"High Flyers" Baby Quilt

Do you find that certain milestone events seem to happen to you and all of your acquaintances at the same time in life? When you're younger, everyone seems to be getting married and having children at the same time, then the kids grow up, get married and have their own kids. Well, now seems to be that time in life when my generation is experiencing "grandparent hood" for the first time.

That, by way of explanation, is why there is another baby quilt in the works. This one, for a sweet newborn baby boy, is all about kites and rainbows and lots of sunshine. It's another machine applique quilt, but this time, the pieces are simpler and more manageable then the stars in the Star Quilt and came together quite quickly and without too many unexpected difficulties.

The 3 design motifs: rainbow, kites, sunshine.

For this type of applique, freezer paper is my go to method. First I trace and cut out all of the templates, to actual size, onto the freezer paper, iron the templates to the right side of the fabric and then cut them out with a scant 1/4" seam allowance. I then remove the freezer paper from the right side of the fabric and lay it onto the wrong side, waxed side up. Using the little Clover pressing tool and a stiletto, I fold over a 1/4" seam and press it down right onto the freezer paper, (see the light blue arch below). It holds beautifully.

Before I stitch the shape onto the quilt, I remove the freezer paper. The pressed down seam allowance holds very well until I get the stitching done.

The same was done for the sun rays. To attach the applique, I used a narrow zigzag, thinking that it will hold up better in the wash then something like an applique stitch.

For sharp, tight corners, like on the kite and the points of the sun rays, I added a little dab of a non- toxic glue to secure the points better. This is a method that I found in Sharon Schamber and Cristy Fincher's book "Piece by Piece: Machine Applique". The only problem with using the glue is that the quilt top will now have to be washed before it can be sandwiched, but I think that it's worth it.

For the kite tails, I resorted to my trusty old "Celtic Bias Bars", which I got quite good at using many, many years ago when I was working on my "Little Brown Bird" applique quilt. (Currently in the "Will I ever finish it?" pile.)

Cut bias strips. Stitch. Press. It's quick, painless work.

Kites and tails set to fly.

Hopefully by the end of next week, the FMQ will be well under way, and these little "High Flyers" will be flying to their new home soon after.

Boutis: Traditional French Needlework

" Piqûre de Marseilles" or "Boutis" is a traditional French hand stitched and corded needlework technique, which uses embroidery stitches to create intricate channels that will later be stuffed with yarn, thereby creating a raised design with three layers. It's origins, and it's name, can be traced to the port of Marseilles in southern France to the 15th century. Traditional boutis was a technique invented to embellish otherwise plain white cotton with intricately patterned channels that would later be stuffed with a plump white yarn to give it relief. The resulting corded whitework created an elegant, embossed textile that was much sought after. Not only was it aesthetically appealing, but it also provided warmth and absorbency, so could be used for bed coverings, toilette linens (like towels), clothing items, home decor, etc. The first two photos below are from the collection of Mme. Monique Alphand, a well known French expert and collector of antique t

Amish Hand Quilting in France with Esther Miller

Esther Miller, was born into an Amish family in the U.S., and now lives in Germany where she has for many years taught the techniques and methods of Amish hand quilting to anyone interested in learning these skills. As a child, she would closely watch as the women of her community worked together on a quilt, and eventually she was rewarded with a needle of her own and encouraged to join the group. Through the years, she has mastered these skills and techniques and now generously shares them with anyone who has a genuine desire to learn. Esther Miller in Ste. Marie-aux-Mines in Alsace France. An example of her own work, Esther brings this intricately and perfectly hand stitched wall quilt to class as inspiration for her students. Last week, at the "European Meeting of Patchwork" in Ste. Marie-aux-Mines, in Alsace France, www.patchwork-europe.com , I had the privilege of taking a 2 day workshop with Esther. The Amish quilting method requires a free-standing simple

Blocking and Squaring Boutis

The door of her cage has been opened. She is free to fly off and find her destiny. After many months of hand stitching and then many more months of cording, my little "colibri" is ready to set off on her own. As this was my first attempt at designing so large a boutis piece, it was a learning curve. All of the tight swirls, curls and circles are a great deal more difficult and time consuming to cord then are the longer more gentle channels. Maintaining an even tension is absolutely necessary throughout the process, so patience comes in very handy when doing the cording. The process of stitching and cording a work of boutis subjects the fabric to a lot of handling and manipulation that can distort the design. For this reason, once all of the stitching and cording is complete, the boutis must be washed, blocked and squared. The first step of washing is to remove all traces of the marking pencil as well as any soil that may have collected over the many months of working w

GritMay 29, 2015 at 12:07 PM
Looks really like a happy baby quilt.
Looking forward to see more.
Greetings Grit
needle and nestMay 29, 2015 at 7:37 PM
This is beyond adorable! I love it!!!
MonicaMay 30, 2015 at 7:13 AM
What a happy, bright design! It's going to be beautiful.

I have not seen this exact freezer paper variation before -- it looks like a good idea! Have you used it for hand applique too?

I have that Little Brown Bird book, but I never considered making it!
AnonymousMay 30, 2015 at 4:23 PM
This is a fantastic baby quilt...but then all of your work is fantastic! Thanks for all the info you always provide about creating your project. You make a super teacher! I adore the kites and so will the baby!

Seams French

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