Fiber Babble: My Kind of Doily

My Kind of Doily

March 15, 2015

And he would probably go on losing it, drop by drop, until the day he died. "Cold Is The Grave" by Peter Robinson ♦♦♦♦◊

I participated in a group activity with one of the quilt guilds I belong to: An applique project. Ostensibly, the purpose was to teach different applique methods to those who wanted to learn. I joined... just because. It's not that I know ALL the ways to applique, but I've tried bunches of methods; hand-, machine-, fusible. I prefer fusible. It suits my desire to do complicated projects and my lack of attention (hand-applique, I'm looking at you).

The original project was to put the center motif on a background of Log Cabin blocks, then turn the whole thing into a sewing machine cover.

Obviously I didn't do that.

Anyone who knows me can hear my voice when I say for the umpteenth time, "I adore log cabin blocks, but they bore me to tears. I start sewing on one and immediately get whiney - 'Is it over yet??'" So I did a different background. The background is a variation of a disappearing 9-patch, using a random set of fat quarters that have been tied up pretty in a ribbon for a long, long time.

The colours in the applique motif are pulled from the main print (with the daisies), so even though the piece is mostly black and white and green, the other colours fit (maybe moreso if you're seeing it in person?).

I wanted the piece to be big enough to cover my semi-new printer, a lovely thing that is in a black shiny plastic shell. Lovely, yes, but that shiny black plastic shows every speck of dust. And my house is VERY speckled. So, 24-ish inches was the goal.

To tie in the pop of colour in the center, I traced the outer edges of the shape to put something in the corners. Then it still looked a little weird, so I borrowed a leaf shape (or two).

The appliqued part has got some trapunto going on, then I got into the groove and did some (very) free-form funky feathers in the body. I seem to have been channelling Patsy Thompson a bit, though without colour and, if I am honest, without much of a plan. Fortunately it worked out well enough. For me.

I managed to catch the light just right so the quilting showed up nicely from the back.

It's been a long time since I've done any free-motion quilting, and I've missed it. Now that my machine is healthy again AND now that I can see the top of my sewing table again, I'm looking forward to swirling, feathering, pebbling and meandering ALL the things!!

Labels: quilting