faulker094

I know, right?   TWO posts in two days from me, right?  Totally atypical of my life lately, but I will take it! There are forty appliqued blocks in Sue Garman's fabulous quilt pattern, "Afternoon Delight."  Here are the first fourteen, all stitched, soaked and pressed.  They will be trimmed down to 6-3/4 inches before piecing them into the quilt. This first block was so FUN!  At first glance, it looks like one red fabric.  Her intention was for us to use FOUR different fabrics in making this one...such a fun, and I must admit challenging, little detail. Me, and the method I use for hand applique, were up to the challenge! These blocks were the perfect little sewing project to take along for camping in the great Canadian outdoors for a week or so.  The fabrics and busy reproduction backgrounds were perfect for hiding dirt and accidentally squished little spiders... ...I did wash out a couple of small stains from a squished little spider and two mos...

Today is the 26th anniversary of the day I met my husband, Steve, in Ann Arbor, Michigan. How appropriate that I am working on this center medallion block for the ongoing anniversary project called "Contentment" that I started some time ago.   The blocks that are currently in my blog header are also part of that project. The block will be trimmed to finish 16-inches square after the stitching and glue-removing soaking is done.  I chose to draw us as we were then, instead of the older, lumpy way we look now, LOL... Artistic license...also using modern fabrics and modern style of clothing.   I glue-basted the larger units together working right on the pattern and even did a little hand-stitching before inserting the pressed background fabric on the pattern and continuing the layout.  I can do this without the light box and it makes the complicated, puzzle-like construction a little easier. I keep drawing this stuff more and more complicated...at some point, I will hav...

I am stuck in a quandary about appliqued center medallion blocks...if you make them more modern, does that make them weird?  Does human applique on a quilt have to look antique to be considered serious? I have many favorites inspired by old quilts...like "Phoebe" ...and there are so many delightful versions of this medallion out there. These pictures are from Melinda in NSW, Australia . Or this one from Kel in Australia . That quilt has such a lovely, pastoral center, but the setting is what I call old-fashioned or dated.  If the figures were wearing more modern clothing, would it ruin things?  Would it make things seem more cartoon-ish?   I find versions where the fabrics are brighter and updated, but the style of clothing still remains a little dated. As I experiment with drawing medallion centers, I have to admit that dressing women in long dresses or skirts allows me to overlook and avoid certain details of anatomy and style that are difficult...li...