The quilter’s knot is a small knot that can easily be hidden within the batting when hand quilting or between the background fabric and applique piece when doing hand applique.   I’ve been looking for directions on  making an end knot for some time now – and one of the tips in the second lesson of the Celtic applique class that I’m taking had just that.  A video can also be found at eHow.com page on Applique End Knot.  It produces a very small knot that can be hidden easily.

I should have searched the web before this to find out how to do it.

Bring the needle through to the back of the background fabric.

Secure the applique stitch near the entry point

Make a loop and then bring the thread through the loop three times

Pull the thread taunt, buring the knot between the background fabric and applique  This means that there will be no tails that might show through to the background fabric.

I have wanted to make a miniature quilt ever since I saw them in 2005 at the AQS Quilt Show, Paducah, KY. Recently I found the book, Thimbleberries Pint-Size Traditions, by Lynette Jensen.   The themes of the miniatures in this book are the seasons and special holidays.  Now I have the perfect

opportunity to make one of patterns, Brown Basket.

For the past few years a group of us have participated in project exchanges at our annual quilters’ retreat at Watson Homestead in Painted Post NY.  From these exchanges, I have received this  beautiful embroidered piece, Autumn gave a party (which I framed) from Pauline;

and a fantastic Fall pieced wall hanging, Things to Love About Fall, from Lisa.  (Do my friends know me or what? – Autumn – my favorite time of year!)

The project for the exchange, to be completed by the  October 2009 retreat, is to be made from provided material consisting of 5 fat quarters and background fabric. We each put our fabric in manila envelopes and randomly distributed them among the 7 of us (Pauline, Lisa, Mae, Jeanne, Debbie, Ruth and myself).  Now the challenge to create something that the giver of the fabric will just love!

So, as I often do when trying a new technique, I made a sample block out of some scrap fabric – just to make sure that everything would turn out as I expected.

Block from "Brown Basket" wall hanging by Lynette Jensenwhen I'm trying a new technique.

I think that the basket block is just too cute and will make a neat-looking wall hanging.

The block will be pieced and the basket handle is hand-appliqued.

I certainly hope that my unidentified recipient will like it too!

Quilting from Home!

Every year the Thumbstall Quilt Guild members make a quilt and raffle tickets are sold.  The proceeds support the guild’s programs and community projects throughout the year.  We have some very talented quilters in our group and the quilts are always exceptional.

This year’s quilt is that and then some!  The queen size quilt,  Country Flowers, is made up of 12 hand-appliquéd blocks surrounded by pieced sashing.  The long arm custom quilting really enhances each of the blocks.

Our quilt is being displayed at Patchwork Plus during this weekend’s Shop Hop.  I overheard one woman say that she would be willing to  remodel a room just to put the quilt in it.

Quilting at Home!

The Celtic medallion is done -

Now to applique the center corners.   

I really like the way this pine cone fabric frames the Celtic applique.  I think it ties the green-dotted background with the colors in the rest of the quilt.  As a final tie-in, I plan to use the green-dotted fabric for the setting triangles on each row.     The final 9-patch row will also have the green-dotted and pine cone fabrics.

I think that the invisible stitch provides the best result with hand applique.  The technique is really simple and produces a smooth-edged finished piece.   I am using a dark green thread that matches most of the coloration on the fabric.  With the invisible stitch, the thread does not even show on the lighter sections of the applique.

The invisible stitch is done by bringing  the needle up through the background fabric while catching one or two threads of the applique (a quilt instructor, Sharon Stroud, called this “taking a whisper of the fabric”).

Insert the needle back into the background, just in back of the thread in the applique piece and bring up again through the background fabric catching the applique “whisper”.  Pressing the nail along the edge of the applique piece, as the needle is brought up again into the applique also helps to provide a smooth edge to the applique.  Stitches should be no more than 1/16 to 1/8 inch apart.

Pull thread securely, but not so much that the background fabric puckers. 

• When it is time to re-thread the needle, end by bringing the thread to the wrong side of the background fabric, taking 2 to 3 small stitches.  Then travel the needle about an inch from these stitches.

Quilting at Home.

Now to make the bias strips for the Celtic medallion.   Strips of fabric were cut on the bias 1-1/4 inches wide, sewn 1/4 inch from the folded edge and trimmed to 1/16″ of the stitching. Using bias bars the seam side was then ironed, centering the seam on the back of the strip.

(Carol’s Quilt Cafe).

The next step is to applique the medallion.

After transferring the Celtic design to the background fabric with the aid of my light box, I am pin basting and then will applique the strips in place using an invisible stitch (Quilter’s Newsletter, Foolproof Applique).

I prefer hand applique to machine applique, especially for these skinny strips.

It is so much easier to control the stitching  with hand applique.

And it’s a perfect project to work on while watching TV or riding in the car.

Quilting at Home!