Monday, November 28, 2011

This is not all I'm doing

I promise.
I've spent couple of days getting my tutorial ready for the Quilting Gallery Celebrate Christmas Quilt-Along. (You can see little clues in the photo below.)

But at night, I work on Baltimore Christmas.
This block has more than 70 applique pieces!

In my last post I mentioned that I was having trouble getting smooth curves.
Thanks to everyone who sent their suggestions, especially Lynette.

The bottom line is that everything was just too big: my basting stitches, my seam allowances and, most importantly, my applique stitches.

Before

After

Not perfect yet, but I can live with this result. (Yes, I did have to redo 12 leaves!)
Another thing I learned was that not all fabric is created equal when it comes to applique. If the weave is too loose, there's a lot of fraying. If the weave is too tight, it gets doubly hard to get those curves smooth.

Remember to come back on Wednesday for my block tutorial.

4 comments:

  1. I hate applique. Actually I don't hate it, I just hate doing it. I have no patience.

    Your work is really looking good. I applaud your tenacity. It will be a work of art when you are finished!

    glen

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  2. It's so pretty! I'm jealous of this project. ;D Hey - I forgot to mention one thing that really helps - it is immensely easier to stitch under pieces that I let "marinate" at least overnight after basting them. For that reason, I have two different applique projects going at once, so I can baste one and then stitch on the other each evening.

    I forgot about that last night and was wondering why it was so much harder to get that durned Baby Jane piece to turn under than usual for that fabric - until I realized I had only just basted those pieces on.

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  3. Looking really good! I love applique!

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  4. Way to go on those curves-- they are looking lovely! You've gotten me all inspired again, and I've been catching up on my applique now. So thank you! :)

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