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It’s Day Twenty-Five of National Sewing Month! Too see the daily blog posts, projects of the day, and more National Sewing Month details, click here.
Today we’re thrilled to welcome Becky from Patchwork Posse! Read on to see what she has to say about appliques!
I thought it would be fun to chat a little bit about applique. Not necessarily the process of sewing it, but where to get your fabric from to use on it.
Applique is a great quick and easy way to add a little something special and extra to a quilt, shirt, pants, bags…or whatever you can sew it to!
Typically we approach applique with this fabric for the stem, this for the flower…. or this for the head, this for the body….but today we are going to do something a little bit different.
We are going to chop up orphan quilt blocks to use for applique!
This is a great method for using those random quilt blocks that have no home, or maybe those that aren’t pieced the best.
Goodbye following the matching game, We are going to grab some blocks, cut them up and be totally OK with how they turn out.
When it comes to the quilt block, there are a couple of choices. You can pre-quilt it (or use one that is already pre-quilted like a cutter quilt), or you can go with what you have.
If you’d like to pre-quilt it:
1) Pin the quilt block wrong sides on top of batting
2) Quilt by machine, a meandor stitch, or stitch in the ditch.
Your block is ready to go!
Take a look at what you are going to be cutting out. Dig around and find a quilt block that will “work” with the subject. For example, I cut a pumpkin out of a fall-ish kind of block. I cut a ghost out of light and airy kind of quilt block.
Audition the template on the quilt block. Move it around to find the right combination of colors and design. Watch the seams that you don’t land one right on the edge – that will make sewing it to your final project a bit more difficult.
Another option would be to place applique in a strategic place on your quilt or project. Cover up those bad seams, points, or whatever else you don’t want others to see.
After you have cut everything out and placed it where you want it you can sew the edges down using a zig-zag or satin stitch for a raw edge applique.
This past year I have focused on orphaned quilt blocks and how to get them finished in a project. It has been a lot of fun finding a new purpose for something. You can find more tutorials and projects I have done here on my site: Sewing Projects for Quilt Blocks. You can also receive a free snail and butterfly applique template when you sign up for my newsletter!
What is the first quilting project you remember making?
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I made a Christmas Tree wall hanging from HSTs. I saw the pattern in a quilting/crafts catalog and I just had to make it even though I had never quilted. My skills have improved since I made it, but I still like to hang it up every Christmas.
A doll quilt for antique dolls using vintage fabric from a cutter quilt that I got at an antique auction.
I have so many extra blocks that I have needed to use up and never thought about making appliques out of them. Thanks for the idea ! I will be checking your site out for more ideas.
I made a baby quilt with bright vibrant colors for my great nephew Ethan – he was born at 27 weeks gestation weighing 1 lb 12 oz., Now a thriving 1 year old. He is a miracle baby; and he loves the colors on his quilt. Now I’m hooked.
The first quilted item I made was just a block. It turned out great!
What great ideas you give us. I love the idea of mixing colors on quilts after all that is what a quilt is imagination.
I haven’t done any quilts yet, but it is in my near future to try.
The first quilt project I remember making is a small quilt for a porcelain doll my Grandma had bought me when I was 11 or 12. I actually came across that little quilt just the other day while cleaning out my closet. It’s made of flannels. 🙂
just really enjoy all the ideas and all
I made an Around the World quilt when I was 17-years-old. Still have it today!
Bow Tie patches, to match the stage costume of a musician friend.
My first project is a Baby Quilt. With a craft like that your imagination can go just wild .It’s also teaching me patience. LOL
I’ve been very fortunate with People donating Fabrics and tools to me. To start my dream of 20 years to learn how to Quilt. Happy Quilting everyone
The first quilt project I made was a baby quilt for my own child. It was a Sun Bonnet Sue and Overall Bill. I had no idea what applique was or how to do it. lol
My first attempt was a cathedral window pillow. I was in a Welcome Wagon craft group in NC. I stool love it.
My first quilting project was doing pillow tops. Still have the pillows.
In the 80’s, I took a short college course based on Christmas crafts. Little did I realize that I created a small Cathedral sampler by hand.
I made a quilt and machine embroidered butterflies where the points met, since a few didn’t quite match up perfectly.
It’s been many MANY years, but I believe it was a quilt for one of my sister’s dolls. Many is the miles underneath the pressure foot since then. 🙂
A small quilt for a baby doll
I’m still working on it – a quilt for my daughter
What a wonderful idea! will have to get out all those orphan blocks and try this!
I made a baby quilt when I was in highschool
My project was a baby quilt for my second son. Each of my three children received soemthing that I made (sewed) for them
A king sized quilt for my bed. A big undertaking for a first time quilter, but I sure learned a lot!
I made Tula Pink’s anchor for my first quilt, I have only been sewing for a year.
I haven’t made any quilts yet, but I’m looking forward to making them in the future.
I quilted a pineapple motif and made a pillow.
A four patch quilt that my grandma helped me with, in colors that I would now think are hideous!
A doll quilt. I had just been to a doll event where they raffled off a quilt. One woman was so disappointed not to win it. I went home and made a quilt just to try it out and sent it to her. I’ve been making doll quilts ever since!
Well I jumped in with both feet for my very first quilt, an Egyptian themed QS quilt with embroidered corners with an appliqued Queen Nefertiti in the center, all hand quilted as I didn’t have a sewing machine back them.
My very first quilting project was a mini quilt. Just plain squares and stitching in the ditch.
Great use of leftover or orphan blocks!
My first quilting project was pillows that I quilted around a picture of ducks, water and grass by hand. I love this tutorial. I am fairly new to quilting and my first real project was a sewing machine cover that I made by cutting a sewing machine shape out of a chevron patch and quilted it to the front of the cover and used 2 chevron patches as the sides of the cover. A very fun project 🙂 Thanks for you giveaway too!
I made a very basic quilt for my niece when she was a baby. It was different types of fabrics. That was about 30 years ago.
My first quilting project brings a smile to my face. I knew NOTHING about quilting, but wanted a bedspread on my new big double bed in my first apartment. I chose shades of purple and hand cut perfect squares, trying to line them up just so. I lined it with an old blanket and the backing was a sheet I bought on clearance at Penneys. I still have it (35 years later) and has been used at picnics and baseball games many times! Thanks for the memory!
First one was a embroidered and quilted wall hanging–still on my wall.
There have been so many, I guess I don’t remember the first one, but I certainly love sewing and quilting.
That’s easy…a baby quilt for my grandson who was born 7-3-13!
You are really testing my memory with this question. I was in the girl scouts many many moons ago. Longer than I care to remember. Anyway, my first quilting project was a potholder. I am sure it didn’t come out perfect, but I can remember my mother acting as if it was a work of art. Thanks for the memories.
When I was about 13 or 14 I made a pieced “maxi” skirt as an art project. About that same time I was making hand bags with outline quilting on bold prints. Because garment sewing was my focus I don’t think I considered making quilts until much later, but I used the piecing and quilting techniques in my garments.
I love this idea, my grandchildren would too.
O, forgot. My first quilt ever was 2 years ago, at age 63, for my hubby. I used flannel and he absolutely loves it.
My very first quilt that I made was at least 46 years ago and it was blocks with applique hearts sewn on it. I put lace around each heart. My mom was by my side teaching me how to make the quilt because I had only been sewing clothes for my daughter back them
I made a wall hanging for my husband. We are pepper heads so I cut out peppers from red corduroy and appliqued them on – the creative stitching is in the shapes of chili peppers!