Tuesday's Tile - Constellations

Quilter's Tile - Constellations

8" x 8"

©2011 Sharon V. Rotz

And then the little angel flew off to the stars

 where she lived with Greater Bear, Smaller Bear

 and all of her other animal friends.

Looking through my sketchbook, I found this little angel and she was the inspiration for this whimsical quilter's tile.

My first step was to draw the angel's shape unto white muslin and used fabric markers to add color.

My little angel seemed upset with her surroundings, and I wasn't happy with the blue pencil that I added below the skirt. 

New plan: Applying fusible to the back and cutting out the angel. She was much happier freed from her background. Obviously, she wanted to fly. I thought I would try something new. I fused the angel onto a thin polyester fleece type batting and trimmed her to shape.

This blue background seemed to suit the angel and I  machine quilted her onto the quilt sandwich, leaving the edge of her wings free.

I used purchased single fold bias tape for the binding. Quite a challenge, as it was very narrow and hard to pull around the edge. It did look nice, like piping on the edge, but I don't think I will do it again.

Tip for today

What's your favorite handy tool?

Today, I'd like to share a simple and quick little project for your sewing studio.  

As I was completing a quilted project using a wool batt, I trimmed the edge and was ready to throw away a narrow strip of wool batting. Thinking of the properties of wool and how it keep needles and pins from rusting, I rolled the batting strip into a ball and secured with a pin. (Notice the yellow pin head on the side.)

Just like that, I had a small pincushion to keep next to my machine for extra needles and a few pins. Keeping the strip narrow helps so you don't push the needles in too far to rescue and they become dangerous weapons ready to stick you at a later date.

Sticking Together and Ready to Go

It's time to get my star quilt layered with batting and backing for quilting. I'm using a piece of  Fusiboo bamboo blend batting. I found that it does fuse nicely to the quilt top and backing. After pressing the top, I turned my sandwich over, adjusted and repressed the back so there would not be any folds or pleats of fabric to quilt into the back.  That would certainly spoil a sunny day.  The quilt sandwich is a little stiff but I don't feel that will be a problem on this small project.

The extra step I am taking is to hand baste around the entire edge of the quilt sandwich. I know the fusible batting is holding nicely at this stage but by the time I maneuver the quilt several times under the needle of my sewing machine the fusing is likely to start pulling apart. I also find that any seams on the edge of the quilt top are also stressed during quilting and may pull apart. The simple act of basting around the quilt solves the problem and keeps everything secure and in place.

Have you tried a fusible batting for your quilting? How did it work for you? 

Fusible batting

Things went quite well using Fusi-boo cotton/bamboo fusible batting. I used it on a project that was 3' x 5'. I did lay out the quilt backing, batting and top as I usually do. I put some pins in to keep things together. I then took it to my ironing surface and steamed it according to the package directions.

Since my quilt had multiple narrow lines, I tried to really make sure I was keep my lines straight as I pressed the layers together. As I quilted, I was impressed that things stayed straight. As I got near the end, my layers did seem to have come apart, so I took my quilt back to the iron and re-fused the edges.

I will use the fusible batting again. I'm thinking of those quilt tops with a lot of bias that want to stretch and pull as I stitch. This could be a wonderful solution for a frustration-free quilting experience.

"Green" batting

Going with the green (sustainable) theme, I am going to try a new batting in my next quilt. Fairfield's Fusi-boo batting is made from cotton and rayon fibers made from bamboo. I have used bamboo batting in other quilts and thought it worked well.

I will give the fusible bamboo batting a try and see how it goes. Have you had good results with it? I am not on board with fusible batting in general so ... the results are questionable.

By the way, I did get an offer of foil candy wrappers from a package of Rolo candies. Somehow, it is much more appealing to be forced to eat the candy first!