It's been ages since I blogged about my Tula Nova Quilt. But progress has been made - a little bit every now and again. I finished the EPP before Christmas but couldn't face the task of basting ready for applique with a bump. Once Joshua was here it was one of the first jobs I did!
I've appliqued EPP to backgrounds before - I perfected my technique with the 40 blocks for Round We Go. But this was A LOT bigger! I decided to use exactly the same technique and hope it worked. I pieced my background fabric with a centre seam. I pattern matched by folding one edge over, pressing it well, then laying it on top of the other piece, pinning in place and then top stitching in a matching thread. Very little of the seam will be seen and I'm happy with the result... the worst part is behind the EPP!
I then placed the EPP medallion centrally along this line and worked one side then the other. I'd left the final round of papers in the fabric at this point. Once I was happy with the position and everything was flat, I lifted a little at a time and stuck it down using my glue pen. I then very carefully lifted it across to my sewing machine, and using the longest stitch length, basted it in place about 1" from the edge, through the paper pieces that I'd left in. I then repeated this with the second side. It worked. No puckers. So far.
The came the hand applique. Because I'd left the papers in, I didn't have to turn edges or worry about keeping the shape accurate as I went. I didn't undo any of the basting stitches except in one little corner where I was developing a bit of a pucker. A bit of smoothing out and it'll not be noticed in the final thing! I then removed the basting stitches, cut away the backing from behind the medallion with a very rough and generous seam allowance, and removed the final papers.
Trimming it square was a bigger challenge than I had expected, and whilst it isn't necessarily square, it is even and central... I then added the borders in the same dark blue as I used in the piecing: I think it's Kona Nightfall. This makes it a bit bigger for sofa use - 68" x 72".
I've treated myself to some Tula Pink Pinkerville wideback for the backing, and it's all basted up ready for some hand quilting. The weather is due to be more "normal" (cold) this weekend so perhaps I will do quilt-along-a-Eurovision!
I've appliqued EPP to backgrounds before - I perfected my technique with the 40 blocks for Round We Go. But this was A LOT bigger! I decided to use exactly the same technique and hope it worked. I pieced my background fabric with a centre seam. I pattern matched by folding one edge over, pressing it well, then laying it on top of the other piece, pinning in place and then top stitching in a matching thread. Very little of the seam will be seen and I'm happy with the result... the worst part is behind the EPP!
I then placed the EPP medallion centrally along this line and worked one side then the other. I'd left the final round of papers in the fabric at this point. Once I was happy with the position and everything was flat, I lifted a little at a time and stuck it down using my glue pen. I then very carefully lifted it across to my sewing machine, and using the longest stitch length, basted it in place about 1" from the edge, through the paper pieces that I'd left in. I then repeated this with the second side. It worked. No puckers. So far.
The came the hand applique. Because I'd left the papers in, I didn't have to turn edges or worry about keeping the shape accurate as I went. I didn't undo any of the basting stitches except in one little corner where I was developing a bit of a pucker. A bit of smoothing out and it'll not be noticed in the final thing! I then removed the basting stitches, cut away the backing from behind the medallion with a very rough and generous seam allowance, and removed the final papers.
Trimming it square was a bigger challenge than I had expected, and whilst it isn't necessarily square, it is even and central... I then added the borders in the same dark blue as I used in the piecing: I think it's Kona Nightfall. This makes it a bit bigger for sofa use - 68" x 72".
I've treated myself to some Tula Pink Pinkerville wideback for the backing, and it's all basted up ready for some hand quilting. The weather is due to be more "normal" (cold) this weekend so perhaps I will do quilt-along-a-Eurovision!
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