Bountiful Bouquet Month Seven

 

I’ve taken some time away from Orca Bay which I’m ready to chuck through the window to do this month’s Bountiful Bouquet.  Do hope you like it.

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Requirements

· (7) eight inch squares of background fabric previously set aside in month two

· Assorted fabrics for appliqué

· Assorted fabrics for piecing

· Assorted matching embroidery floss

· A lead pencil, or a fine ink pen. I don't recommend a wash-away pen because we are going to be ironing over the top of any markings we make

· Vliesofix

· Sewing needles (I prefer crewels)

· General sewing requirements (ruler, board, rotary cutter etc)

· Light box if you have one

Applique Instructions

Using a light box or lighting source, trace the picture included lightly in pencil onto the right side of your eight inch square. It is important to remember that you must centre your design, as we will trim the block once we have stitched it. My picture has included the finished ‘look’ of the block, so you need to make sure your picture will fit inside this.

I always leave an area to cut off when I do my appliqué because the fabric tends to get a little frayed at the edges whilst I do it.

Now trace the design onto vliesofix as previously mentioned in our other steps. It is important to remember that the design must be reversed in this step, or else your flower will point the incorrect way. But if you want to make your flowers face different ways, just reverse the pictures for a couple of them.

Cut roughly around each floral piece. Following instructions previously given, iron the fusible webbing to the wrong side of each fabric you wish to use.

 

Cut on the traced line. Peel backing paper from the pieces and lay in place over the pencil lines of the design. When you are satisfied with your placement, iron into place.

Using two strands of floss, blanket stitch around design.

When you are happy with this step, give your design a good press and trim back to measure 6 ½”, being sure that you centre the design before cutting.

Piecing Instructions

From remaining coloured fabrics, cut four 3 ½” squares for each block. You will need four for each block, twenty eight in all.

Draw a light pencil line across the diagonal on the wrong side of these

Lay right sides together over appliquéd square as shown.

Stitch on pencil line.

To reduce the bulk of your block, stitch another line of stitching ½” away from this seam and cut in the middle.

 

Press back.

Repeat with remaining squares to make a unit like mine below, which should measure 6 ½” when completed.

Repeat this step with all your appliquéd units until all seven are completed.

When done, stitch this together to make one row measuring 6 ½” x 42 ½”.