Do you love flying geese, new design in progress.
January 22, 2021
Hello Everyone
My last post was back in October last year, I am very sorry that I disappeared for a while. Unfortunately my health decided I needed a rest, which has done me so much good, and taught me some very important lessons. A lot has happened since then.
First of all I hope you all had a wonderful Xmas and New Year holiday. I just love that time between Xmas and New Year, I settled into my sewing room for a few days in the peace and quiet after the Xmas rush. I had been working on a few random blocks with a few ideas that had to be put aside while I finished some deadlines. I pulled them out and started to plan what to turn the blocks into, and here is my progress on a flying geese and applique feather quilt.
I have always loved antique quilts, and they are a great source for inspiration. I love to take ideas from a part of the antique quilt and then start designing my own version of it. This time it was the stunning feathered applique quilts. I took the feathered motif and played around until I liked what I had drawn up, playing with fabrics from my scrap pile, along with some I had larger pieces of, this is what I came up with. Starting with only one block.
When I have scraps I sometimes make them into flying geese units, I love using these blocks in my quilts and find many uses for them. I pulled out all the blue ones I had made and started to arrange them. Then added the applique to complete the block. I decided to make four blocks, although not all the same colour. The applique technique I used to make the feather shapes was a glue stick method with a washaway stabilizer. In some shapes with tricky curves I find the glue helps keep tricky seam allowances in place and not having to remove the washaway stabilizer in this case worked a treat.
I find using a design wall helps me see the quilt, and think about where to go next with the design. But to make sure my ideas work before sewing, I quite often work out the design on the computer at this stage. This gives me an idea of the overall look of the quilt, it helps with working out the measurements and generally knowing if it will all fit together at the end.
So I played around on the computer and came up with a mock up of a design I thought would work for this quilt. The next step included applique, I used freezer paper templates and no glue, only fabric in this method.
By this stage a snack was needed.......
I love making flowers.
I remove most of the paper, and make the completed flower before stitching it to the background fabric.
I stitch the applique invisibly by machine, using fine threads with colours that match the applique shapes. Occasionally I will use monofilament thread, if I can't match a colour.
This is the center of the quilt, I have the yellow fabrics on the side trying to work out which one to use. I am thinking as the quilt has taken shape that I would like to replace all the yellow circles in the feather blocks, so they are all one colour instead on random colours.
I unpicked them all and started again.
Madness I know, but....... I hope it works out better.
Then I stitched them all back on.....
I liking the look of consistency much better, usually I love a scrappy quilt. But this time I felt it needed just one fabric.
I guess you would like to know where I am headed with this design, as you now know that I have a mock up done on the computer that I am using as a guide. I sometimes make changes as I work, so be aware that this can change. But I will show you what I have planned for the end result.
My next step is half square triangles for the saw tooth border, I will be showing you how I make these with tips on how I like to press them and sew them in next week's post.
For more information on how I do my applique, you can find it in my e-book here or my book Autumn Bouquet here.
Thanks for taking the time to read about my quilt, I would love to hear your thoughts so please leave me a comment.
Happy Stitching
Sharon
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