0904081835.jpg, originally uploaded by quiltnomad.
This block is from JoAnn Fabrics 2006 QBOM – Rhythm and Blues.
The background is one piece, even though the fold lines make it look like it was a pieced background.
I use an amalgamation of techniques to make my applique. I have read so many different books and have applied a little bit of what I’ve learned from one location, and added a little bit of something else.
My first attempts at applique used the traditional “needle-turn” technique. However, my first attempts did not take into account the seam allowances.
Oh, I cut the pieces out correctly, but when I laid them on the ground, I did not take into account the fact that the pieces were going to be 1/4″ smaller all the way around. This resulted in pieces that were supposed to be touching each other, floating about 1/2″ away from each other.
I have since learned to prevent that by turning under all my seam allowances on each individual piece before starting to applique. It was particularly important in a block like this one, where eight different petals had to interlock correctly.
Some people might find that my method takes extra, unnecessary steps — but I don’t mind, because it leads to accuracy.
In this case, I traced the individual pieces onto paper, marking on the sewing line. I then cut out the paper templates, with a 1/4″ seam allowance, by eye.
I pinned the each piece to its respective fabric, then basted the paper template to the patch — basting on the sewing line. I then cut out each patch, again adding a 1/4″ seam allowance by eye.
I then carefully tore away the paper template. Using the basted line as my turning guide, I turned under the edges — basting the seam allowance down.
Once all pieces were prepared in this way, I pinned all the petals to the background fabric. This proved to be an important step, because my first attempt resulted in the petals being too far apart in the center. If I had not laid out all of the petals first, and had just started needle-turning each patch one at a time, this would have led to disaster.
Some of the petals would have encroached into the seam allowance edge of the block and one of petals would not have fit at all.
Preparing the block in this way also allowed me to consider the layout of the pieces, and which seam allowances needed to be turned, and which would lay flat (because they were covered by other patches).
For instance, I started sewing one of the dark green petals, starting just at the point where it was covered by the medium blue swirl petal. This let me turn the seam allowance where necessary, and left the rest of the seam allowance flat. I sewed a partial seam on the dark green petal, sewing from the curve and just around the point of the petal.
I then moved back to the medium blue petal and repeated the process — only this time, I was able to sew the complete petal: sewing the curve, around the point, and then the straight-away where it overlapped the dark green petal.
I then continued clockwise around the flower. When I reached the original dark green petal, I started up where I left off on the straightaway and appliqued the dark green petal over the edge of the dark blue petal.
Even after all those steps, you can see that I should have exercised a bit more care in laying out the petals. They all should have been snuggled up closer together yet at the center of the block; the tip of one of the petals is going to be cut off in the seam allowance when I sew this block to its mate.
