Ever had one of those days (weeks, months, years....) where you start out with a "to do" list and all the intentions in the world of marking everything off said list by the end of the day (week, month year...)? I always start the week out that way. For those of you who don't know, I am the post-it note queen. I have a post-it for everyday of the week and by the end of the day, it's my chief joy to have all my tasks marked as complete, crumple the post-it, and throw it triumphantly in the garbage.
This week, no notes have made it to the trash can. I'm not sure what happened, but everything and everyone else took my neatly scheduled week and obliterated it by 9 a.m. Monday morning. Most it was beyond any one's control -- life just happened and I will share more of that at another time. However, if you're wondering, it's not my health -- I am better. Nor are any of my family sick.
So I don't have the completed applique for the Strawberry Basket Block. However, I have completed the same set of strawberries on my setting triangles -- three times. So I can give you a few helpful hints.
First, follow the placement directions that Kristin C. Steiner and Diane C Frankenberger have written for you. The berry parts go down first, then the stems and caps, and then the leaves. I am so thankful for these directions. I'm working on another applique-heavy quilt that does not include directions such as these. I find myself scratching my head and taking out a lot of stitches....
Secondly, use the placement lines to center your applique. The vertical line should match up with the point of the top half of the half-square triangle and the horizontal line should rest on the basket top edge. Part of the strawberry bunch should drape over the side of the basket so that it looks like the berries are sitting in the basket and not on top of it.
Lastly, you may want to soften the caps of the strawberries just a tad. Those applique edges are teeny-tiny. If you haven't done a lot of hand applique, it may be easier to enlarge the caps just a tad (no more than an eighth of an inch or they will look too big and bulky) and soften the tips of the caps a smidgen. It will make applique life a little easier for you.
Again, be careful handling this block as there are a lot of exposed bias edges. When the applique is complete, stay-stitch around the outside of the block (if you haven't already), press, and store flat.
And if you're appliqueing the setting triangles, keep working on them. You're going to need them before you know it!
Have a great weekend! Do something creative for yourself!
Love and Stitches,
Sherri
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