Today is especially beautiful and I’m so blessed to live in Hawaii. The blue sky, cool breeze, and sounds of life are so intoxicating. It’s such a special place. Even when the rain falls, it’s a wonderful place to be. And I’m feeling better…hooray! It’s been weeks of icky ick and it feels marvelous to be arriving back to normal. Maybe I’m never normal {what’s normal anyway?}, but back to me. Yay, I like being me!
::Top::
My cough, congestion, flu thingy turned out to be super helpful in keeping me home and on the sewing machine. Not once did I feel rushed or in autopilot while working on this quilt. That’s what I love about not using a pattern. I get to create as I go and it makes the process so enjoyable. The center measures 28″ X 28″ and the border is another 8″ finished. The finished quilt will measure 44″ X 44″ square. My initial intension was to make a crib quilt but as I began to work, somehow a square seemed more appropriate. I don’t have a lot of head jargon that competes with the moment, so I went with it {side thought, that was probably the meds talking}. This will be a fun blanket to tote around for whatever the moment calls for and snuggly too. I’ve never worked with Minky, but I’m going for it as my backing. I’ll be sourcing Elizabeth, Oh, Fransson! for some help with quilting minky. I’ll let you know how to goes and pass along any tips I feel might be of some use.
::Applique::
Here are some tips that make my applique process a piece of cake:
1. I use a lightweight fusible webbing, which is basically a web of glue that can turn fabric into an iron-on patch of sorts. I do not cut out my pattern first. I simply cut out a piece of webbing that is slightly larger than I need and iron it onto the fabric. I then pin on my pattern and cut out my design. Now you’ll have paper attached to one side of the webbing and fabric on the other. The paper is easier to get off if your fabric is warm. So if it cools and you’re having trouble pulling off the paper, just warm it under your iron. Peel the paper. You now have an iron-on patch. Put it in place and iron on. It’s really that simple.
2. If you don’t like the stiff feel fusible webbing can create, just use the webbing around the border of your patch. Trim out the middle leaving at least 1/2″ and that will help.
3. I prefer to satin/zigzag stitch at 2.5 width and 0.7 height. You’ll have to determine what feels and looks right to you. This can take a lot of practice, but you’ll get it. If you like a tighter zigzag or fat border, you’ll need to increase the width and tighten the height. Just play! I always use a piece of scrap to determine what feels right if I venture off my norm.
Hope this helps! Elizabeth goes into DETAIL if you need more than just a few tips and a kick in the patootie.
::Mitered Corner::
I used Ara Jane’s, Bits & Blocks technique for the border. Instead of butt joining the edges, I opted for a mitered look. That way the blocks are one continues flow, or at least more so. I like it! I thought long and hard on how to miter the edges. Silly me, it was so simple. My unfinished border measured 8 1/2″ wide, so my corner squares needed to measure 8 1/2″ x 8 1/2″ square. To do that, I made 4 over sized squares, slices them diagonally, matched them up so that the flow was in the right direction, sewed them back together using 1/4″ inseam, and trimmed to 8 1/2″ x 8 1/2″. You should know it took me an ungodly amount of time to figure that out. It must have been the non-drowsy DayQuil. So there you have it, the top is finished.
::Minky Back::
Next, basting with Minky…oh joy! No, I have never quilted with Minky. I hear it’s messy and shifty. Two things I dread. So this shall be interesting. I’ll keep you posted and if you have any tips, I am all ears! I also need some inspiration or a good idea on which way I should quilt period. I’m currently at a loss, but it’s sure not to last.
Get Stitching!
♥ R
