HOMEWARD BOUND -- MONTH 7

 This quilt is the 2023 Block of the Month quilt for The Quilt Show. It was designed by Sarah Fielke exclusively for The Quilt Show and is only available at The Quilt Show. The best news is it's FREE for Star Members of The Quilt Show. Each month in 2023 a new part of the quilt is released for download to Star Members. 

It's time to start on the wide applique border that features lots of flowers, leaves and birds. We will work on these borders in Months 7, 8 and 9.

The first TIP is to WATCH THE SHOW that introduced this quilt on January 1, 2023. Sarah Fielke, the designer, shows how to create the paper pattern that is used for placement of the long stems. It is a FREE SHOW FOR EVERYONE, not just Star Members. Find it here: 

Show 3201

The first decision is how wide you will cut the four borders. The pattern says to cut them the actual size needed, 8.5" wide. As I handled them for many hours, I got a LOT of fraying at the edges and wished I had cut them 9" or wider, allowing me to trim away the frayed edges after all the applique was done.

Another idea suggested by a member watching on a LIVE broadcast, is to cut the long edges with a wavy blade rotary cutter. Again, I would still cut the borders wider than needed. 

Yet another way to deal with fraying from all the handling is to use Terial Magic, a liquid stablizer, that adds stability. A light spray is all that is needed. Again, I would still cut the borders a bit wider. And some people simply use starch or sizing to stiffen their background fabrics. 

It is a little tricky to cut the borders wider because a star and square of background are added to both ends of the Top and Bottom borders. They will be the exact size needed.  I did oversize the first border I cut but then changed my mind.  I wish I had left the border like this, so I could trim it to the correct size AFTER all the applique was done. Your quilt, you decide:

WATCH SHOW 3201 BEFORE PREPARING THE PAPER PATTERNS. There is a LEFT SIDE and a RIGHT SIDE. Be sure you know which is which.

In laying out the vines, I made a note of where the ends came to in relation to the Star points and bottom of the border fabric:

Here is the top border. I marked lines for the stems with a Crayola Washable marker so I could see the line but that was a mistake. The pen bled and I will have to wash it out later.

The paper pattern so you can see how it is used.

The stems are added before the vine is sewn in place:

Here are the borders marked, and one with the vines in place:

Remember to leave enough unsewn vine on the left and right side borders--they will be completed once the sides and top and bottom are sewn to the middle of the quilt:

I machine appliqued all the stems and vines, using a small blanket stitch and matching green thread. That was the fastest way to get them done. 

To help with Fabric Selection for those using the Kit fabrics, here are the MONTH 7 fabrics:

Large Circle       Tiny Dots Sky       4

Middle Circle     Background          4

Small Circle       Unicorn Poop Shimmer--used on the Tabs    24

                           Petal flower center does not appear on the Fabric List--it could be Unicorn Poop                                         Dazzle--simply use your favorite for this small circle   4

Petal                   Paperweight Paprika        24

Tab                     Roman Glass Pink           24

Feel free to change these fabrics if you like. I changed the small circle on the petals to a vibrant yellow/gold. Here you can see both choices. In hindsight, I would also make the small circles on the Tabs a deeper color as they disappear on the tabs:

I did all the flowers and leaves by hand applique. For me, the Tabs were easier once I prepped the edge by lightly gluing the tabs to freezer paper templates I made. It was easy to remove the freezer paper with tweezers since the bottom of the Tab was open:

I used a Circle Template to draw the circles the size needed to cut. This one was sold years ago for quilters but you can easily find this tool in the drafting section of an office supply store. I use Perfect Circles by Karen K Buckley for making the circles. Watch her show you how here.:

Next month we will add a lot of flowers and leaves.

Let's quilt.

Barbara