QUILTMAKER 100 Quilt Blocks Volume 12 Blog Hop

HEART BURSTS

 

Good Morning and Welcome to the blog hop for Quiltmaker's 12th Volume of 100 Quilt Blocks.

 

 

This block is so whimsical and SO me:)  I love the applique and the swirly vine too. Showing other layouts is usually what I do here but that will have to wait since it will be featured in the Spring:)

Stay tuned for that~

 

Instead, I would like to share with you an easy way to cut multiples of fusible applique.  Many times I hear quilters say that there is too much applique and that puts them off making and loving certain designs.  This particular block has 8 identical petals and is perfect for cutting multiples.  With this technique, you can cut your work time in third (pun intended:).

 

 

For the petals, cut a fabric strip @ 2-1/2" and a fusible strip @ 2-3/8".  Keeping the fusible strip just a tad narrower than your fabric strip keeps accidental guck (the technical term:) off the ironing board while applying.  Cut strip into 4" sections. 

Trace a petal onto freezer paper.  This will be ironed to the right side of one section.  Stack with the freezer paper template on top.

Binder Clips are our friends!  They give the stack stability while freeing up your non-cutting hand to hold without fear of the stack slipping and without cramping up (I know how intense this can get:).  I can cut up to 4 at a time relatively well with scissors that have a light serrated edge.  Cutting stacks of 3 is a more accurate way to do this when you are just starting out.

As you can see with the petals, I didn't put a clip on the side I would start cutting on.  Once that side is cut, I will place a clip there to keep that side together and reduce slipping.
On the leaf, I did place clips on the side I plan to cut first because the leaf shape is quite a bit larger with more chance of slippage.

Carefully cut your shapes and Wa La, I cut out 4 leaves at once without having to trace each and every piece onto the paper-backed fusible.

My other tip for you today is Roxanne's Glue Baste-It EZ Squeezie (in the accordion bottle).  Once I had all my bias strips done, I just placed a very thin line of glue onto my drawn vine guide and then pressed the vines into place.

 The leaf was fused in place before adding the vines so that once they were all in position I could zig zag stitch everything in place.

Here is a link to a previous post with more information on how to figure out dimensions for other applique projects: http://nestlingsbyrobin.blogspot.com/2015/02/tutorial-cutting-multiples-of-fusible.html

 

NOW TO THE GOOD PART:)))

Leave your comments here before Thursday and I will draw 2 lucky winners for a FREE copy of the new magazine.

 

Don't forget to follow the Quiltmaker Blog to read more fun blog posts this week.

 

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Thanks for following along! Robin