Please Turn to the Back of the Book....

For anyone starting At Piece with Time (by Kristin C. Steiner and Diane C. Frankenberger), it may be the best idea to turn to the back of the book to page 65 to start on Harvest Bouquets first, simply because this is going to take the longest to finish.  No applique method is listed, it's up to each quilter to decide what method she wants to use.  I use mixed methods, depending on what I'm trying to achieve.  My favorite applique method is needleturn.  I will use that, freezer paper, bias tape makers, and may make part of this 3-D.  I've seen some lovely rouching on applique quilts recently.

Please do take the time to read through the "cutting recipe" a couple of times.  You're making all four triangles at once, but you make them on a square and don't cut them apart until the end.  This is awesome!  You don't stretch the exposed bias edge.

The directions are pretty clear, although on step 2, I had to draw my line 1 3/4-inch inside the fabric edge to get base of my triangle 14 1/8-inches long.  The picture below shows my diagonal line that bisects the 18-inch square (black thread) and the other bisecting line that will center each triangle's applique (white thread).  I machine-sewed around my square twice -- once to stay-stitch the edges to prevent stretching and the other to make the lines drawn inside the fabric edge to set the 14 1/8-inch boundary.

I know the darker applique background makes it harder to see, so here's a view from the wrong side of the fabric. I'm not sure this is any more help...

On page 67 is the overlay.  This must be enlarged by 200%.  I did mine on my desktop copier, but used legal sized paper.  It took several tries, but eventually I got it all on three sheets and then taped them together.

The book does not say to enlarge the bird's nest (if you choose to use it), but I found the original was just a tad too small.  I enlarged it 150%, went over it with a black sharpie, and when I transferred it to my fabric, I could see it just fine.

I transfer my applique to my fabric via light box, and mark on the wrong side of the fabric.

I promise there is a method to this madness.  I do not...do not...do not....under any circumstances, like any kind of pencil, marker, or chalk marking on the right side of my applique fabric.  Once I have completely transferred the applique pattern to the wrong side of my material, I then do a running basting stitch around the parts of the pattern I'm working on first.

Thankfully, Kristin and Diane have numbered the pieces on the applique overlay in the order you sew them.  The bias stems are first....and that's another blog...but meantime, I sewed the running basting stitches around the bias stems that are applied first (pieces 1-6).  To save time, I'm putting all six stems down on all four applique triangles at once simply because bias stems are some of my least favorite things to do and I want to make them all at once. 

Here's a picture of the running basting from the right and wrong sides of my material.

The next blog on At Piece with Time will concentrate on making those pesky biased stems....