Wednesday 27 January 2010

Fusibles

Working in a series can be quite liberating. While working on one piece using a simple motif, numerous alternatives were presenting themselves on how the motif, in this case fish, could be used.  Rather than choosing just one  layout and colourway and stopping there, I started drafting, cutting, fusing (yes, I fuse sometimes!) and layering and came up with a number of interesting pieces.   
Fusing was a exploration in itself.  I have often referred to anything fused as lick-and-stick, or cut-and-paste. These products speed up the process of construction, if you know which product to use.
All of these products are available at Picket Fence Fabrics
Start with  a good teflon sheet when using your iron with these products. As an inexpensive alternative, use parchment paper found in the baking section of your grocery store.
1.  The powder bonding agent by BoNash can be used to hold down small pieces until you sew them in place.  A little of this product goes a long way. Great for landscapes, snippets technique.
2. Misty Fuse in black or white, is excellent for fine silk or sheers.  Unusual textures can be accomplished with this product.
3. Wonder Under is great for general fusing of appliqué pieces. It is inexpensive compared to other products. 
4. Steam-a-Seam is thicker and gummed up my needle but probably works better on pieces that you will be buttonhole stitching by hand or machine along the edges, not stitching in definition  with threadon the piece itself.
5. Peltex, a great two-sided fusible product is used for postcards,  boxes, book covers and anything you want some stiffness.  Use this instead of batting.
6. A water-based glue stick (kids use these in school) is inexpensive and provides a temporary hold for appliqué pieces.
7.  Glue Pens are used to hold down finer details.
8.  Glue Baste provides a temporary bond where pins would be awkward such as Celtic  appliqué,  stems, letters.
9.  Spray baste products are great for adhering a quilt backing, batting, top together but the airborne particles can pose a health issue for some.

Sunday 24 January 2010

Log Cabin Crazy








Yesterday I had the pleasure of leading a Log Cabin Workshop for the Heritage Quilters Guild of Napanee. The 25 participants worked on a variety of log cabin block designs. Here are the results of some of their blocks.

The log cabin quilt block is one of my favourites and I usually have one or two log cabin quilts in progress. I try to include a variation so
that no two quilts look alike. I designed this blue/green/yellow combination for our guild to make as part of Community Quilts. With the right colour placement these blocks appear 3-D.

More pics to come.