The Saturday After

Here it is the saturday after Thanksgiving, and I've finally had a bit more than a couple minutes to post my applique progress for this week.  It was a busy week, a family time, a grandparent time - So fun, but am still getting back to normal.  So Applique Thursday is on a saturday this week - the last day of the week at that.

Here's how far I've gotten with my second Jubilee Album block:

What I'm doing this time is back basting the pieces to the block (here you see the front and some of the back basting ).  I'm using water soluble thread (Vanish Lite by Superior Threads) to back baste with - that way I won't have to worry about taking the basting out or struggling to remove it after I have raw edge appliqued over it.  I decided as I had the luxury of a largish piece of solid blue green to pin the solid to cover all the stems and leaves and back baste and cutting out the stems and leaves after I've basted them in place.  I back basted to the left of the lines of the elements. Then I used embroidery scissors to cut exactly to the right of the basted stitches.  This brings the cut line to be exactly on the pencil drawn line. 

What are you working on?  Would love to see your applique - past, in process, just finished or just in the planning stage.  Click on the blue button below and share your link to your blog post/or photo link.

WIP Wednesday 11/23/11 and another possible winner

Hello!  Didn't hear from astitch about the giveaway, so after 5 days I've picked another winner:  Marilyn in Queensland, AU.  Send me your snail mail addy and I'll send off your book.

I'm posting my WIP Wednesday a little early as I have to leave bright and early tomorrow morning to pick up Frank in Duarte.  He's spending a couple of days with us and then going home with the parents on Friday when we all meet at my DD's house for Thanksgiving Dinner - we're celebrating on Friday as that was the first day we could all manage to get together.  No matter - we just spread out the thanksgiving!

Here is my shop hop block I've finally got back to.  You can't see it, but I have machine appliqued around the bird silhouette with a straight stitch.  I'm not happy with the feet.  They got a little fatter as the fabric frayed a bit.  What is the secret to doing raw edge machine applique and not getting those frays?  Would really like to know.  I haven't done the yellow part yet as I don't have any thread that comes close to being a good match for it.  Will have to make a trip to the LQS or Jo-Ann's and see what I can buy to get this block in the done pile.

What are you working on?  Go on over to my sidebar and click on Esther's WIP button to see what some are doing and try too the Fabric Tuesday button by Quilt Story.  It's always fun to see what others are doing.

Design Wall Monday 11/21/11

I'm late in the day with this, but have been holiday shopping and running other errands.  The two color quilt is still on my design wall. This is the back you're seeing.   I need to add the borders and then can finish the quilting and bind it.  I hope to have it done for our December Guild meeting. Wish me luck!

Go on over to my sidebar and click on Judy's Patchwork Times.  You'll see a lot of beautiful quilts in the making.  Or you can click on BOMs away - there are eye candy there, too!