I had been working on a series of grapevine wreath quilts, challenging myself to interpret the original Baltimore Album design using different techniques.  My first version was made using crayons, with machine embroidery to outline the edges.

I tried broderie perse, and created the wreath by cutting out grapes and leaves that were printed on fabric, fusing them to the background, and finishing the edges with a machine blanket stitch.

I used a three-dimensional appliqué technique and sandwiched a layer of fusible adhesive between two layers of fabric to create grapes and leaves.  These were tacked onto a quilted background.

And then, I tried making a grapevine wreath fabric mosaic.

Small pieces of fabric were arranged to create the grapes, the leaves, and even the background in this quilt.  Light Steam-a-Seam 2 was fused to the wrong side of each fabric scrap and the paper backing was removed before cutting the fabric into little snippets.  This particular brand of fusible web has a sticky finish, allowing the tiny bits to hold in place until they are permanently fused.

How fun!  This fabric mosaic is held in place mostly by the fusing of the swatches to the background, but I did add a certain amount of machine quilting over the layers as well.

I wanted to share this technique as a workshop but I wasn’t sure if the grapevine wreath would be the ideal project.  I decided that a butterfly would work well and give students lots of opportunity for creativity and expression.

On my version, I layered the fabric in sections by color, starting with dark blue swatches for the body …

then adding yellow-green at the bottom of the wings …

pink and violet …

light blue …

and swatches of blue-green for the top of the wings.

I added some navy-blue swirls to the wings …

then covered the butterfly with tulle.  I stitched the tulle around the outer edges of the butterfly then trimmed the tulle close to the stitching.

The mosaic was completed by couching navy-blue perle cotton around the edges of the butterfly and antennae.

To watch this butterfly mosaic come to life before your eyes, check out the video!  (http://youtu.be/wIs75u5JUUE)  If you would like to make your own butterfly mosaic, the class will be available on Friday, November 18th, 2011 at Quilter’s Cupboard in Uxbridge ON; Friday, March 16th, 2012 at the AQS Show in Lancaster PA; Friday, June 1st, 2012 at Quilt Canada in Halifax NS; or by booking directly for your guild or quilt group.

The pattern for this quilt was published in my book Sewflakes: Papercut Appliqué Quilts by C&T Publishing.  Now, for the first time, you can take a class to get you started on your own Tools of the Trade quilt.  On October 22, 2011, the class will be held from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at Quilters Cupboard in Uxbridge ON.  It will also be offered at Quilt Canada in Halifax NS on Saturday, June 2, 2012.

The first block that I designed for this quilt was the block “Cut it Out”.  On a square piece of paper folded into eight equal segments, I drew half a pair of scissors on one fold just touching the opposite half at the tip of the blades.

When this was cut out and unfolded, the result was eight connected scissors with a star shape in the center.

To unify the blocks, I decided to incorporate that star shape in the center of each sewflake design in the quilt.  “Pins and Needles” portrays thimbles as well as pins and needles in a pin cushion.

Here is the resulting block with embroidered pins and needles in the pin cushion.

One of our all-time favorite tools is our sewing machine, drawn with cut-outs in the table to create the center star shape.

This is the block “Sew Business” with embroidered thread detail.

Irons and ironing boards are the subject of the design “Pressing Matters”.

This is the block, complete with seed beads for the iron vent holes.

A wonderful invention that most quilters wouldn’t do without is the rotary cutter, seen here alongside its companion ruler.

Here is the block “The Cutting Edge”.

The sixth and final design features a tangled measuring tape.

This is the block “Measure Up”.

Fusible appliqué was used to create the six 13″ x 13″ sewflake blocks, stitched with a tiny zigzag stitch in invisible thread to cover the raw edges.  The blocks are framed with a pieced sashing of Spool blocks, each measuring 3 ¼” x 3 ¼”.

My color palette for this quilt was determined by the fabric I chose for the outer borders.  The fabric spools of thread suggested the red for the scissors and pin cushions; the blue for the sewing machine tables; the green for the ironing boards; and the yellow/gold for the rotary cutters, rulers and measuring tape.  They were echoed as well in the “thread” of the patchwork Spool blocks.

I made this quilt on commission.  Just like the song with the same name, the quilt pays tribute to a darling little girl growing up too fast.  Each quarter circle on the quilt was made using fabric from the much-loved outfits of a baby girl. Most of the embellishments came from the clothes as well. Being the mother of sons myself, you can image how much fun I had working with ruffles and lace!

Three years and many requests later, the pattern for Butterfly Kisses is finally available.  Published as an e-pattern, it is now ready for immediate download from PatternSpot.com.  If you are not familiar with this on-line marketplace, you can read more about it in my recent blog post.  The PDF e-pattern is published in beautiful color and includes close-up images and step-by-step photographs of each step in the process.

Photo 6 - Applique with blind hem stitch

Transform the much-loved outfits of that special baby girl in your life into this beautiful keepsake quilt.  Like a butterfly, the clothes will be transfigured into something colorful and new. A wonderful quilt will take their place, full of cherished memories, ready to be loved anew and never to be outgrown.

To see more photos of the quilt and the baby outfits that went into it, you might enjoy watching the slideshow.

Butterfly Kisses Quilt Slideshow

These two wall quilts were made from a pattern by Debbie Mumm.  They feature fusible appliquéd scenes with a bear, a moose, and a cabin in the woods framed by patchwork mountains and pine trees.

Also designed by Debbie Mumm, this lap quilt of pieced pine trees was adapted from a wall quilt in Quick Country Christmas Quilts.  I made extra blocks and increased the width of the scrappy strip-pieced border.

When not being used for a nap or a snuggle, the quilt currently resides on the back of this couch where it can be seen from the dining room table.

A couple extra blocks were stitched into coordinating cushions.

One makes a nice accent on a plaid arm chair…

… while the other adds a little warmth to this welcome bench.

This quilt, somewhere between a wall quilt and a lap quilt in size, features fusible appliqué along with four on-point Log Cabin blocks and four setting Ohio Star blocks.  I found the pattern for this quilt in a magazine but I don’t recall which one.  Let me know if you want the reference information and I will look it up when I get home. 

The quilt can usually be found draped over the back of a chair – not usually as nicely as this!

I must sheepishly admit to a number of other quilts, intended for the cottage, that are sitting at home unfinished.  Yes, UFOs (UnFinished Objects).  Or, for us optimists, WIPs (Works In Progress).  One of them depicts a variety of ducks in the bull rushes.  I finished the one I made for my father-in-law, but mine is still sitting in a pile of paper-pieced blocks!

My most spectacular example of an unfinished quilt – and I can’t believe I’m about to share this with you – is a block-of-the-month design by Thimbleberries.   Each block is a bird house and came with a kit of perfectly coordinated Thimbleberries fabric.  I decorated an entire bedroom around this quilt:  chose the paint color and wallpaper border to match; hung cute little bird house prints on the walls.

I started accumulating birdhouses and hung shelves to display my collection.

Even the books in the bookcase have to make room for birdhouses!

And here’s the bed.  Do you see a beautifully coordinated birdhouse quilt?  No, neither do I.

We’ll return in two weeks with an article on hanging sleeves, the next installment in the finishing steps series.

"Around the Campfire" block

"Canoe Races" block

As I sit here at the cottage, looking out at the lake on a beautiful summer afternoon, what better topic for my blog this week than cottage quilts?  In fact, it’s been so glorious, you may have noticed I didn’t even post last week!  That’s cottage life for you.

Cottage life.  Sleeping late; long walks on country roads; reading novels on the dock; swimming in calm, cool water; paddling peacefully in a kayak; good food – and lots of it – grilled on the barbeque; family; friends; and, of course, quilts.

Cottage life didn’t always include quilts.  Growing up as a “cottage kid”, rainy days and lazy afternoons were filled with all kinds of other crafts.  I learned to knit and crochet, and spent countless hours practicing needlepoint and crewel embroidery.  I’ve often thought that those years were the training ground for the quilter I would one day become.  I completed this crewel embroidery pair at age thirteen!

Now that I’m a quilter, summers at the cottage include a quilt project.  In the summer of 2005, I basted hexagons to freezer paper for the English Paper Pieced quilt In The Garden.  In 2006, I hand pieced Dresden Plate blocks and needleturn appliquéd the blocks for Bridal Tea.  Be Still – a quilt that depicts cottage life – was pieced in 2007.  Appropriately, the patchwork block in this quilt is called “Lady of the Lake”!

"Beware of Bears" block

"Moose Crossing" block

Since then, I’ve spent most summers at the cottage with an appliqué project.  The vast majority of the hand appliqué for Instruments of Praise and my latest (and yet to be revealed) Flourish on the Vine was stitched at the cottage.  I have a new quilt underway, with enough marked and cut out patches to appliqué all of this summer!

Cottage life, for me, includes quilts.  It’s a great time to work on them and a great place to decorate with them.  Next week, I’ll show you some of my quilts at the cottage.

"Call of the Loon" block

I have been exposed to motor car racing a fair bit over the years, so perhaps it isn’t surprising that racing should make its way into a couple quilts.  This little cuddle quilt was made from a fabric panel featuring Mark Martin’s NASCAR stock car.

This bed quilt was the perfect complement for a racing-theme bedroom.

Want to make your own racing quilt?  Here’s how.

Begin with a 9″ Double Nine-Patch variation.

Add three 3″ borders.

Make sixteen 9″ Nine-Patch blocks.  Make eight with black in the corners and eight with white in the corners.

Make eight

Make eight

Join blocks together to frame the center unit.

Add three more 3″ borders.

This section will be turned on-point and four large triangles added.

For the triangles, make four more 9″ Nine-Patch blocks with black in the corners.

Make four

Make eight 9″ Nine-Patch half blocks with white in the corners.

Make eight

Sew a half block to each side of a Nine-Patch block.

Make four

Cut a 10-¼” square in quarters diagonally.

Sew a quarter-square triangle to each Nine-Patch unit.

Add 3″ and 9″ borders to the corner triangles.  Attach corners to edges of quilt.

If you’re really keen, you can quilt racing cars in the outer border as I did!

This first wreath is a celtic knot design, made from appliquéd bias strips.  Believe it or not, the background of the quilt is filled with hand-quilted stippling.  I’ve never done that again!

This wreath is formed from small paper-pieced blocks.  I added some machine embroidery and sewed it into a cushion.

I found the design for this grapevine wreath in one of the Best of Baltimore Beauties books by Elly Sienkiewicz.  But instead of making the block using traditional appliqué, I colored it with crayons!  Yep, regular Crayola crayons.  When crayon is heat set, the wax melts right into the fabric.  Just remember to iron from the wrong side and protect your ironing board cover.  Machine embroidery outlines each motif and adds definition.

I really liked that grapevine wreath, which generated a little series.  What other techniques could I use – other than traditional appliqué – to interpret this block?  I tried broderie perse.  I found fabric that had grapes on it, cut them out, and arranged them into a wreath.  The motifs were fused and the edges finished with a machine blanket stitch.

Then I tried a three-dimensional appliqué technique.  I sandwiched a layer of fusible adhesive between two layers of fabric, cut out my motifs, and molded them into shape while they were still warm.  The motifs were then tacked onto the quilt.

Finally, I made a grapevine wreath using snippets or confetti.  Small pieces of fabric were cut out, arranged like a mosaic, and fused in place.  Fun!

This holly wreath is also three-dimensional.  This time, I stitched two fabrics right sides together, slit the back, and turned the holly leaves right side out.  The leaves were then tacked onto the already-quilted quilt.  Gold metallic thread was used for the veins; other embellishments include gold seed beads, buttons, and a wire ribbon bow.

This poinsettia wreath was made with a soft-edge piecing technique.  Actual motifs from the fabric were cut out and appliquéd around the inner and outer edges.  This softens the edges and creates a circular appearance.

Here is another example, using a floral fabric and a smaller patch size.

So do you think I like wreath quilts at all?!  It is no wonder that I became so fascinated with papercut appliqué.

Over the past couple days, I have been compiling information to provide the museum with the most complete documentation on the quilt as possible.  Some of these facts have been posted on my web site and blog but never summarized into one report – until now.  What better entry for my blog this week?

Completed in 2009, Instruments of Praise was two years in the making, including months and months of hand appliqué, 20 hours of marking quilting designs, 30 hours of cut-away trapunto, and over 140 hours of machine quilting on a domestic sewing machine.

It was made primarily from commercial cotton fabric, although silk was used to represent the tambourines and cymbals.

Tambourine

Cymbal

The fabric used on the back inspired the color palette used on the front.

Wool batting was used for the cut-away trapunto layer and 80/20 cotton/polyester blend batting for the quilting. The needle-turn appliqué was stitched with 60-weight cotton thread; the machine quilting with a combination of cotton and monofilament threads.

The trumpets, lyres, violins and flutes were outlined by hand with a stem stitch using embroidery floss.

The four blocks were framed using a musical bracket shape.

Additional embellishments include beads, buttons and Sulky Sliver thread hand couched with invisible thread.

A double-strand twisted cord was hand couched to frame the four center blocks.

The block designs were adapted from a CorelDraw Medieval clipart collection; the corner motifs from the Dover book “Victorian Stencils” by Edmund V. Gillon Jr. The cut-away trapunto motifs were also adapted from these sources.

The center quilted medallion of ballet dancers was designed using my Sewflakes: Papercut Appliqué technique.

Other quilting motifs include half-inch grid, rope, and stippling.

I would also like to take the opportunity to thank Bernina for their generous sponsorship of this award.  Their support helps the National Quilt Museum as they build a collection of fine art and achieve their goal of honoring today’s quilters.  It is particularly gratifying to receive this reward since I made the quilt using my Bernina 170!

Praise the Lord.

Praise God in His sanctuary;
praise Him in His mighty heavens.
Praise Him for His acts of power;
praise Him for His surpassing greatness.

Praise Him with the sounding of the trumpet,

praise Him with the harp and lyre,

praise Him with tambourine

and dancing,

praise Him with the strings

and flute,

praise Him with the clash of cymbals,
praise Him with resounding cymbals. 

Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.

Praise the Lord.

“Instruments of Praise”
68½” x 68½”
by Kathy K. Wylie

Winner of the 2011 Bernina Machine Workmanship Award
American Quilter’s Society
Paducah, KY

In The Garden
Machine quilted in my version of this Grandmother’s Flower Garden quilt are apples, leaves, and apple blossoms.  I did this because Nan had an apple tree in her backyard – in the middle of her flower garden!

Our Granny Smith’s apples were the best apples in the world.  We learned very quickly never to eat any apples that had fallen to the ground and to always cut them open first before eating them.  But their fame didn’t come from eating them raw – it came from the marvelous desserts that could be made with them:  apple sauce, apple crisp, apple pie.  Nan probably had every apple recipe there was!  It was a sad day every year, I can tell you, when we finished the last jar of that homemade apple sauce.

Bridal Tea
I fell in love with the fabric I used in the outer border of this quilt because it was covered with china teacups.  Nan had a beautiful collection of teacups, which were often used when she hosted special events at her home on Mayfair Avenue.

At Mayfair, we celebrated Christmas and Easter, birthdays, baby showers and trousseau teas.  There would be wonderful dinners at her dining room table where we learned the importance of good table manners!  One of my jobs was to put away Nan’s collection of china teacups.  I loved those teacups and took great care to match them into perfect pairs, all the while trying to decide which one was my favorite.  How very like Nan that that teacup, along with a few others, now resides in my china cabinet.

Nan’s Magnolia Quilt
I made this wall quilt for my grandmother using the Magnolia pattern from The Designer’s Workshop.  It looked lovely hanging over the dresser in her bedroom.  My mother always loved that quilt, so now she can hang it in her home in memory of Nan.

Nan was there for all of our milestones and special occasions:  birthdays, graduations, weddings.  She saw the arrival of eight great-grandchildren which earned her a new name:  “Gigi” – short for great-grandmother.  She was officially a great grandmother for 19 years, but we all know she was great all along.  She was our family matriarch but more than that, she was a treasured and integral member of our family.  There was no sense of duty or obligation in spending time with our grandmother – it was our pleasure.  And we are better people because of her – she brought out the best in each one of us.

Nan has given us a great legacy:  a legacy of love and acceptance; of family and cottage life; of grace and hospitality; of education and learning; of strength and independence; but most of all, a legacy of faith.

Nan believed in Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior and served Him faithfully throughout her life.  The Bible says that whoever looks to God’s Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life.  So we know that right now, Nan is in the presence of the Almighty God and we can be sure that she has heard the words we all long to hear:  well done, my good and faithful servant.

In loving memory
Leonore Pauline Lortie Smith
September 10, 1917 ~ December 10, 2010