New Year New Work
It’s a new year. This suggests the opportunity to let go of the past and try something new. I am. Serendipitously, I started a new artwork this week. I am even trying a new to me appliqué technique. I started by designing the general layout/concept in EQ 8.
My goal for Celestial Harmony is two fold. First, I want to use the orange peel left over scraps from making Celestial Celebration. Second, there is a call for entry with an April 1st deadline and specific size requirements, that I would like enter. My preferred method of working is precision piecing. This is quite time consuming. So, embracing the new year with a time saving appliqué method seems apropos.
A little Internet research resulted in my learning about Whisperlite interfacing. Who can resist a new product to play with? The cost was affordable enough to take a chance. I can attest that the learning curve was very gentle. Phew. I haven’t seen a name for this type of appliqué. Personally, I’ve named pillow turn appliqué. Linda, the creator of Whisperlite, has a great tutorial if you are interested. She refers to it as turned edge appliqué. However, since every appliqué method, other than fusible, has a turned edge I’m sticking to my name.
New Applique Technique
Aren’t the smooth curves great on the orange peel segments? The points are little fiddly, but they are close enough. I’m toying with the idea of adding a design element to hide where the points come together. What would you do? Would you leave the points exposed? If not, how would you cover the junctions in a purposeful manner? You may be able to detect a chalk gridline on the background. This is for placement purposes. The lines are hidden once the peels are added.
New Finish
I am linking up with Nina Marie’s Off the Wall Fridays and TGIFF.
Happy New Year! That’s shaping up to be a very pretty piece. The applique technique produces a smooth finish indeed…and you are a braver soul than I when it comes to trying something new that is also “fiddly”! I look forward to seeing how it turns out!
What’s the worst that can happen, Margaret? The pillowcase turn appliqué doesn’t work and go back to another method. I did test a pillowcase turn method with something other than Whisperlite. It worked well enough to see if the Whisperlite would be even better. It is. There are several advantages to Whisperlite: 1) you can trace shapes on it with the marking implement of your choice, 2) it is light weight, so it doesn’t add heft to the work, 3) it doesn’t gum up the needle and 4) it doesn’t change the hand of the work.One more, it may be fiddly, but it is less fiddly than other appliqué methods that turn the seam allowance to the back.IMHO creativity and courage go hand in hand. We creatives are each courageous in our own way. That includes you, Margaret.
Your applique quilt will be so pretty! I love your finished artwork, too 🙂
Thank you, Leanne, very generous of you to say.
What to do at the intersections where the points come together? My first thought is a bead, pearl, hot fix Swarovski crystal (especially if you did them in color gradations like the fabrics), or a French knot in a substantially weighty thread. I can’t see the vision for the completed work that you have in your head, though, and I’m not sure whether adding ANYTHING there will distract from the appeal of the design. I really like the orange peels without anything at all at the centers, honestly, even if the points don’t kiss precisely. You know, (and I know this is totally unhelpful of me now that you have finished appliqueing all of them in place) I think that maybe increasing the size of the grid slightly so the points intentionally have a little space between them would be better than adding a distracting additional element there. I’m looking forward to seeing this progress because where you end up is always such a delightful surprise that I could never anticipate from the beginnings.
I had similar thoughts, Rebecca. I’ve considered both beading and embroidery, such as French knots. My mind tends to leap frog through ideas. Crystals would be problematic, at least the ones I have on hand.Too small unless I clustered them like beads or embroidery. Contemplated buttons and fabric yo-yos. I am going to play with another idea, first, which “feels” like a better fit. We shall see. Your suggestion to intentionally create gaps is why I appreciate tossing ideas with someone like you. Won’t do it, because the quilt has to measure precisely 24″ x 24″. It is definitely something to contemplate for the future. What I like is how the gap would help with quilting. No need to break thread.