Category Archives: Sewing & Hand Quilting

Cat and Goldfish Applique Pattern

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The second and third hand applique patterns for a playing cat, two goldfish, and a fishbowl.

On the template for the cat, you’ll notice that both ears are indicated that they are to be embroidered but you could do them my way as well with only the back ear embroidered and the front ear incorporated into the medium orange piece. I also thought that the left front and back paws being two separate pieces were easier than making them one.

The other difference in the template and my creation you’ll notice is in the fishbowl. I did cut out a gray piece for the opening but decided that I didn’t like the look as much as without.

Here is the PDF with the pattern pieces for the cat and goldfish: Download
and this is the PDF for the fishbowl: Download
Feel free to ask any questions!

Poodle Applique Pattern

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Like I announced last Wednesday, I’m going to change things up a bit around here. The first new pattern is a hand applique poodle. In April of 2010, I designed him for my hand quilted wall hanging.

I suppose it’s hard to tell but he’s white with light gray legs in the shadows with embroidered nose and eye. You could make him any color and if you want to keep him with the right depth use a darker toned fabric for the legs in the shadows.

This wall hanging was my first foray into needle turn applique. When I did it, I used the freezer paper method. I traced my design onto the paper side of the freezer paper and ironed the shiny side with a dry iron to the right side of the fabric.  Next, I cut out the fabric leaving about a 1/4″ margin all the way around and pinned it to where I wanted to stitch onto the background fabric. I used the freezer paper edge as a guide to the finished edge I wanted and used the needle to poke the edges under as I stitched the piece down with extremely fine thread that matched the fabric. I used Mettler Machine Embroidery thread but I hear another popular choice is silk thread. I didn’t bother with ironing under the 1/4″ margin as it seemed a little fussy. I did snip curves and corners as I went to help with puckering.

Here is the PDF with the pattern pieces. Download Feel free to ask any questions!

Stitching Away

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I’m a bit behind with this quilt, but making good progress to catch up or at least finish someday. Every month that I receive yet another package of fabric for yet another few squares I often am perturbed that I’m so slow. But then I remember that I hand piece everything unlike a lot of other quilters and that this is supposed to be fun and restful project. I shouldn’t be so uptight about finishing on a schedule. Don’t you agree?

So far two of the four month 2 blocks are stitched together and it’s not looking half bad.

Only have two more left, then onto month 3.

Lickety-Split?

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Finally got my sister’s lap quilt finished up Wednesday and packed it up today to send her at college. Overall, I like it, but I think if I did it again, I would do a second pieced border around the animal print border of squares or triangles in the blue, purple, and green to tie the top together better. Not bad for a first attempt if I say so myself.

This is the first quilt I’ve ever pieced on a machine and hand quilted. The pattern came from Lickety Spilt Quilts for Little Ones by Laurie Bevan. The piecing was quick since all the pieces are largish and on a machine. I’m not sure I’d do machine piecing again. I have been enjoying handpiecing lately and it is a lot of trouble to get out the machine. Plus it is way noisier than doing it by hand. I enjoy sewing machines better for making clothes than a quilt.

It was the hand quilting that took a long time. Took me 4 years of on and (mostly) off work to finish! In a hoop the hand quilting was enjoyable. I learned that with my harp callus on my middle finger I don’t need a thimble! (Gotta keep practicing that harp to keep up my thimble, er, callus. LOL) I also got down to 9 or 10 stitches per inch, more than the minimum required by the Amish quilters!

Yesterday, I added the label per Crazy Mom Quilt’s instructions. Should have probably lined it up with the plaid backing lines but didn’t really think about it until it was all stitched on. Oh well.

Now to catch up hand piecing the Civil War Chronicles quilt top!

Almost finished…

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Sometimes things take awhile for me to finish especially when there’s no particular deadline. I’ve given myself a deadline and have been quilting away furiously to be finished before my sister goes back to college so she can take her lap quilt back with her.

Only three more border edges and corners to hand quilt then to bind the edge. I’m hoping only a week more of afternoons watching Star Trek (the original series of course) and quilting, but maybe more.

Isn’t this lamb sweet? Looks like a poodle to me, don’t you think?

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