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"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.

Comments

  1. GritMay 29, 2015 at 12:07 PM

    Looks really like a happy baby quilt.
    Looking forward to see more.
    Greetings Grit

    ReplyDelete
  2. needle and nestMay 29, 2015 at 7:37 PM

    This is beyond adorable! I love it!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Seams FrenchMay 30, 2015 at 9:36 AM

      Thanks Michelle. I miss you on the blogisphere, but I'm sure that your creativity is just as active as always. Have fun.

      Delete
  3. 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!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Seams FrenchMay 30, 2015 at 9:45 AM

      I have never seen anyone else use that freezer paper method either, but it works very well for me, and doesn't usually involve glue or additional templates. When I hand applique, I trace the outline of the freezer paper template onto the right side and use the needle turn method, but this iron on method could work for hand applique as well.

      As for the LBB, one of these days, I'll dig it up from deep in the archives and write a little blog about it. There are just the borders left to do, but I don't like my colour choices anymore, and so, .... it just sits!

      Delete
  4. 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!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Seams FrenchMay 31, 2015 at 8:14 PM

      Your comments are very generous. Thank you so much. I think that I have discovered that I really like making baby "things" (quilts included). Generally faster then other projects, and using fun fabrics. It's very easy to get lost in the fun.

      Delete

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