Applique babe

Hands up if you have ever done an applique quilt? Or appliqued a panel? Or made a picture applique wall hanging? If you raised your hand, your one step ahead of me. I am very....very...new to applique and my first venture into this colourful art is a block of the month project I am doing with Taylors Quilting and Sewing shop in Brockville, Ontario. The Duck, Duck, Goose pattern by Maags and Me. This pattern involves a duck applique block joined to other fabric blocks. Its super sweet. Here is my first block.

First Applique Ever

The finished Block

Now while this is super fun to work on, although the mini blocks are a bit of a pain to cut out...I started looking into more styles of applique, particularly scenes or pictures.  I came across a video on Laundry Basket Quilts YouTube channel all about raw edge applique, and I knew I had hit pay dirt!  Click this LINK to see what I am talking about.

So I immediately purchased the book Seasonal Silhouettes off Amazon ....ordered Splash Batik fabric from the Fat Quarter Shop,  and got started.

First I gathered the supplies I needed.  The Book....Pencil, Pen, Paper Scissors, Fabric Scissors, Heat and Bond, Splash Batik fat eighth bundle, Iron and Ironing Pad/board.  

I decided to do the July wall hanging first, and googled a Canadian Flag as the book only has the US flag.  For those not aware, July 1 is Canada Day.  Next I placed the heat and bond over the page and traced the silhouettes using a pencil.

Once all the parts were traced and heat and bond trimmed down, I selected the colours of fabric I wanted. Placed the heat and bond on the WRONG side of the fabric and pressed.  Just 1-2 minutes. 

Next, I made a cuppa tea and sat down to watch a bit of telly while I cut out the silhouettes.  I love cutting stuff out, don't you?  Reminds me of when I was a kid and played with cut out dolls.

I had previously cut my background panel....so laid it onto the ironing board with the paper layout chart beneath.  It was a bit hard to see as I don't have a light box, but an overhead light helped.  I then started laying the pieces out...making sure which ordered to add them, under and over pieces etc.  Gently pressing with the iron when I was ready.

And here is the finished piece....not bad for my first attempt.  Next I have to add borders, and then baste together with the batting and backing piece.  At this point I will be ready to do the raw applique, which is a straight stitch all around each piece about a 1/4" inside.  Once that's complete....I will show you.  

Better yet, check out my latest Tobyknits Quilty Fun video on Youtube for a close up look.

Let me know what you think of this super cool applique style.  Comment below, I would love to hear from you.

Until next time, craft on.