Any edge design I can think of, I can create for the finished edge of my quilt.  This time, I wanted to mimic the design the embroidery curls make on the inner part of the block.

Cut a piece of freezer paper that is the width (side to side) and height (B) of the unfinished outside border. Fold the freezer paper in half to find the center. For this quilt, I measured the inner border width (A) for the bottom of the template because it makes an easy reference to line up to.  Take (A) measurement and divide by two to find center.  In this case it is 14″ divided by 2 = 7″

Lining up with the quilt top, I then iron my template in place and then mark the outside edge. I will continue to do this for each of the remaining sides.

If all goes according to plan, each of the corners will easily match up with each other as I continue to mark the template for each side.

And when I am finished, I first stay stitch around the line but just a hair inside the traced line. This will stabilize the edge so it will not stretch while applying the binding. Those curvy edges can play havoc!

After stay stitching is complete, I then cut on the marked line and I have my outside edge ready for the binding application.

More to come!

I was really pleased with it and found my focus being less than what it should be for my priority projects.  The block was so fun I wanted to continue to make a whole quilt for the sample.  Obviously time was against me as well as being ill for a month.

I really enjoyed the student’s reaction to the new pattern and I was really inspired by their fabric choices.  So many different fabrics and yet each one was very successful.  In other words, no matter what the fabric choices, they all worked!  I saw a Christmas themed palette among them and it was really cool.

The workbook was made up like a recipe book and you can choose the “recipe” of your choice or all of them.  This is just one of the pages from the “Recipe Book”.

Oh and for those students, and anyone else interested, the background fabric I am using is Moda Sunkissed by Sweetwater Style #5446-11 (Limeade).  There is a gray writing version that is very similar so be careful.

Some Links:  Hollyhill Quilt Shoppe; Fabrics and More Etc.,; Cindy’s Quilt Shop; Heavenly Stitches Quilt Shoppe; Honey Fork Fabrics

This particular cupcake recipe is a derivative from my Tea with Miss D. quilt and is just a smidgen different than the pattern in the book.  I added some “sugar” beads for a little bit of sparkle and added detail.

I am working on finishing up the sample block which means a border etc. and quilting.  I am playing with a new toy I had bought awhile ago and hadn’t had time to play with it until now.  It is Susan Cleveland’s Prairie Pointer.  Once again she has come up with an awesome easy to use tool.  Every single prairie point was perfect and added another layer of fun to the block design.  I will show you the completed version in the next post.

I am also going to test out the Bohin Transfer Tissue I showed you in the last post.  I am going to see if it works for transferring quilting designs.  Fingers crossed it will be the answer to my problems.

Have you ever tried to trace off a pattern onto a dark fabric for applique with a light-box?  Impossible unless you have some super human skills I lack.  Then there is the added problem of what to mark the vinyl with so it shows up.

Since I have never liked to mark my background fabric in any way because I find it impossible to line up my applique with those markings exactly.  There are just too many human variables involved to achieve perfect accuracy.

A permanent marking tool leaves me no room for error.  This may be not a big problem with the average larger scale applique, but for tiny pieces in a layered intricate pattern? not gonna happen. Even as I mark and stitch with my own patterns, I never match up exactly every time with every piece.  Yes, you heard it here in my own words, I am NOT perfect.  You may now alert the media.

Back to the Overlay and Dark Fabric. …

When I created “American Still Life”, I wanted to use dark browns for the background.  Uh oh, how do I see where to place my applique? My go-to sharpie black marker could not be seen very easily to place the pieces properly so it would not work.  A light-box was obviously not going to be an option. I had even had much younger eyes back then too.

The first lightbulb idea came to me and I purchased a lime green sharpie.  You know the relatively new Sharpies in the cool colors?  For some reason, the colored Sharpie did not affix to the vinyl like its black counterpart and I found my lines rubbed off within seconds of contact with my forearm and hands.

My vinyl was clear in a matter of minutes and I found the missing lime green ink on my hands and arms.  Not my best look.

Then as I was perusing my local craft store one day, I saw this white Pentel pen.  Hmmmm (imagine millions of little LED lights going on simultaneously in my head).  I tried the pen on the vinyl and it worked (this where I heard a chorus of angels sing).

The lines stay put and only start to disappear after I have reached the end of the overlay’s useful life.

The ink (smells like spray paint) does not fade, but over a loooong period of time, it will start to scratch off in places.  I am already finished by this point and I have used the overlay so many times, the vinyl should be ready to tear apart on its own.

One time when I was working against a deadline, my Pentel White went dry.  OH NO!  I went to my art supplies and found a ZIG ”painty” pen in yellow. The Zig marker had a chemical composition like the white Pentel so I gave it a try.  It worked too!  So now I have two types of pens I can go to when I need to mark an overlay for dark, pieced or print backgrounds.

Now, any background is an option and I don’t worry about how I am going to mark it for my applique placement.  Life is good.

I ordered up some new threads (to me) recently and they arrived in my mailbox on Monday.  One of the threads I wanted to check out and experiment with is this bee-ew-teeful thread from Kreinik.

I have never seen it before and it looked like it would have interesting possibilities. I ordered it with visions of icicles dancing in my head.  I absolutely loved it when I pulled it out of its shipping package.  Now I have even more possibilities dancing in my head.

The yummy sparkly thread is Kreinik Metallics “Micro Ice” Chenille.  The numbers on the end cap read as separate stamps of “01″ and “3M”. I think those are probably color and weight references?

I thought maybe some of you would see possibilities too for a holiday project in the works? As you can see, it looks like a miniature strand of tinsel. Winter themed projects could incorporate this for icy visual appeal and texture.

I would probably couch it to the surface with an invisible thread, but you could also embroider it by using a Chenille needle and short strands.  I seriously mean *short* strands.  Use a strand too long and you will shred it going in and out of the fabric.

I found it at:  Needle in A Haystack  but I think, if you have a needlework shop close, they may have it in stock.  Oh, and yes,  there are other colors to play with.

The Cupcake class will have a “recipe book” workbook and I have been busy illustrating and creating some new designs that incorporate the cupcake.  I am loving this one so far.  It is not complete, but I spent the day illustrating and fixing my idea to paper.

Please don’t beat me up but due to time constraints, I will most likely machine applique this quilt example except for the stuffed areas in the cupcakes (I can hear your gasps clear across the ocean). This will be for an overall design sample that can be created if a student(s) is interested.

I think a single design would look excellent for a potholder so I am going to make up a sample for that too.  Yeah, I know, I am getting carried away again.

Any of the “recipe” cupcakes in the workbook can be substituted in this design and just by changing colors, a new version can be made.  This particular one is chocolate espresso–my favorite.

The design is not quite finished as you can see by some empty areas, but I know what I want to illustrate and it is just a matter of getting it done.

For those of you in this class, IMO, it is going to be a fun class. I will be like a kid with crayons.

Back to work….