Tuesday, October 24, 2017

Appliqued

Many thanks to all you wonderful readers who left comments on my recent post, Wrestling.  I appreciate your observations, insights, suggestions, and encouragement.  I often tell myself that quilting's not rocket science or brain surgery--no harm done if it's not perfect--and that I can make another quilt if I don't like the first but sometimes I don't listen to myself (or forget to remind myself).  I'm finding that perfection and creativity are not good bedfellows... uh, quilting friends.

A few days after that post and after deciding on a layout for my Gwenny medallion quilt, I began industriously appliqueing


and yesterday and today cut out the backs of those appliques


to create this (in part).


Today I finished and pressed the quilt top with its days' worth of creases and crumples.  I'll photograph when the rain leaves and we have sun.

I cut away behind applique shapes so I don't have to hand quilt through an extra layer.  (And so I can't change my mind and unstitch them.  Ha.) 


To those of you who do the same, what do you do with those shapes?  Do you save them for another bit future of applique or do you toss them?  Or maybe just cut them into squares to use in a patchwork block?  I pitched the leaf shapes but have a stack of star shapes like these.  I'm not sure I'd ready to applique more star shapes, at least not for a while.

I'm linking this post to
> WOW at Esther's Blog
> Sew, Stitch, Snap, Share at Koka Quilts
> Moving it Forward Monday at Em's Scrapbag
> Linky Tuesday at Freemotion by the River
Thanks for hosting, ladies.

--Nancy.
.

10 comments:

  1. Loving your applique, and the story about how they came to be. You have be wondering about my make it up as I go medallion quilt, which is sitting in my wip pile now. Thanks for linking to Sew, Stitch, Snap, SHARE

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    1. Thank you, Julie. I'll keep an eye out for your medallion quilt. Sometimes in-progress quilts just have to rest a bit between bursts of inspiration -- at least mine do! Thank you for hosting Sew, Stitch, Snap, SHARE.

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  2. So glad to hear you are going ahead with the applique borders for this quilt. It is a beautiful option!
    Since I don't applique, I have nothing to share about cut away shapes. I might be inclined to trim them into squares, but if you applique, it makes sense to have a box of "orphan shapes" for when you are creating.

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    Replies
    1. Thank you, Janet. You are such a great cheerleader!

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  3. Love your appliqué - I save any piece that's 2" square or larger, I don't trim them just toss them in my scrap bins by colour. I like to appliqué and it's fun to rummage in the bin for just the right colour!

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    1. Thank you, Elaine. I'm a beginner and stick to simple shapes (mostly). Your appliques are so detailed and beautiful!

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  4. The border looks perfect. A repeat of the blue and the flowers. . . nice choice. I don't often keep the trimmings from the back of the applique unless it is a larger piece. I have a tendency to keep too many pieces that I should just get rid of so that I don't have to find a place for them And then, I regret throwing out pieces from certain quilts that used fabric I still love and miss. I can't win. So glad you didn't give up on this quilt.

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    Replies
    1. Thank you, Robin. Giving up wasn't an option, but being unfinished for an extended period of time might have been. I'm glad to be finished with it (except for the quilting, of course).

      Yes, those trimmings -- I save and never use or I throw out and wish I had them.

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  5. Nice border. I keep thinking I should finish the one appliqué block I have left on one old project and then do the border. Ok, eventually I will not yet. I think if I could cut a square out of the stars I would do that and then dump the rest. Maybe...

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    Replies
    1. Thank you, Bonnie. I know what you mean -- I should (whatever it is) but eventually. Now's not the time.... I'm still deciding what to do with those star shapes. A small quilt keeps coming to mind, but we'll see.

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I appreciate your comments and look forward to reading what you have to say. Thanks for stopping by.

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