OK…I still don’t like piecing…but I do like quilting!

I have always had an aversion to the work that goes into piecing a quilt.  It has always seemed like the same fiddly thing over and over.  OK you quilters….don’t get offended….you probably hate setting in zippers.

But, I wanted to make something for fall for a friend.  I have always enjoyed handwork and found this pattern for an appliqued table center piece.  I decided to give it a try.  My applique is simple fusing with hand stitching to finish the edges of each piece.  I used “wonder under” to fuse the pieces into place and have to say it will not be a favorite for this technique.  It is all I could lay my hands on locally but it is just too stiff to stitch through nicely.  So…my goal is to find something ‘kinder’.  I do have some misty fuse…but could not figure out how to trace the patterns on so skipped that one.

I quilted the centerpiece using the pattern in the background fabric and went around each of the appliqued elements.  I did freemotion on the border.  I tried using monofilament but my Pfaff just insisted on creating a bird’s nest.  So I used an off-white thread.  I did struggle with the free motion.  The border stippling went pretty well but the stitching around the appliques found me just fighting the machine.  I feel I need a “slicker” surface to slide the fabric freely. 

My friend, who doesn’t sew, absolutely loved her gift and had not idea what the stitching would look like if I had been a pro…so…mission accomplished!