Applique with a little help from my friends

I learned to needleturn applique with the help of internet friends, one of whom led me to the Piece O Cake ladies and their Applique Sampler book. This book has given me the best tips and their Sampler quilt was the first full needleturn project I did. I had practiced and learned from other expert appliquers - but everyone has to find the techniques that work for them, usually collecting them from various places. A quilter friend named Karen moderates a number of yahoo groups, one of which is Applique Addicts which is led by her and another quilter, Kimberley. This group is full of talented ladies who hand-applique using techniques such as back basting, needleturn, and freezer paper templates. Audrey is another friend who hand appliques. She took a workshop with Karen Kay Buckely, where Audrey learned about Karen Buckely's circle templates. The mylar circle templates are wonderful. I have learned to do pretty decent circles, just with needleturn, but using the templates make it less stressful and more accurate. They come on a little ring, which is great - if I can remember to put them back on the ring! Mary Ellen's best press, mentioned in the Folk Art Finery post helps to press those circles flat and sharp before pinning or glue basting to the applique piece.



I'm having real problems committing to a hand applique pattern/project. I think, if I added them up, hmmmm. about 5 different blocks started and not finished this spring - oh, and two partly completed cutwork style blocks - because I changed my mind about liking the pattern and lost the enthusiasm.. I got out the Piece O Cake book Applique Delights, thinking I would do their 5" block sampler, but I've even seem to have lost interest in that. So for now I'm working on one of the blocks in that book, while I consider alternatives. I have a couple of applique quilt layouts I designed on EQ about a year ago -



My Mom's bbq birthday party was a great success - although we did have rolling thunder, lightning and downpours for the first two hours. But the sun came through in time for us to sit on the patio for dinner. My soon to be daughter in law has come to a few of our family parties at different homes and she asked afterwards - do you often have all of them here, at your home? There is about eighteen us of us, and I'll say it again - my house is small!! And I replied, oh yes - we've even at them all here a few times in winter, for Christmas and Thanksgiving - she looked at me, and then my son, as if to say I"ll have to see it to belive it.

So today will be a very quiet day, as I recover from the party (more reocvering from the preparation for the party!). Wednesday is grade 8 grad day for my youngest son - happy and sad all at one - I'm sure other Moms know what I mean.