applique – Nori’s Stuff

Life and aspiration

Posted on April 10, 2013 by

The edge matches the Maples carving. — The edge matches the carved Maples quilt.

Life’s been a bit chaotic lately. I managed to sprain my right wrist and ignored it for the first week which of course made it worse. It’s so hard to be good when I have to be doing something and it’s doubly hard when it’s the right hand that’s out of commission. I haven’t rowed in two weeks and I’m going nuts. Yoga. Must do more yoga.

I ran across a picture of a Fraser Smith piece somewhere this morning. Something on Facebook led to something that led to something . . . I ate the breadcrumbs as I went so can’t find my way back to the start.

Because Smith’s work fascinates me, I popped into his site again today to look. His work is food for my soul. I noticed his “If I am quiet . . . ?” is carved as if it’s done on the back of “Maples”. I am going to have to make this quilt. I don’t do arty stuff, I don’t spend time on stuff that isn’t usable for pretty much every day and I prefer working in batiks to anything else, but this quilt is one I’m going to have to do. I just can’t help myself. And I’m going to have to hand quilt it. This one’s a double whammy.

The six zillion dollar question is . . . how closely do I replicate the work? The quilting doesn’t go through the applique worked on the back. Does that mean I have to applique the back after the quilting’s done? It’s got to be done before the binding . . . Hm.

It took me over a year to work out how to sew the “30” quilt. I wonder if this one will set a record for active planning time.

Striking a chord

Posted on September 4, 2012 by

I get a weekly newsletter from Quilting Books, Patterns and Notions and I occasionally find inspiration therein. This week the periodical has a lovely and splashy flower wall hanging that’s lovely, full of bright color and made from batiks. Not only does the color sense suit my style, this would be a perfect pattern for machine pinning. Perfect! The pattern is available here.

New page(s) on applique

Posted on February 19, 2012 by

I’ve added a new page on the applique technique I’ve developed to get me away from pins and toward more accurate applique. It’s on the “long bits of stuff” menu on the right.

Tomorrow, easy very skinny stems. You won’t believe how really easy they are.

A new project

Posted on February 10, 2012 by

2-12MickeysCoat — Nostrils and tail yet to do, but looking good!

I started a new project last night. I haven’t been able to appliqué for a couple years so I’m really excited about this.

I’ve wanted to try some new stuff. A friend supplied the material and will get the resulting coat. I’ve made tests of the coat pattern (A Little Something), made the necessary adjustments and I’m ready to go!

This is a three color coat. The left side of the jacket is purple batik. The right is green batik and the accent is ink navy. The sleeve bottom and coat bottom will be bordered in Oriental Dance blocks.

This bit of the project is all hand appliqué. The horse head pattern is on a piece of paper on the back. I sew the three layers together (paper, background and foreground) using a sewing machine and staying on the pattern lines. From the front I carefully cut the foreground material away and, as I unpick the stitching, I turn the edge under on the stitching line and appliqué the foreground down to the background being careful not to catching the paper in the stitching. This technique gives me accurate and flat appliqué. It always looks like the appliqué was just ironed flat. So far, so good! I think it’s looking awesome!

I’m not sure how it’s going to be quilted. I may give Karen the background and batting and have her pin the coat pieces to it and quilt them. So far I’ve got the pattern pieces cut extra big so there’s room around the outside to stitch it down to the backing before it’s mounted on the quilting machine. That might work. You can tell I’m still pondering this part.