TGIFF = An Appli-quilted Finish!

Hi, and welcome!  It's time for Thank Goodness It's Finished Friday!  So glad you stopped by!

This little gem of a quilt has been sitting in my "Box of the Unfinished" for about 8 years now!  I'm so happy to show you this finish and link up with  TGIFF.  We'll also have a little giveaway! (details below).

It began in an "Appli-Quilting" class taught by Gina Perkes.  I learned just how fun and easy it was to stitch down the appliqué and quilt simultaneously; to "Appli-Quilt"!  What a great time-saver! 

I think it is my quest in life, well in quilting, that is, to look for the shortcuts, tips, tricks and tools that can make quilting so enjoyable.  And skipping a step in the applique' process is right up my alley! This was a great skill that I turned to when my cute Aunt Margie wanted to make quilts for her grandchildren... (see one of her 27 quilts HERE).  This photo is the back side.  See if you can spy the appli-quilting stitches around the trees and bushes.

Recently, I shared some of my favorite Appli-quilting tips with my Longarm Guild.   

1)  Prepare your quilt sandwich, and position the appliqué pieces in place.  Adhere pieces with a glue stick, temporary spray adhesive or fusible web.  I prefer 505 temporary adhesive spray.  Doesn't gum up the needle, is not stiff like a fusible web can be, and the pieces may be repositioned.

2)  Determine whether to appli-quilt individual elements or do an overall design, catching the edges of the appliqué pieces as you quilt.  If using a computerized quilting design for the background, I would recommend quilting the background before adding the appliqué.  Here's an example of what NOT to do:

I could have saved oodles of time clipping threads if only I pre-quilted the background first, then appli-quilting all the pieces afterward!  OR, used freemotion quilting instead of a computerized design.  But I really liked the musical motifs for this particular quilt.  Lesson learned!

3)  This technique works on both domestic and longarm machines.  Drop the feed dogs on a domestic machine.  Mimic some of the stitches on the sewing machine such as a zig-zag or blanket stitch.  You could use the decorative stitches in your machine as inspiration for freemotion appli-quilting.  Or, try any of your favorite longarm fill patterns in miniature.  Be creative and use your imagination.  

The sample below uses raw-edge applique' pieces cut from ultra-suede and felted wool, turned-edge applique', embellishments and couching.  Here are a couple of stitch examples:

 

And of course, it wouldn't be finished without my favorite faux-piped binding.

Now it's your turn to share!  Join the party by sharing a link of your fabulous finishes below.  Then be sure to visit the other links of this week's participants.  Please include a link or button to tgiffriday.blogspot.com in your post so your visitors can see everyone's finishes, too! 

BONUS: Leave a comment if you want to be included in a drawing for a copy of  Gina Perkes' Appli-Quilting book!  The drawing will close on Monday, Aug 14th at 6pm MDT.

UPDATE:  Congratulations to Janet O!  You have won a copy of Gina Perkes' Appli-Quilting book!

Happy TGIFF!  

~Deonn

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Practically Perfect Paper-Piecing! A Tutorial + Tips

Kaleido-Medallion with "Practically Perfect" Paper-Pieced Pretty Points!

Oh, how I love precise, pretty points in quilts, and foundation paper-piecing is my favorite way to get that to that happen.

Picnic Party!

Welcome to the Picnic Party Sew It - Show It Blog Hop!  Today I'm helping to kick off this fun hop, organized and hosted by Carol Swift at Just Let Me Quilt.  

Red, White & Bang! center fabric panel by Sandy Gervais for Riley Blake Designs
featuring Starstruck! border blocks 

The challenge for this hop was to sew and share picnic-ish quilts or other sewn items made to use for a picnic. 

TGIFF - Quilted Pillow with a little Extra

Hello! Welcome to Quiltscapes for today's "Thank Goodness it's FINISHED" Friday!  So glad you are here!  

"Oh, My Stars! (& Garters) quilted pillow

It may not look like much at first glance, but this little quilted pillow has a little something special about it.  It's "Extra" as they say these days.  

How to Roll & Store Binding

Here is my favorite way to ROLL & STORE quilt binding, using a "Figure 8" technique!

Years ago, I watched a gal at the cutting station in a fabric store rolling lace in this figure 8 manner and asked her to show me how.  That was a fun way to store it, but later on, I realized that when you turn it over and pull the strip from the center, it comes out straight!  Wow, I was amazed!  

How many times have you started to add the binding to a quilt - especially a large quilt - and because the binding has been stored by rolling it into a circle, it pulls off in a corkscrew and you have to unroll the entire 450 or so inches of binding down the hall, through the house and down the stairs?   I exaggerate.... a little!  I know you know what I mean.

This trick of "pre-twisting" will fix that!

There are some super-cute binding storage gismos out there, but the binding is usually wrapped around these in a circular fashion as well, causing the same issues.  Cute, yes.  But I am all about finding easy, practical, economical solutions to common issues, and this figure 8 technique doesn't cost any extra!

A figure 8 roll is handy for storage, too.  Sometimes I'll slip one of the loops over a hanger that holds the backing and quilt top, keeping the set together and ready for quilting.

When I'm ready to use the binding, I set the roll on my lap or on the floor by my chair and it simply pulls out from the center, ready to apply without twisting!  

Leftover binding strips can be re-rolled and used for smaller projects, or pieced together for a fun scrappy binding.

Or, just keep them in a large jar to decorate your quilt studio.  It's a beautiful thing.  And, it makes me happy.  And when I sit down to bind a quilt, I have a smile on my face.

Happy Binding!

Deonn

Tips, Tricks & Tools, Part I: What's in Your Sewing Kit?

This is Part I of a 3-part series of my favorite Tips, Tricks & Tools when it comes to quilting. 

One thing I was advised when I first started quilting:  Always use the best tools and supplies you can find and afford: sewing machine, scissors, rotary cutting equipment, fabric, needles, thread, even good quality pins can make a difference.  

TOOLS 

Here are a few of my favorite tools and toys in my quilting arsenal:

Log Cabin Tree Runner & Lubkuchen

It's that time of the year, again!  Carol @ Just Let Me Quilt is hosting her annual Virtual Cookie Exchange.  

Virtual "Cookie" Exchange

It's time for Carol's annual Virtual Christmas Cookie Exchange!  These "cookies" might be new recipes, new quilts, fun family traditions - could be anything!  Check in daily to find out.  My turn will be

Those Who Wish to Sing...

I came across this Swedish Proverb a few years ago, and kept that saying in my mind.  When Carla @creatininthesticks put together this "Music" blog hop, I knew it was time to transfer that saying into a little quilt.

"Those who wish to sing always find a song."

Log Cabin Trees... continued

I feel really honored that the gals from Missouri Star Quilt Company have chosen a couple of my patterns to feature in recent tutorials, including the Log Cabin Tree Skirt pattern (previous post)!