Wrapping up Friendship Star

I finally finished the applique!  I kept at it Monday night through Bones and Castle and then completed it last night during a Buffy marathon that Pivot had on (and yes, if you're seeing a David Boreanez connection, you would be right....).

TADA!!!

I love the colors!  It's so bright and cheerful after all the dull, gray winter weather we've been having.

And you can see what I mean by all the little pieces that were involved in the applique on this block.  Let's look at this a little closer.

There are a lot of curves on this little applique piece.  These are the tips that I would offer you:

1.  On the stem, do the inner curve first, whether you're machine appliqueing or hand appliqueing, and then do the outer curve.  This will help prevent the stem from having little wrinkles or tucks in it.  It will also help keep the curve intact where it needs to be.

2.  Don't be afraid to clip the inner curves to keep your leaves and flower designs.  Some of the curves are gentle and are easily stitched down.  Others are sudden and steeper and sometimes that clip will allow the fabric to have a little extra "give."  Then it will snuggle down right inside the area correctly.

3.  A wet toothpick is your best friend.  The areas are small and tight and that wet toothpick can pull the fabric under better than anything.

4.  Your next best friend is a magnifying glass.  Seriously.

5.  Don't Rush It.  Take your time.  Working in tight areas can be frustrating, but remember you're the boss..  That fabric has got to do what you say.

Since this is the block that represents your friendships, please allow me a few lines to talk about my girlfriends.  I don't have any sisters.  I have one terrific brother, but no sisters.  All my life I wanted a sister, but Mom and Dad were done with Eric.  A part of me misses not having one.  So some of the women in my life have gone beyond the realm of "friend" to a tighter inner circle of "if I could pick a sister, I'd pick you."  There are a couple of girls I went to high school with that are like this.  We can go months without talking, but the minute I see them, we can pick right back up as if the time apart never happened.

There are women I danced with.  For a number of years, I was a competitive ballroom dancer and I performed.  I still adore the foxtrot and West Coast swing.  I was in the studio with these women at least two or three days a week.  We don't see each other as much since the studio closed (and I'm looking for another place to dance...). but by golly gee, when we see each other, it's tears and laughter and just so darn much fun.

And then there are the women I quilt with.  I'm the closest with this group.  These ladies have seen me gain weight, lose weight, with make up , without make up, lose my temper and my sanity, seen me through separations and reunions and babies and grandbabies.  We've stitched quilts and friendships through laughter and tears and thread and cotton fabric.  I see some of them once a month and some of them every week at Dragonfly's Sit and Sew.  We've cried and laughed together.  They've had my back more than once and I've tried to do the same for them.  I love them dearly.  They keep me sane.

All of these women hold a special place in my heart.  Statistics are this ladies -- we're probably gonna outlive our men.  That's the sad truth.  So in the end?  It pays to pick your girlfriends wisely because you're going to need each other.

So now we've completed four blocks in  At Piece with Time.  Lay them out and check for size and color consistency.

Keep moving ahead...if you're behind, you'll catch up.  If you're caught up, let's start block 5 soon.

Love and Stitches....

Sherri