Quilt Top Finish, Orange Peels

While waiting at the hospital with my Mum today I finished the last of the orange peel applique at last!  I couldn't wait to get home and put them up on the piece of batting that is my temporary design wall. I was so pleased with the combination of fabrics.

I fell in love with this small quilt on the cover of Kathleen Tracy's book,  Remembering Adelia.  This is the result of my evening sewing.

I've really enjoyed making this small quilt.  I've always liked to have a hand sewing project and over the past few years I've learnt to love applique.  Now I have to decide how to quilt it.  

I've been using an applique preparation method that the Blackbird Designs girls use for machine applique, the only difference is I use it for hand applique.  I iron freezer paper templates onto the wrong side of the fabric, cut out the pieces with a 1/4 inch seam allowance.  I use an acid free glue stick to hold the seam allowance in place when I finger press it over the edge of the freezer paper templates.  

I usually prep a good number of pieces at a time.  I love the crisp edge this method gives and I find it much quicker to hand applique this way rather than the needle turn method.  Once I'm finished I clip away the background fabric behind the applique leaving a 1/4 inch seam allowance then damp down the freezer paper taking care to dampen the seam allowance where the glue is.  I leave this for a few minutes and then the freezer paper comes away easily. I have tried machine applique with this method but I still prefer the look of hand applique.

I can now get on with the centre applique block for the French Bouquet quilt.  I've begun the star blocks and have been trying to stitch a couple each day.

Happy stitching,

Rowena