Tuesday, February 24, 2015

Part 18 free pattern!

Is it warm anywhere yet? Brrrrrrr! My hands are so cold, I can't get my block stitched! I have half of the stem done, which is cotton, by the way, cut 7/8" wide on bias, and put through a bias maker tool from Clover to make a 3/8" wide finished stem! You will need about 18 1/2" of vine. I used wool for the rest in lots of pretty hand dyed colors! The template will be on my website soon, http://www.woolenwillowdesigns.com.

The background was cut 7" x 13", and I drew lines with chalk, marking 6" x 12" which will be the finished size, so I know where to put my applique pieces. After the stitching is complete, I'll trim the block to 6 1/2" x 12 1/2." I do it this way, because I don't pre-wash my fabrics, and when I'm done with the applique I like to press the block with a touch of steam. Steam will make the block shrink a little after its dry, so I don't trim until after I steam press the block. That way it will end up the correct size to piece with the rest of the blocks! Now, if you steam your fabric, before you ever cut your block in the beginning, you probably won't have much trouble with shrinkage, but sometimes people may have a little shrinkage just during the process of the applique. So I like to give a little wiggle room for just in case! Better to have more, than not enough!

I hope you all stay warm and cozy, and stitch a lot!

Jeni

 

 

16 comments:

  1. Oh Jeni, opo over to New Zealand, we are having a bumper summer!! Another lovely block, thank you so much for your generosity!

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  2. Thanks for the new block Jeni, it is cold here in Chicago land. Great time to stay in in stitch. Hope to catch up with my blocks soon.

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    1. You're welcome! Stay warm and keep stitching!!

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  3. Thanks for the new block but I have a small problem Jeni, with a background of 7 "13", the drawing is too large. Is this a problem with my printer ??? Thanks Jeni.

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    1. Hi there! It could be a problem with your printer, because I just printed one out. You have to angle it on your background fabric to make it fit, as in the photograph. You may have to trim the stem a tiny bit shorter, and scootch a flower in, but that is not a problem. Let me know if this helps!

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  4. It seems you sure are experiencing a cold winter in your part of the world. It is a perfect summers day where I live in New Zealand. Thanks for another lovely block. I can't wait to get started on it

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  5. Looking forward to the finish! Hope you're feeling better!

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  6. Thank you for all of the patterns for this quilt. I have printed them all out, and have made several blocks, in random order. I started late, so I will have a late finish, but this quilt was too good to pass up!

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  7. I just found this sew-a-long. Where can I find the earlier patterns to get caught up. Thank you. Sharon Lozano slozano5@earthlink.net

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  8. This is the first I have heard of your patterns and blog. Are the 17 back patterns available? I love your design.

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