Invisible Machine Applique: Simply Amazing

Last week, I took a workshop from fabric/pattern designer and quilter Kim Diehl. She came to our quilt guild for two days of workshops to teach her method of invisible machine appliqué. In case you're not in the know, appliqué (in quilting terms) is a method used to create designs on a quilt with pieces placed on top of the fabric and then sewn in place--either by hand or machine.

There are several different ways to appliqué, but I prefer the look of needle-turn for it's clean edges and no-show thread. However, needle-turn takes a lot of time because it is all done by hand. Well, Kim's invisible machine appliqué method is just what the name implies: appliqué attached by sewing machine where the thread is pretty darn near invisible. When done correctly, it looks fabulous. And that's what I've been trying to perfect on my project all week. Here is a picture of Kim's wall hanging (and the one I'm working on as well). I'll post a picture of mine when I'm finished.

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The Little Mermaid

I just finished making 13 of these Little Mermaid blocks for our quilt guild friendship block exchange. The theme this year was fairy tales. I had several fairy tales to choose from, but I had all kinds of ideas about the textures and colors you'd find under the sea, so Little Mermaid it was. At first I was unsure if I could translate my ideas to a quilt block, but I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. I'm excited to go to the exchange this morning and see all the blocks I'll be getting back!

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Shooting Stars

Two years ago, I took a class from Nancy Raymond at Whimsy Cottage in Salt Lake City. She taught the class at our quilt guild spring retreat and also treated us to an amazing trunk show that showcased her fabulous whimsical and funky style.

When I signed up for the class, I had only seen a picture of the quilt and so I could not tell the amount of work involved in the piecing. What the picture doesn't show you is that the stars are hand-appliqued to the background squares, and the cream colored bursts in the middle are 3-dimensional pieces sandwiched in between each star piece. I did all the star piecing work by hand, then finished the piecing with my machine. It was also the first quilt I did on my new Fusion.

It was more work than I thought I had signed up for, but I am very pleased with the finished quilt. I recommend making this one only once. Here is a full picture of "Shooting Stars":

And a couple of close-ups to show the quilting detail:

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Halloween Friendship Quilt

Just in time for Halloween...

This quilt is one that I made from friendship exchange blocks from my quilt guild two years ago. For anyone not familiar with friendship exchanges, here is a brief run-down of the rules. Someone in charge chooses a theme, color, block size, etc. and organizes the exchange. If you choose to join the exchange, you will make one block for each person who participates, including yourself. For example, if 24 people join, you'll make 24 identical blocks and trade them with everyone else on swap day. It is a fun way to make a few blocks and get a bunch of different blocks in the end. Participation is optional. Creativity is encouraged.

So, this Halloween friendship exchange quilt is two years in the making and finally finished. The only rules for this one were a halloween theme and block sizes that were divisible by 3. It was fun to do--kind of like putting together a puzzle, and I am happy with the end result.

Head over to A Soft Place to Land for some great fall/halloween ideas!

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Am I a Winner? Not so much.

I am definitely not lucky. I made these three (yes, count them, THREE) blocks for my quilt guild's blockjack drawing last month. I thought that making three blocks would increase my odds (which technically, it did because I got one entry per block), and thus render me a winner in the drawing--but no. I can take solace in the fact that my aunt won, so I can visit my blocks at her house. And, if I can't win, then I'm glad someone I know and love did. At least I have the pattern and the experience of making three blocks so when I finally do get around to it, I can make my own quilt. Right? Let's just add this to the running list of quilt projects floating around in my head, and we'll see which ones make it to fruition. Too many quilts, too little time.

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