OK…I still don’t like piecing…but I do like quilting!
25 Oct 2008 2 Comments
in Sewing, Uncategorized Tags: 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!
