Fruity Flowers

Each block will teach at least one new technique. This month you will learn what I call lined applique and also learn one of several techniques for appliqueing stems. 

Lined applique (or turned applique) is a technique I learned from Eleanor Burns and Maurine Noble. The pieces are lined and turned so that a finished unit can be appliqued down to the background. I use a water soluble lining. Eleanor Burns suggests fusible, non-woven interfacing. I have also used lightweight cotton. All work well if they are not too heavy.

A block to color

Supplies Needed

A selection of batiks - you do not need large pieces, Fat Quarters or scraps will do. Try to save a piece of each color that you use so that it can be  used elsewhere to provide continuity.

I used one of my treasured marbled fabrics for the pail shaped vase.

Lining fabric. I assume that it is Dissolve or UltraSolvy. You can  use the other linings mentioned.

Water soluble thread (preferrable, but optional)

Lightweight stabilizer (Try Ricky Tim's Stable Stuff). If a cut away type of stabilizer it should have a soft hand after washing.

Assorted threads that match or complement your chosen design fabrics - not your background.

One of the 11" background squares that you prepared.

Thick straw

Ballpoint awl. A pointed one will not work. Sometimes I use my watercolor paint brush handle.

A water soluble pen

Permanent pen (optional) for adding detail

Topstitch needles - preferably 80/12

A glue stick

Roxanne's Glu-Baste-It or white glue with brush (optional on this block)

Prepared vase front

Preparation

Prepare all template pieces except the stems and the two smallest leaves in the following way:

1. Trace pattern shapes of all templates except those listed above on the Dissolve.
2. Be sure to leave 1/8 - 1/4 inch space between pieces for seam allowance.
3. Use a permanent pen or a water soluble one.
4. Cut apart the patterns you traced allowing for the seam allowance. If you have all the leaves, for example, that will be cut from one fabric placed together don't bother to cut those apart.
5. Put the pattern piece of Dissolve on your pattern fabric and put a straight pin in to anchor it. Think about what the orientation of your final piece will be. As you look at your fabric through the pattern piece, that is the orientation you will wind up with. If you need to have the leaf pointing the other way, then turn your pattern piece over.
6. Using water soluble thread in the top, sew the pattern and the fabric together along the pattern line.  Don't use starting or stopping stitches, just overlap the beginning and end.
7. Cut each piece out leaving the seam allowance.
8. HINT: If you are doing many pieces, this is a good time to turn on the ballgame or other TV program
9. Slit the middle of the lining. If you make the slit too close to the edge it will be harder to use.
10. First turn the vase. This is an easy one. Just pull the fabric through the slit so it is a bunched up piece with the right side of the fabric and the lining on the other. I use a spoon handle, my ball point awl or a dull pencil to reach inside and push the seam outwards to make a smooth shape.
11. Press.
12. The smaller pieces are done in this way.
13. Cut your straw into 2 " lengths.
14. Stick a piece of straw into the slit, from the fabric side, start pushing your fabric into the straw with your ball point awl or paint brush handle. Keep pushing and pulling until the unit is turned. Push out seams as above and press. Some times, like on leaves, you may have to put the straw first in one side and turn that side and then move the straw to the other side and finish turning.
15. HINT: I have a silverware tray that I keep my straw, awl, spoon and other tools I like to use in all the time, then when I do one of these projects I pull the tray out and put the unturned pieces in one section, moving them to another section as I turn them. This saves a lot of time hunting for equipment and crawling on the floor looking for pieces.
16. Now you have a number of flat pieces waiting to make up an appliqued picture.

back of vase lined with Dissolve

Back of pieces with lining

Prepare the Stems

1. Cut a 1 inch width strip of your stem fabric. Since all these stems are either straight or have gentle curves, you do not have to cut it on the bias.

2. Fold the strip in half lengthwise. Sew a 1/4 inch seam along the length.

3. Press with the fold on the left and the raw edges on the right.

4. Cut this flat tube into the lengths you need for your stens, I preferred to make them a little longer than the pattern to hide the ends under other pieces.

5. Align the seam with the left hand side of your stem. Stitch right on the seam line which should also be on the left hand line of your stem. Press, the stem over to the right, covering the raw edges. Sew down the right hand side of the stem using hand applique stitch, straight stitch or blind hem stitch.

6. If you prefer to have the same stitching showing on both sides of the stem, then in step 4, run beads of glue or brush glue lightly in the left stem line. Glue the seam line of the stem piece along the left stem line with the fold to the left and the raw edges to the right. After the glue sets (less than a minute) proceed as described.

Paper cartoon of pattern

Prepare the Background Square

If your background square is light enough that you can trace through it follow direction 1. Otherwise follow direction 2. For both directions, iron your square to get rid of any creases, then you will put in light creases where you need them. For this square fold it half horizontally and then again vertically. Lightly iron. Open back flat. When you are tracing line these folds up with the center line marked on your pattern. If there is not one marked, fold in half in each direction and draw a marking line on the fold.

Direction #1

Tape your pattern of the entire block to a flat surface. This can be a window, a light box or a table top. Darkening the lines of the pattern with a dark fine point Sharpie will make them more visible.

Tape your background square on top of the pattern. Trace with a water soluble pen. The tracing does not have to be dark or complete. You can make light straight lines for the stems, mark the points of leaves with arrow heads, etc. The idea is to make positioning guidelines. Applique does not have to be absolutely perfect in placement as long as stems touch flowers, etc. From now on you match the lines on your background to the edges of your pieces.

Put lowest number pieces in place first.

Lightly glue in place with glue stick daub in the middle of the piece.

Direction #2

Purchase a box of transparent overhead projector sheets. HINT These also come in handy as templates. Tape your pattern to a flat surface. Tape the transparency on top of that. With a permanent pen like a Sharpie Fine Point, trace the lines of your picture onto the transparency. You will identify the correct places for your appliqués by dabbing a little but of glue from a glue stick on the back of the pattern and sliding the piece under the transparency until it is in place then pressing it down on the background with your hand.

Put lowest number pieces in place first.

Directions for All

Appliques are applied in numerical or alphabetical order so the correct ones are on the bottom  or on the top .

Pattern traced on background fabric

Vase with stems

Making the Picture

You should have your  pattern pieces lightly glued into place on your background. Sew them down starting with the #1 piece.

Your stems may already be sewn down if you followed all the directions for preparing stems.

Sew pieces down either with:

1. Hand applique stitch

2. Blind hem machine stitch - using clear thread, thread that is the same color as you piece or a complementing thread that you really want to use as a design element.

3. A straight stitch or a decorative stitch depending on the effect you want. I used a blind hem stitch with clear thread.

Those little pieces

Using some of your white glue and brush, brush a thin coat of glue on the back of the small pieces  Push solidly into place on the background. Let draw for about 10 minutes. Use you machine's buttonhole stitch or zigzag stitch and stitch the piece in place all the way around the edge.

Finishing up the picture

There is controversy over this next step. You will have to decide which way to go.

At this point, I carefully trim out the background fabric behind each piece. I do this because I like the puffier effect it gives to the pieces. I leave about 1/8 - 1/4 inch allowance outside the seam allowance of the background fabic.

Some instructors insist this weakens the quilt and they leave that extra layer in. I make lots of children's quilts which are my criteria for a need for a strong quilt and those baseballs, soccer balls, flowers and bunnies are still securely in place.

Perhaps the fact that I stitch around the piece on the background fabric - either in the ditch or a narrow distance from the seam helps to stabilize it.

Now put this  block on your design wall or some other place where you will remember where it is.