, I had fusible on either the opposite side or larger then the fabric pieces. Here I started to see how easy it was to get the iron on these fusible surfaces.

To this end, my iron was covered so badly that it was impossible to glide it across the fabric. This resulted in the necessity to find out how to get it clean!! 

Iron base

Here is some great advice...

I looked up Laura's site "Artfabrik" for fusing tips and recommend you check it out for yourself. I love her designs and know she has the answers to making fusible web easy to play with. 

Iron-off for cleaning your iron

I haven't tried some of the other fusible web products, she recommends, so I encourage you to give them a try and decide for yourself. I did buy a teflon pressing sheet and would recommend getting the biggest size you can afford. This really makes working with fusible web products fun and easy.

And... if you do need to clean your iron, here is a great place to start!! Now, I know that using the best products for each quilting project, will result in a perfect experience!!


SEVENTH PROJECT - APRIL 2010:

My seventh project will be shared next week...

Thimbleberries:
New Collection of Classic Quilts/
Lynette Jensen

ISBN: 978-0-9770166-7-9




Enjoy your quilting adventure for... 2010!! And, looking ahead, I plan on trying a quilt project from Laura's book, "Fuse-and-Tell Journal Quilts" sometime in the fall.