Update: Giveaway closed
Today seems like a great day to announce a fun giveaway with Fat Quarter Shop! In December I received their fabulous Sew Sampler box, and it included a set of Impressions Orange Peel Templates. That was the nudge I needed to begin my first orange peel quilt, and I’d love for one of you to win a set of Impressions Quilting Templates too!
Today seems like a great day to announce a fun giveaway with Fat Quarter Shop! In December I received their fabulous Sew Sampler box, and it included a set of Impressions Orange Peel Templates. That was the nudge I needed to begin my first orange peel quilt, and I’d love for one of you to win a set of Impressions Quilting Templates too!
To backtrack just a bit, I want to add a disclaimer. I am not a hand applique expert . . . by any means! But I do love hand binding, and I have been longing to do more hand sewing, more \”slowdown sewing.\” In fact, I blogged about that just last week. So I took a little leap of faith, relied on some techniques I know, and I’m winging it as I go. It feels really good! I’ll share some of my thoughts with you in case you feel like throwing caution to the wind!
First I pulled some favorite cream-background prints from my Fig Tree stash. They looked really pretty with the Moda CrossWeave (in sand) that I had on hand. Fabric selection: check! Then I chose the 4” template because, to my eye, it looked like the right size for the prints. (Again, winging it and loving it. Go with your instincts, people!)
Next I pondered whether I would do fusible applique (which I’ve done before), needle turn applique (which sounded scary), or sew-in interfacing applique (which I’ve done once before and enjoyed). Since this project was intended to be slowdown sewing, I opted for the last option and traced about 8 orange peel shapes onto the interfacing just to get started.
Call me silly, but it’s fun to see the cherries through the traced shape! Time to begin sewing.
I shortened up my stitch length and used my walking foot to sew on the traced line. I love my walking foot, but it does block the view of where the needle hits the line. I checked my stitches. They looked good.
Still, I wondered if I should use my open toe foot (#20 on my Bernina) so that I could see the line better. I tried that, and my stitches looked fine that way too. However, I didn’t enjoy stopping and pivoting around the curve. So in the end I opted for my walking foot. I’m the most comfortable with that, and I could ease around the shape without any stopping and pivoting.
After I had sewn interfacing to four different prints, I trimmed to within 1/4\” of the traced shape. I then cut an opening in the interfacing, turned the orange peel right side out, pushed out the corners as best I could, and pressed.
Typically a 4” orange peel would call for a 4 1/2” background square. I cut my Moda Cross Weave squares to 5” because that woven fabric tends to fray a bit when you are handling it. I will trim them up to 4 1/2” later when the hand sewing is all done. (Here\’s a picture of my sweet little needle book I made for this project. You can read about that here if you\’d like: Simple Zipper Bag: Preparing for some \”slowdown sewing\”.
I selected Aurifil 80wt applique thread number 2026 (chalk). This thread is silky smooth to the touch, but it is also strong. I love how my stitches disappear into the fabric. And, I must say, I’m a little smitten with the wooden spool.
I only have four orange peels done, and my type A personality is totally fine with that. No deadline. No pressure. Although . . . I can’t stop thinking about how I’d like an orange peel mini quilt hanging in a bare spot in my dining room . . . by summer would be nice.
Update: Giveaway closed
Would you like to win an Impressions Orange Peel Quilting Template set from Fat Quarter Shop? Then simply leave a comment below with your email address. Comments are open through 5:00pm (CST) on Thursday, February 16, 2017, at which time a random drawing will take place. We are also giving away a set on Instagram, so visit me at @taunjalynn for a second chance to win. This giveaway is also open to international customers. Thank you so much for your generosity Fat Quarter Shop!
Would you like to win an Impressions Orange Peel Quilting Template set from Fat Quarter Shop? Then simply leave a comment below with your email address. Comments are open through 5:00pm (CST) on Thursday, February 16, 2017, at which time a random drawing will take place. We are also giving away a set on Instagram, so visit me at @taunjalynn for a second chance to win. This giveaway is also open to international customers. Thank you so much for your generosity Fat Quarter Shop!
*Only one comment per person/per email address. Email me if you are having trouble leaving a comment and I will leave a comment on your behalf (carriedawayquilting@gmail.com)
Thanks for stopping by the blog today!
~Taunja
