I'm always keen to try different ways of doing applique. Needle-turned is OK for most things that I do, but I'm soooooo... slow at it and therefore find it a tad frustrating. When there's lots of applique to do I really like this freezer paper method and, once you get into the swing of it, it's a doddle and gives neat results - fairly neat in my case! Freezer paper is great because you can use the same piece many times - it sticks over and over again.
I seem to have a bit of a "thing" about jugs! I hadn't realised until I counted up how many I have accumulated from jumble sales, etc. Even those that I diligently put in a box to car boot someday, have ended up back on my shelves filled with flowers from the garden. Now they're even appearing in my quilts!!
I did both of these with the freezer paper method below, apart from the tulip leaves.which are raw edge zigzagged in two colours of thread to give them a bit of depth. I "splodged" some fabric paint here and there for the same reason, and to give a bit more realism to my fruit.
I start by drawing my shape onto the matt side of the freezer paper just as I want it to appear in my picture. Then I cut it out on the line.
I iron this onto the right side of my fabric and cut out approx 1/4" larger all around.
I remove the paper, turn the fabric shape over on my ironing board so that it's right side down and place the freezer paper, shiny side up, on top.
Now I turn over the edge of the fabric with the point of my hot iron so that it sticks to the edges of the paper - and being a bit hamfisted this process is accompanied by "Ouch...ouch...ouch!!"
If there are inside curves I snip these before turning the hem.
Now I place the prepared piece of applique onto the backing fabric, iron it to temporarily stick in place and sew around with the natty stitch on my machine - called blind hem stitch on some machines.
Lots of people use invisible thread for this, but I'm quite happy for my stitches to show. After all my machine can sew far more neatly than I can!!
When I need to change direction (or if I'm feeling out of control) I stop with the needle down in the backing fabric.
To remove the freezer paper I cut a slit in the backing fabric and carefully pull it out.
This is a link to my one page printer-friendly pdf on:freezer paper applique
Can one have too many jugs?? - Anita :)
How lucky we were to have Marilyn Hornby of Patch Flora as our speaker at Flowerpatch Quilters last Thursday evening. Marilyn is a very experienced quilter who has written many articles for national patchwork and quilting magazines. She showed us all her designs and very generously, included lots of tips on making them up. How lovely to be able to have a really close look at work you have seen, and admired, in magazines. Some of the Flowerpatch members were already great fans of her designs and had made their own versions in the past.
Marilyn has always been interested in sewing and other crafts, but her first foray into quilting was with applique of botanicals. Not finding any designs that she particularly liked because they weren't very realistic, she resorted to drawing her own and has proceeded in that fashion ever since.
I really liked this poppy:
Another great love of Marilyn's is redwork, in which she excels, and again always draws her own designs. She showed us wall quilts, cushions, bags, notebooks and even a hat.
This is just a small selection of Marilyn's redwork:
and I must have a go at this "Square Dance" patchwork pattern:
Marilyn also showed us some fused work and Hardanger embroidery, and finally finished with her larger quilts which included "Stack and Whack", Willow Pattern, Music - with the score of "London Bridge" around one of the borders, and a beautiful crazy patchwork medallion quilt with a crazy ninepatch centre.
There was so much to enjoy that this blog can never do it justice so please do click on Patch Flora to see more.
One thing in particular that Marilyn encouraged us to do was to practice and practice our free motion machine quilting until we can relax in the doing and are happy with the results. This would make so much difference to our quilting life. So guess what I've been doing this weekend!! Maybe I can show you some results later ............................much later!!
With the Flowerpatch Quilters annual exhibition less than two months away members are all sewing frantically to get their entries finished. Entry forms have to be at Dy's before 1st July. The exhibition runs from Tuesday 4th to Saturday 8th August and is held at Central Methodist in Launceston, Cornwall.
The next meeting is on 9th July and is an exhibition preview when we get to hear some of the stories behind member's quilts, etc.
Sewing frantically! - Anita
"Waste not, Want not" - it always feels good to make something from old clothes and it frees you from that scary thought that you might cut your lovely, but expensive, fabric wrongly. All you will be wasting is a little time and you'll probably learn a lot in the process.
I like to use old denim skirts and jeans, with perhaps a curtain leftover, to make my bags. This much used example is looking a little the worse for wear now. It is far more simple to make than it appears at first glance.
Here is a sort of step by step of how I made another the same way and at the end is a link to a printer-friendly one page version with drawings instead of photos.
- I used ¼" seam allowance throughout and before I started I should have thought about the handles because these two need to be cut 3" wide x approx 30" long so it's a good idea to put enough fabric to one side before you begin.
THE BAG SIDES
- For each of the two sides I cut 6 pieces of fabric 11”x 2½ “ and 5 pieces of contrasting fabric 11” x 1¼“. If you're using a plain fabric it looks nice with a line of sewing down the centre of the wider pieces - a chance to try out some of those fancy stitches that my machine can do and I rarely use!
- I sewed these together along their long sides to make the back and the front of the bag and I zigzagged the seams as my fabrics frayed easily.
- I trimmed to 10½ “ wide and marked the centre of each narrow band at the top with a pen.
- I folded the wider bands to meet at this mark making box pleats, then pinned each pleat and sewed across to hold them in place.
- At the bottom I made tiny pleats of only ⅛” in the same way and sewed across to hold.
TIP - when I'd pinned the second side I checked that it was the same width at the bottom as the first - of course it wasn't and I adjusted the pleats a bit.
These small pleats at the bottom are well worth doing as they make so much difference to the shape of the bag, especially when I'm carrying lots - as I usually am!
THE TOP PIECES
- I measured across the top of the bag sides and cut two pieces of fabric (this time I've used the same fabric as the wider strips) 4½ “ wide x this measurement. With right sides together I sewed one to the front and one to the back.
- I added flat piping in this seam.
THE LINING
- I cut two pieces of fabric 10 ½ “ x the measurement across the bottom of my bag side.
- I sewed a pocket from the jeans to one of the linings.
- I gathered the top (the longer edge) of each lining piece until they measured the same as the top of the bag side.
PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER
- I sewed these linings to the other sides of the “top” fabric and ended up with two like this:
- I used a 3” circle to mark the sewing line at the bottom corner of each bag side and lining – rounded corners are so much nicer, and with right sides together and bag fabric against bag fabric, lining against lining, I sewed from X to X around the bag edges and then around the linings.(X is 1½ “ from the seam)
- This is the really exciting bit - turning the bag the right way out through one of the openings in the side and tucking the lining inside the bag. What a transformation!
- I turned in the sides of the “top” fabric where the handle goes through and sewed a line of stitching approx 1” below the fold at the very top of the bag. I did this for both front and back.
- Now I turned in the remaining raw edges and slip-stitched the bag fabric to the lining, this leaves a nice wide opening to the top of the bag.
HANDLES
- For the handles I cut two pieces of fabric approx 30” x 3”
- I folded them in half along their lengths and pressed to mark the middle. I opened them out and folded the edges to the middle and then folded in half again, pressing each time. This made four thicknesses. I opened them out and slipped a little wadding inside, refolded and sewed along the handles close to the open edge.
- These handles are threaded through the very top of the bag, the ends are joined and pulled back inside to hide the join.
- Now I gathered the top of the bag on the handles, and then sewed the openings to the handles to secure - see my pictures at the top of this post.
BUTTON LOOP
- I made a button loop in the same way as the handles (no wadding), cutting the strip approx 10” x 2”.
- I neatened the ends with zigzag and sewed the loop to the back top of the bag, hiding the ends with a button. I sewed another button to the top front.
So, all done and I assure you that it's far more difficult to write about than to actually sew!! But I'm pleased I did write about this as it has spurred me on to finally finish this bag. Ta da!
This is the link to the one page instructions: pleated shoulder bag
Happy Stitching - Anita
