Focus on Applique: Simple or Complex

I'm borrowing Pat's Focus on Design idea for a series of applique
oriented discussions. I don't know how many I might come up with but
here is the second one.

To many people a simple applique design means few pieces, larger
pieces, or that the pieces are easy to hem. Well, applique can look
complex even if the pieces are easy to hem by using a lot of them, and
it can look simple but be complex if you have one big piece that has a
lot of complicated nooks and crannies. Baltimore Album style blocks
look a lot more complicated than a Hawaiian quilt to someone who
doesn't do applique, but applique-ers know that complexity is
determined by the tightness of curves, number of inner points, the
particular applique technique being used, and the phase of the moon,
not to mention if the fabric or thread is behaving itself or not, so
we judge things a little differently.

My big discussion questions a
How complex do you like to get with your applique and why?

Did you ever start a design that looked simple but turned out to be
hard to do?

Have you found a pattern you loved but the pieces were too hard to
make so you changed the existing pattern to make it easier to
accomplish?
Debra in VA
See my quilts at
http://community.webshots.com/user/debplayshere

Debra wrote:

I'm borrowing Pat's Focus on Design idea for a series of applique
oriented discussions. I don't know how many I might come up with but
here is the second one.

To many people a simple applique design means few pieces, larger
pieces, or that the pieces are easy to hem. Well, applique can look
complex even if the pieces are easy to hem by using a lot of them, and
it can look simple but be complex if you have one big piece that has a
lot of complicated nooks and crannies. Baltimore Album style blocks
look a lot more complicated than a Hawaiian quilt to someone who
doesn't do applique, but applique-ers know that complexity is
determined by the tightness of curves, number of inner points, the
particular applique technique being used, and the phase of the moon,
not to mention if the fabric or thread is behaving itself or not, so
we judge things a little differently.

My big discussion questions a
How complex do you like to get with your applique and why?

Did you ever start a design that looked simple but turned out to be
hard to do?

Have you found a pattern you loved but the pieces were too hard to
make so you changed the existing pattern to make it easier to
accomplish?
Debra in VA
See my quilts at
http://community.webshots.com/user/debplayshere


I have only ever done VERY simple appliqué - simple shapes like a leaf
or a heart on a block in 6" or 4" charm size... This can be very
effective. I've done it with all sorts of fabrics on all sorts of
backgrounds!

The biggest and most complex thing was the school banner, with the
school name and the animals motifs for the classes in red satin on a
poly-cotton drill background! I suppose that would count as complex for
some, with the letter shapes, and all the animals, and the awkward
fabrics, but I didn't feel like it at the time, and the kids helped with
a lot of it.

--
Kate XXXXXX R.C.T.Q Madame Chef des Trolls
Lady Catherine, Wardrobe Mistress of the Chocolate Buttons
http://www.katedicey.co.uk
Click on Kate's Pages and explore!

I have begun making my own applique designs. I tend to be overly
optimistic about how difficult the design will be -- before I start
trying to attach it. I do like to use fusing as a method of attaching
applique, although I do hand applique as well. If the corners are tight
and the curlicues are really curly then I will cut and fuse rather
than try to attach by hand. And yes, I have altered a design that
turned out to be too difficult.

Sunny


Debra wrote:
I'm borrowing Pat's Focus on Design idea for a series of applique
oriented discussions. I don't know how many I might come up with but
here is the second one.

To many people a simple applique design means few pieces, larger
pieces, or that the pieces are easy to hem. Well, applique can look
complex even if the pieces are easy to hem by using a lot of them, and
it can look simple but be complex if you have one big piece that has a
lot of complicated nooks and crannies. Baltimore Album style blocks
look a lot more complicated than a Hawaiian quilt to someone who
doesn't do applique, but applique-ers know that complexity is
determined by the tightness of curves, number of inner points, the
particular applique technique being used, and the phase of the moon,
not to mention if the fabric or thread is behaving itself or not, so
we judge things a little differently.

My big discussion questions a
How complex do you like to get with your applique and why?

Did you ever start a design that looked simple but turned out to be
hard to do?

Have you found a pattern you loved but the pieces were too hard to
make so you changed the existing pattern to make it easier to
accomplish?
Debra in VA
See my quilts at
http://community.webshots.com/user/debplayshere

Interesting topic - but I would also like to hear where
people get their design ideas from. Do you buy patterns,
design your own or look at certain things for a motif to use
as a basis?

Cheryl & the Cats
o o o o o o
( Y ) ( Y ) ( Y )
Enness Boofhead Donut
http://community.webshots.com/user/witchofthewest
catsatararatATyahooDOTcomDOTau

"Debra" wrote in message
news : I'm borrowing Pat's Focus on Design idea for a series of
applique
: oriented discussions. I don't know how many I might come
up with but
: here is the second one.
:
(snip).
:
: My big discussion questions a
: How complex do you like to get with your applique and why?
:
I will tackle almost anything but I feel free to change
everything lol Long thin points do not thrill me, nor do
tight inwards curves. It's not that I can't do them, they
are just too much hard work. I am basically lazy I think.
So I usually try to alter the design/pattern to minimise
them. I am not a big fan of iron-on so that is usually not
an option.

I have read up on Sharon Schamber's Piecelique technique for
curves and long thin points (pieced, not appliqued) but I
haven't tried it yet I am not sure I can be brave enough to
glue anything!

My favourite source for designs is fabric prints. I like to
hunt for an appealing motif or graphic in a fabric (some
only a few cms in size) and blow them up to HUGE and see
what happens. My Kokopelli/lizard quilt has figures on it
that are about 2' high but the fabric print was only about 1
to 1.5". http://tinyurl.com/hdntt When you enlarge on
that scale there are always areas you have to modify to fit
the applique method, but it can be fun. The Mardi Gras
masks were even smaller. http://tinyurl.com/jyh73

Sometimes I set the applique panel into a surrounding
setting made of the fabric. That worked for the masks and
source fabric, but not for the Kokopelli quilt. It just
didn't look right. I think the change from a light
background to a dark one, and the simplification of the
designe made them incompatible. The source fabric was an
American Indian "design", but everyone who sees it thinks
the quilt is of Australian Aboriginal figures, probably
because I chose warmer red and brown colours in place of the
greyer tones in the original fabric design. It started out
as an experiment so Istitched it on a piece of homespun I
had laying around in colours I don't usually like. Then I
got nagged into making the experiment into a quilt. Well,
the top is done now but I don't think the quilting will ever
get done - at least not by me. The experiment taught me a
lot, but the project lost my attention after that.

I have a box full of fabric pieces that have motifs that I
would like to "re-engineer" one day. Border prints are
especially good for this. The last one I did I loved, but
once I had finished the applique I found I was not
interested in finishing the quilt so I gave it away. The
recipient was not a quilter, and she put the panel into a
very simple setting. It would not have been my choice, but
she was thrilled with the result so we were both happy.

Here's the border - http://tinyurl.com/nc4fp
Here's the medallion that "grew" from it -
http://tinyurl.com/pvruu

I also enjoy reworking embroidery designs into applique
designs. Crewel embroidery can become the most wonderful
Jacobean applique, and I tend towards Pat Campbells use of
bright colours for those. My current project is a Jacobean
Tree of Life over 6' high, but this time I have gone almost
monochromatic - golds, browns and mossy greens.

I am thinking of repeating the Rose Sampler Supreme blocks
by Rosemary Makhan (sp?) in a monochromatic latte colour
scheme one day. I have some designs in EQ that are in the
Webshots album. http://tinyurl.com/fwa7f



: Did you ever start a design that looked simple but turned
out to be
: hard to do?
:
Oh heck, yes! All the time! lol And even if it is
simple, I usually manage to alter it to make it complicated.


: Have you found a pattern you loved but the pieces were too
hard to
: make so you changed the existing pattern to make it easier
to
: accomplish?

All the time! roflmao Why not?!



I often enjoy the design and initial sewing stage (proving
to myself that it can be done the way I have imagined it)
more than finishing the piece. That probably explains the
large number of UFOs floating around this place.

I rationalise that they make good teaching samples (that's
my excuse and I'm sticking to it!)


: Debra in VA
: See my quilts at
: http://community.webshots.com/user/debplayshere

I've only done a few applique projects, and for the most part they have
been published patterns. The one exception is a wall hanging I made from
a set of basket blocks that I won at a guild meeting. There were 7, a
difficult number to work with, so they stayed in a drawer for a couple
years while I tried to figure out what to do with them. Then one day, at
a convenience store, I saw a greeting card that showed a quilt that had
pieced baskets with appliqued flowers. This is the result:
http://webpages.charter.net/jaccola/RedBaskets.JPG. Closeups of the
baskets are about halfway down at
http://webpages.charter.net/jaccola/Quilts2005.html

Julia in MN

Cats wrote:
Interesting topic - but I would also like to hear where
people get their design ideas from. Do you buy patterns,
design your own or look at certain things for a motif to use
as a basis?

Cheryl & the Cats
o o o o o o
( Y ) ( Y ) ( Y )
Enness Boofhead Donut
http://community.webshots.com/user/witchofthewest
catsatararatATyahooDOTcomDOTau

"Debra" wrote in message
news : I'm borrowing Pat's Focus on Design idea for a series of
applique
: oriented discussions. I don't know how many I might come
up with but
: here is the second one.
:
(snip).
:
: My big discussion questions a
: How complex do you like to get with your applique and why?
:
I will tackle almost anything but I feel free to change
everything lol Long thin points do not thrill me, nor do
tight inwards curves. It's not that I can't do them, they
are just too much hard work. I am basically lazy I think.
So I usually try to alter the design/pattern to minimise
them. I am not a big fan of iron-on so that is usually not
an option.

I have read up on Sharon Schamber's Piecelique technique for
curves and long thin points (pieced, not appliqued) but I
haven't tried it yet I am not sure I can be brave enough to
glue anything!

My favourite source for designs is fabric prints. I like to
hunt for an appealing motif or graphic in a fabric (some
only a few cms in size) and blow them up to HUGE and see
what happens. My Kokopelli/lizard quilt has figures on it
that are about 2' high but the fabric print was only about 1
to 1.5". http://tinyurl.com/hdntt When you enlarge on
that scale there are always areas you have to modify to fit
the applique method, but it can be fun. The Mardi Gras
masks were even smaller. http://tinyurl.com/jyh73

Sometimes I set the applique panel into a surrounding
setting made of the fabric. That worked for the masks and
source fabric, but not for the Kokopelli quilt. It just
didn't look right. I think the change from a light
background to a dark one, and the simplification of the
designe made them incompatible. The source fabric was an
American Indian "design", but everyone who sees it thinks
the quilt is of Australian Aboriginal figures, probably
because I chose warmer red and brown colours in place of the
greyer tones in the original fabric design. It started out
as an experiment so Istitched it on a piece of homespun I
had laying around in colours I don't usually like. Then I
got nagged into making the experiment into a quilt. Well,
the top is done now but I don't think the quilting will ever
get done - at least not by me. The experiment taught me a
lot, but the project lost my attention after that.

I have a box full of fabric pieces that have motifs that I
would like to "re-engineer" one day. Border prints are
especially good for this. The last one I did I loved, but
once I had finished the applique I found I was not
interested in finishing the quilt so I gave it away. The
recipient was not a quilter, and she put the panel into a
very simple setting. It would not have been my choice, but
she was thrilled with the result so we were both happy.

Here's the border - http://tinyurl.com/nc4fp
Here's the medallion that "grew" from it -
http://tinyurl.com/pvruu

I also enjoy reworking embroidery designs into applique
designs. Crewel embroidery can become the most wonderful
Jacobean applique, and I tend towards Pat Campbells use of
bright colours for those. My current project is a Jacobean
Tree of Life over 6' high, but this time I have gone almost
monochromatic - golds, browns and mossy greens.

I am thinking of repeating the Rose Sampler Supreme blocks
by Rosemary Makhan (sp?) in a monochromatic latte colour
scheme one day. I have some designs in EQ that are in the
Webshots album. http://tinyurl.com/fwa7f



: Did you ever start a design that looked simple but turned
out to be
: hard to do?
:
Oh heck, yes! All the time! lol And even if it is
simple, I usually manage to alter it to make it complicated.


: Have you found a pattern you loved but the pieces were too
hard to
: make so you changed the existing pattern to make it easier
to
: accomplish?

All the time! roflmao Why not?!



I often enjoy the design and initial sewing stage (proving
to myself that it can be done the way I have imagined it)
more than finishing the piece. That probably explains the
large number of UFOs floating around this place.

I rationalise that they make good teaching samples (that's
my excuse and I'm sticking to it!)


: Debra in VA
: See my quilts at
: http://community.webshots.com/user/debplayshere




--
This message has been scanned for viruses by Norton Anti-Virus

http://webpages.charter.net/jaccola/

Oh they are just lovely. Such a clever use of an odd number
too!
--

Cheryl & the Cats
o o o o o o
( Y ) ( Y ) ( Y )
Enness Boofhead Donut
http://community.webshots.com/user/witchofthewest
catsatararatATyahooDOTcomDOTau

"Julia in MN" wrote
in message ...
: I've only done a few applique projects, and for the most
part they have
: been published patterns. The one exception is a wall
hanging I made from
: a set of basket blocks that I won at a guild meeting.
There were 7, a
: difficult number to work with, so they stayed in a drawer
for a couple
: years while I tried to figure out what to do with them.
Then one day, at
: a convenience store, I saw a greeting card that showed a
quilt that had
: pieced baskets with appliqued flowers. This is the result:
: http://webpages.charter.net/jaccola/RedBaskets.JPG.
Closeups of the
: baskets are about halfway down at
: http://webpages.charter.net/jaccola/Quilts2005.html
:
: Julia in MN

(snipped my long ramble)

I have the pattern of one of Pat Campbell's Jacobean masterpieces in a
drawer, but so far I'm afraid to attempt it.

--
Valerie in FL
My quilts: http://community.webshots.com/user/vjkahler


"Kate Dicey" wrote in message
...
Debra wrote:

I'm borrowing Pat's Focus on Design idea for a series of applique
oriented discussions. I don't know how many I might come up with but
here is the second one. To many people a simple applique design means
few pieces, larger
pieces, or that the pieces are easy to hem. Well, applique can look
complex even if the pieces are easy to hem by using a lot of them, and
it can look simple but be complex if you have one big piece that has a
lot of complicated nooks and crannies. Baltimore Album style blocks
look a lot more complicated than a Hawaiian quilt to someone who
doesn't do applique, but applique-ers know that complexity is
determined by the tightness of curves, number of inner points, the
particular applique technique being used, and the phase of the moon,
not to mention if the fabric or thread is behaving itself or not, so
we judge things a little differently. My big discussion questions a
How complex do you like to get with your applique and why? Did you ever
start a design that looked simple but turned out to be
hard to do?

Have you found a pattern you loved but the pieces were too hard to
make so you changed the existing pattern to make it easier to
accomplish?
Debra in VA
See my quilts at http://community.webshots.com/user/debplayshere


I have only ever done VERY simple appliqué - simple shapes like a leaf or
a heart on a block in 6" or 4" charm size... This can be very effective.
I've done it with all sorts of fabrics on all sorts of backgrounds!

The biggest and most complex thing was the school banner, with the school
name and the animals motifs for the classes in red satin on a poly-cotton
drill background! I suppose that would count as complex for some, with
the letter shapes, and all the animals, and the awkward fabrics, but I
didn't feel like it at the time, and the kids helped with a lot of it.

--
Kate XXXXXX R.C.T.Q Madame Chef des Trolls
Lady Catherine, Wardrobe Mistress of the Chocolate Buttons
http://www.katedicey.co.uk
Click on Kate's Pages and explore!

On 30 Sep 2006 12:11:07 -0700, "Sunny" wrote:

I have begun making my own applique designs. I tend to be overly
optimistic about how difficult the design will be -- before I start
trying to attach it. I do like to use fusing as a method of attaching
applique, although I do hand applique as well. If the corners are tight
and the curlicues are really curly then I will cut and fuse rather
than try to attach by hand. And yes, I have altered a design that
turned out to be too difficult.

Sunny

I have made my own designs, but more often I alter existing designs to
suit my whims.

I've done some fusing, but didn't like the stiffness of the results.
I've used the slit and turn method of preparing pieces, and hand
hemming them. Both of those work out all right although you can't get
really pointy points with the slit and turn method because the seam is
inside the backed and turned piece.

I've been experimenting with water soluble fabric glue sticks. I can
use it to hem pieces by just putting it along the edges and folding
the raw edge of the fabric to the back, but it is a sticky process.
The glue sticks work far better than pins for placing the pieces onto
the background before sewing. I can get everything laid out
perfectly, with no puckers due to pins, and absolutely nothing shifts
when I'm sewing.
Debra in VA
See my quilts at
http://community.webshots.com/user/debplayshere

If you like to fuse, Debra, but don't want stiffness, perhaps you could
try the sort of half-way method (Leslie told me about it, but I think
someone else once spoke about it): draw the design and cut it out on
the fusible's paper part, then cut away all but about half an inch round
the edge. Stick the 'edge' part to the fabric and cut out. It does
waste all the middles, if they are very small; but, if they are large
enough, you can use them for something else.
..
In message , Debra
writes
I have made my own designs, but more often I alter existing designs to
suit my whims.

I've done some fusing, but didn't like the stiffness of the results.
I've used the slit and turn method of preparing pieces, and hand
hemming them. Both of those work out all right although you can't get
really pointy points with the slit and turn method because the seam is
inside the backed and turned piece.

I've been experimenting with water soluble fabric glue sticks. I can
use it to hem pieces by just putting it along the edges and folding
the raw edge of the fabric to the back, but it is a sticky process.
The glue sticks work far better than pins for placing the pieces onto
the background before sewing. I can get everything laid out
perfectly, with no puckers due to pins, and absolutely nothing shifts
when I'm sewing.
Debra in VA
See my quilts at
http://community.webshots.com/user/debplayshere

--
Best Regards
pat on the hill

On Sun, 1 Oct 2006 12:14:35 +1000, "Cats" wrote:

Interesting topic - but I would also like to hear where
people get their design ideas from. Do you buy patterns,
design your own or look at certain things for a motif to use
as a basis?

Cheryl & the Cats

Well, so far I haven't bought any patterns. I've used online free
patterns, drawn simple shapes myself, used simple clip art pictures as
patterns, and once got my artistic brother the draw something for me.
I don't draw very well but I've been known to slightly alter patterns
to fit my needs. I've also used various parts from Baltimore album
blocks, but never actually done a whole Baltimore block.

I've never thought about using fabric prints as applique motifs. I
see the print and try to decide what it could be part of. I'm going
to have to try it your way one day. I've got a couple of prints that
just won't work for general applique, but may work well as design
ideas.

If I liked piecing more than applique I would use cross stitch
patterns as piecing diagrams for quilt tops. It would be a simple
conversion--one X on the pattern = one fabric square of the quilt top.
There are quite a few sweet possibilities for quilts made of all
squares and triangles from small cross stitch motifs. I might use
some of the more complex ones for applique patterns in the future. I
may have to round out some of the corners, but many of them could be
used for simple applique.

Debra in VA
See my quilts at
http://community.webshots.com/user/debplayshere