Applique Planning

I think I've lost count on how many applique tops I've planned but not sewn over the past several months. I get the fabric right, but don't like the pattern. I get the pattern right, but can't find the fabric. I *think* I have both the fabric and a patttern I like, but realize after one block that it wasn't really what I wanted.

I'm not sure what I'm looking for - something challenging, but not so hard that I can't sew at night while a little tired :) Not necessarily floral. Something that will adapt to everyday quilting cottons, and doesn't need batiks or hand dyes to give the effect - I just can't afford these usually, and I don't usually work with these and have them in my stash. Something with solids would nice, too. I tend to like small blocks, less than 12", rather than larger ones. I don't know - I've played with vines, borders, samplers, florals, traditional cut work shapes as in oak leaf and reel, hawaiin cut work, combined pieced and floral....what on earth do I expect to find out there, or to dream up?

This is my latest gathering of fabrics that I would like to put into an applique pattern,

The pattern I've settled on - but still wishing for something else - is this sampler from Applique Delights by Piece O Cake. I've even set up a block ready to sew, but I'm still hestitating as I can't quite get the feeling that I *am* settling. So much work goes into these needleturn applique blocks that I really want to know that I'll be happy with each piece as I work with it!

Planning applique

Well here we go again - more frustration and hair pulling over planning fabrics for applique. I don't know why I can plan a pieced quilt with out too much angst - I can see a group of fabrics together, and when I see a pattern I'll pretty much just know that that group will look terrific sewn into that pattern. Or might have one star fabric, and design my own pattern. Or customize a pattern to suit my fabrics.

I don't have a quilt shop nearby that I can visit - in fact, the closest one which is about a 30 minute drive, I just don't feel comfortable and at home when there. There are some terrific quilt and fabric shops in the city, but they are too difficult to get there, shop, and return home due to this illness I have. So - I order pretty much all my fabric on line. I'm pretty good at knowing what I need for the pieced quilts and going from there.

But my stash just doesn't seem big enough for the applique I want to do - and anything I've ordered with applique in mind just doesn't seem to suit (the proof is the applique I did this late winter and spring - half dozen or more blocks I've made in different colour combos and different patterns, all resulting in my disappointment). I feel that if I had $200 to go made in a fabric store, I just might end up with what my mind keeps envisioning - but I don't and I won't so I have to make some kind of decision.

I have made a few successful applique projects - the Piece O Cake applique sampler, and Lori Smith's Simple Pleasures were needleturn, and my newest finished top, Folk Art Finery, was machine applique. These were made with a pretty limited colour pallete, working from a set of fabrics that were meant to go together. What I really want and I think this is my problem, is a print or dark (not black) background - I've done the needleturn quilts on muslin, and in my mind "I've been there done that" to want to do it again.

Sitting on my back porch this morning, in the lovely warm but not humid day we're having, I was so enjoying appliqueing yet another block. But I wasn't really enjoying it as I know I'm going to pass on these results as well. Am I destined to join a block of the month? Or buy a kit? I hate to give up making my own creation, but perhaps I'm strongest when designing or planning pieced projects, and I should let someone else do the work on the applique quilt so I can just enjoy the sewing!

Lookee what I found - "new" Piece o Cake

I know I should not be looking at applique patterns, and I should be prepping the At Home and Away for tying and embroidery, but - yesterday I found this wonderful re-introduced Piece O Cake pattern -

Its called a Walk in the Mountains, the patterns are downloadable, with good pics and general instructions, from their website www.piecocake.com.

I'm already planning the fabrics for this one - the plan for the browns and blues with the Applique Delight blocks is put away. I've been wanting to do a more pictorial type applique design for quite some time, but ones I've seen by some very talented applique artists, see much too complicated to me for some reason. Because this is from Piece O Cake, I feel that I can get started on this type of applique design with some re-assurnace that its designed by the very ladies who got me started on applique in the first place.

Here's an interesting use of space...

Mike had cooked up some barbeque pork tenderloin for next day sandwiches - he then thinks that he'll try the meat grinder that we picked up (unknown to us) in a box lot at the same auction that I got the vintage quilt blocks. While I'm cutting up those blocks, and pressing them for the hexagon piecing, he's wandering around trying to figure out where he can clamp the meat grinder (our counter is too thick). So I said, try my ironing board (right next to the kitchen). So here you go,

Here's the picture I was really aiming to take - an assortment of the fabrics for the hexagons -

I've got at least six of several of the colours, so I'm thinking of arranging them in a diamond pattern so I won't have to introduce new fabric to make a grandmother's flower garden pattern, and stick to the idea of making something small - just using the fabrics retrieved from the blocks.