Hey Everyone, welcome back to Stitch Along Sunday.
Last week was the first stitch along for the new year and we started it off by picking some warm and cool coloured fabrics as well as a very dark one for the background. If you missed it you can find it here, January 2015 Week 1.
The rules in a nut shell for this week are to cut up the warm coloured fabrics into small pieces and scatter around the dark background. The full set of rules can be found on Ruth’s blog at January Rules Week 2.
Also don’t forget to check out the Gallery and see what everyone else has been up to with their stitch along piece. In fact there are a few people joining in the challenge this month. I love seeing what everyone else has come up with because the ideas are always so varied and different.
I started out with my warm coloured pieces and trimmed off the edges that had no fusible on them. Then I removed the paper backing from them all.
Warm coloured fabrics prepared
Each piece I cut up into small bits – squares, triangles, rectangles and some other odd shapes but no curved pieces. I decided to go with straight edge cuts. Then I arranged them all on the background fabric. We were to stay away from the middle and I also decided to stay away from the corners. Not sure if this is a wise idea or not but I guess I’ll find out soon enough.
Fabric bits arranged on background
After fusing the bits to the front of the piece in a circle I then fused a piece of fusible fleece to the back of the background square to act as a stabilizer for the stitching. The front reminds me a lot of a wreath. No particular reason why I put them in a circle I just did.
Fusible fleece fused to back of fabric
Remember last week I couldn’t decided between two different colours of thread to go with the warm fabrics. Here they are on the bits of appliqué. I’ve decided to go with the darker orange/yellow/red thread as it stands out more on the background.
Thread choices
All set up for some free motion quilting with my Supreme slider, gloves and extension table.
Set up for free motion
I did free motion zigzag in a wide open pattern all over the appliqué bits and out some beyond the edges of the circle of appliqué pieces. This is the same stitch I did on a piece a few years ago to make the northern lights come to life.
Stitching complete
My top thread kept breaking on me until the bobbin thread ran out and I changed to a different thread then I had no problems with breakage. It was a bit frustrating but I wasn’t reverse sewing to change threads since it was a small piece and I figured I could persevere.
I quite like the piece and with the stitching done it really does look like an autumn wreath to me.
I wonder what we are going to do to it next week? It will be interesting I am sure.
Happy Quilting!
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