2015 BOM: Having fun with applique

... or the joy of the quilting that takes time.

There is something about me that seems to touch everything I do - I like exploring, I seldom follow instructions and I have taught myself many things, quilting included.  I say this not to boast, but just to emphasize how frustrated I can become with myself when things don't go as planned, because I skipped a step or because I didn't follow instructions more closely.

The 2015 Craftsy BOM has driven me crazy! It has made me stop and go back to read again and again and to make sure I understand what is supposed to be done before I do anything - at all. (Please have in mind that this is the same person who put a stationary bike together without looking at the diagram... I wonder about why I never hit the floor while biking away and watching TV...)

Lately, I feel like we're immersed in a world of instantaneous everything, and the world of quilting has not escaped that. Sure, it's really nice to have the latest gadget or the ready to make kit that will allow us to make a quilt in one day.  This has its place. But part of this BOM's beauty is that it has made me slow down, take my time, look at the details and craft carefully.

All of a sudden, I think I'm starting to get a sort of revelation that implies understanding the art of quilting.

Serious art takes time. Quilting takes time.

Appliqued flowers - oh my! Did they take time! But I wouldn't call them art just yet. But maybe one day I will... Who knows!

I'm glad that I decided to take pictures of the progress of this appliqued blocks. 

Without further ado, here are the little pieces of fabric making it to the fabric basket that will hold them for many years to come...

 

Something that I really enjoyed was the process... I believe I have said that already, but I may say it again. I think that sometimes we get in the rush of things and forget to stop to smell the flowers. After all the effort and starting from scratch, there is a lingering feeling of satisfaction. Yes, frustration peeked its head every now and then, but even that provides an opportunity to go ahead and learn even more.

It seems like a dream when I look at the five blocks with the appliqued flowers and even some French knots - the first time I can ever make those look decent... So, all in all, the 2015 BOM goes on and its challenges have pushed me beyond my comfort zone and helped me grow as a quilter and as a person.  

Now, let's go and take time enjoying the crafting process!

Stay blessed,

Yiya

BOM: Getting started with appliqué

Well, technically, I think there is this kind of understood agreement that posts have to be chronological - at least for those efforts that build up to a project, like my 2015 BOM.

However, in my previous post, there was a little about my advance on the appliqued flowers. And this post is about that moment in June when I first started tracing the flowers, the one in July when I started cutting the shapes, some heres and theres, up to today, when I'm blanket stitching around them.

But, before I go on with more details, let's go back to the beginning.

So, I started with the tracing on freezer paper.

Then, I thought I'd better mark each piece with its letter and fabric number.

and... I didn't like it... lol

I tried using the freezer paper, but in between the turning, preparing and... well, lack of experience with applique, I ended up going back with something that I've done before: fusible web.
  

Of course, I had to retrace everything again, but I knew I was heading in the right direction.  After all, this is the technique that I used for Terminal Bee and it ended up looking quite well. 

After one or two TV episodes, this is all I had:

... it eventually made it into baggies, just to make sure all the pieces stayed in their place.

I liked when they were all like in the next picture; the beautiful fabric looks pretty also from the back.

I took them with me everywhere I went, so that I could work on them whenever possible. What I didn't like is the scissors... They are good scissors, but things go WAY slower with the smallies... Oh well! They work and they make really precise cuts.

Finding a bit of time here and there, I was able to -eventually- get all the pieces done.  

As I post this, all of the pieces have made it to a block and I'm working on stitching around them. Now, whenever I need a break at home, I take five or ten minutes (yeah, right... about one hour!) and blanket stitch around a petal or two... or three... or four...

This part of making the 2015 Craftsy's BOM is probably what got me more frustrated.  I even voiced my five-minute breakdown, thinking that I had taken a really complicated challenge this time - one which does not allow me to bend rules and makes me stick to it.  

Then, I had the five-minute picker-upper, thinking of all the lessons I've learned so far, and how my piecing has improved. I actually took a time to see all the blocks that I've finished so far. They are... well, different. It's obvious that the first one has a bunch of mistakes; I'll probably re-do it at the end, once I've finished all the blocks and know I have enough fabric to get a second one out of it. 

Go figure! From too much to "one more."

Learning experiences are always there, waiting for us to take advantage of them. 

So far, I'm getting there bit by bit, and it's really exciting to be able to share it with all of you.

Today is Wednesday... let's see if these beauties can be finished by Sunday! In the meantime, be blessed!

Yiya

What did you do on the weekend?

Weather is starting to change, and I feel I'm finally making some progress in my quilting. I about decided to dedicate some time to it at least three times a week, so that things get going. And yes, this post will have to count as one of those three times this week.

I feel like there were two major things accomplished that feel like a huge advance in my quilting projects.

I think I don't actually realize that things wear and get old... After attempting to cut fabric twice unsuccessfully, I finally took a long, good look at my poor cutting mat... No wonder why things were not working!  

I ended up turning the mat and using an indelible marker to mark 1, 2, 3, 4, 5... inches where I had 24, 23, 22... Hey, I'm good for ingenuity that keeps me going without so much effort! It felt like I was cutting butter after doing this - I just can't believe I waited so long to get it done. I can just begin to imagine how far ahead it will let me go with fast and accurate cutting.

Another major step are these little guys. 

The fusible web had been on the fabric for a while; Kathy came and visited about two weeks ago, and I finished cutting all the pieces. They are now anxiously waiting to get to their final destination in the gorgeous baskets... I hope!

So, not a long post, but excited about going forward.

How did you go forward this weekend?

Stay blessed,

Yiya