Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Wacky Bird Applique


I finally got my hands on some fabric and a needle last night....yipee! This is the block I started in the applique class at QuiltNebraska convention with Suzanne Marshall in July. Last night I got several pieces appliqued down and plan to work on it this evening too.

Had problems with value again with this block. Am not going to worry about it because it may never be more than a block but if you look close the legs are the same value as the body and the two bottom tail feathers are about the same value as the background. The extra piece on the head near the beak is close but there is a little difference in value.

This really causes blending or parts disappearing, especially if you stand a little away from the block. When I choose these fabrics in class I didn't have a value finder and didn't worry about it - just wanted to learn Suzanne's techniques for the beautiful applique she does.

I do like her method she calls "Take Away Applique" and think I will use it again. It is easy to place pieces on the background without marking the background. This method also saves time cutting templates for the shapes. Get her book and read all about it.

Want to do the stem stitch embroidery around the pieces that she has used on her applique too. That may take me a while as I am a really, really slow embroiderer.

Today it is so nice outside. Warm but with a hint of fall in the air - hard to explain but it is feeling more like fall every day.

Lynn

2 comments:

Elaine Adair said...

I am smiling at your Wacky Bird - the guy DOES have personality.

Yep, that value thing is not so easy when you have a lot of pieces! But your technique looks really good and smooth! I have both a RED and a GREEN value finder and it's still not so easy.

Elaine Adair said...

Are these fabrics batiks? Do they 'behave' better, less well than traditional cotton fabrics?

I've spent some time checking out the Nebraska bloggers - not too many, are there? And some aren't very active.

LinkWithin

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...