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work in progress....what a difference the background filler makes


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Boy, this has been a long time in the making.  This quilt is something I started almost 10 years ago.  I'm so slow at hand applique....thought it might never get done.  I'm finding that the machine quilting is super fun.

 

I got so excited this week to see how the background filler makes this applique pop.  I'm still working on this block, and it's the first one of many.  Just had to share the fun....

 

Before filler, I outlined the applique and did a small echo around it.post-4164-0-28870000-1408038977_thumb.jpg

 

With some of the filler donepost-4164-0-53995700-1408039028_thumb.jpg

 

:)  :) Thanks for looking.

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Wow, is that pretty, but I think if I had chosen to do that, I'd be very sorry (and very tired) before I got half way through.  I hope you have a lot more energy than I do (which, of course, isn't hard).  That quilt will be lovely when you've finished it!

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I enjoy making feathers of any size, so I'm loving this time spent.  

 

There are 4 blocks on the quilt with the striped background, and I plan to do the little feathers on just those 4.  I'm working hard to come up with two other designs for the rest of the blocks that I will enjoy doing as well.  I definitely don't want to get stuck doing one I hate for hours and hours and hours.....

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The tiny feathers along the stripes look awesome! Do you use side light to see what you are doing? Any tips on how to make it look so perfect?

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Great question Heidi.  You know, I read the post recently on quilting in the dark, and that's what I'm doing.  I'm using the machine's light and natural sun light from a window close by, and I turned my big fluorescent overhead light off.  That window provides good side light.   I'm using the edge of the brown stripe as the feather spine.  I start at the bottom and go up, then straight stitch back down the spine to get to the bottom again.  Then I sneak over in the ditch to the other edge of the stripe/spine.

 

While I'm making the feathers, I concentrate on the shape.  I try to make them fill the space and taper down to the spine. I use the bump method.  And I try hard to touch the edges of the brown stripes and not wander into them.  It's looking much better than I expected.  The stripes on the fabric are not perfectly straight, they are a little wavy.  That actually helps me because I'm a little wavy too. :) .

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