PIQF is here ... Pacific International Quilt Festival .. one of the real BIG quilt shows on the West Coast.  For the past several years, Judy Akers, has been gracious enough to host me at her house for the 3 days/2 nights that we spend at the show, so that I don't have to travel back and forth the 1 hour+ drive every day.   Plus, it is so enjoyable sharing her family life.  :-)

However, that means that I need to bring sufficient handwork to do when we are at her home.  I am finishing up my final (woo hoo!) Deco Garden block, so I am prepping my next Forever Project™.  I have two choices: a kit that I had previously bought at a show.  This kit is of chickens appliqued onto a block and when done, you have an entire barnyard of fowl creatures.  It's very cute.  BUT, I can see at times, it's a little fiddly.  I've just finished a LOT of fiddly blocks.

The other choice is an idea that has been hanging around for quite a while.  A Hawaiian applique quilt.  I've been collecting batiks for the applique.  I have fabric suitable for the background.  "All" I have to do is cut out the applique patterns.   Well, in steps my Scan n Cut to the rescue!   I brought in the Hawaiian applique image to the companion design program, size it to 10", and had it create a cut file from the image.  The cut file was then transferred to my Scan n Cut and that utterly marvelous machine cuts out the applique perfectly, every time.   Once the applique pattern is cut (so easy with my wonderful machine!), I can then trace the pattern onto my batiks like I do for all of my other needleturn applique projects.

After thinking about it only briefly, the Hawaiian applique won out.  While the appliques *can* be very intricate, the ones I'm making right now have easy curves.  Lord knows I'm all about the easy.  :-)   If any of you have ever done Pacific Rim Quilting Companys "2 Fabric Applique" .. this is just a mini version of that.  (In fact, PRQC's "2 Fabric Applique" is where I learned the needleturn method that I now use.)   I've prepped 2 blocks and 2 more have applique patterns already cut out.

I think I'll have more than enough handwork projects to keep me busy at Judy's house. :-

Pirate (PIRATE_SR) said:

I've just finished a LOT of fiddly blocks.

But I have always thought that you were our Queen of Fiddly Blocks.

How dare you disabuse me of that thinking? 

Heh .. I never quite thought of myself in that way.  You may continue your thought process.  :-)

Now, those people who make the Dear Jane blocks .... THOSE are fiddly people!  :-)

I'm so glad you are feeling better after you knee surgery to be "back in the saddle again".  It probably feels pretty good to be back at the machine.  You make such darling baby quilts and I'm sure this one will be as cute as can be.  Make sure you show us a picture of it.

Thanks Lynne.  Yes, I'm enjoying working at the sewing machine again. I missed it.  A photo will definitely be posted!

So, I love your idea for the new Hawaiian appliqué project....I love batiks! However, I am curious why you aren't using your Scan n Cut to cut the fabric?  I don't have the machine myself but have heard you can do this.....just wondering. 

Donna in Oklahoma

I finished the turtle turtle quilt top and finished binding a not-your-run -of-the-mill bear baby quilt.

Cari

Cari, you have done wonderful work with both of those quilt projects.  The Turtle Star quilt is absolutely dazzling and I could look at it for hours while the quilt with bears looks like you took the fabrics out of my bedroom closet.

You done good, girl! 

Donna, I actually did do that once.  The SnC *does* cut fabric and quite nicely too.

The reason why I didn't this time is twofold.  One is that there is a certain amount of prep that needs to be done the the fabric.  Fabric needs to be *stiff as a board* to be accurately cut.  It can't be flimsy or wiggle around on the cutting mat.  You can do this in a couple of ways, depending on the type of applique you're going to do (machine? Hand?)

I do hand applique and would need to also wash out the stiffener before I could do my needleturn. And then wait for it to dry  ... or iron it dry .. all extra steps, which is obnoxious. 

The technique I use for my needleturn is to trace the finished shape on the right side of the fabric, do a long stitch along the seamline,  trim away the excess, and turn under the seamline.  

And because of this technique,  I don't need the applique to be cut into the right shape; having it done so is a actually a hindrance. 

Now if it was a machine applique where you have fusible on the reverse and you *do* need the shape to be cut out, then yeah, the Scan n Cut would work very well.  But I dont do that kind of applique. 

Wow! That turtle quilt is beyond amazing!