Little Bits.....: March...................

let’s go fly a ……

This block offers you options. A whole block embroidered, some embroidery, some fusing, mostly fusing with a titch of embroidery! Its all here this month.

In the centre of each pattern is a + . Fold your square of fabric into quarters and find the centre and then you can trace or apply your pattern and it should be centred on your block.

As soon as I thought of this for March, I knew I would do be doing something a bit different on the blocks. It’s one of those that you can do what you want and enjoy the results regardless of which you choose.

For the embroidery: The same as the first two months. Fuse your freezer paper to the back and trace your pattern. Do not trace the dotted - - - - lines. Reminder here that I do use a piece of muslin on the back to hide the embroider floss. I really don’t want it showing through as I’m using white muslin and the green will be seen when it travels across the back.

For the embroidery/applique: Options here! You can embroider the cloud in the sky or fuse it. Your choice, your quilt. I have photos of both ways for you. I opted to do the cloud and the kite from fusible web. I also did a 3^rd block that is both embroidery and fused. I did a bit of embroidery for the tail too but those ties are fabric and so I stitched around them using a tiny stitch…...1.5 in length.

Not much numbering on this one. There is only one piece. BUT there is a tip for that one piece. I wanted to embroider the bridles on the kite, but don’t like doing stitching through my fusible web. Here is what you do.

#1. Trace the pattern as you normally would onto your fusible web. Remember to turn your pattern over.

#2. Using your ruler, lay the ¼” marking on the outside line. Mark a new line with your pencil on the inside of that line.

#3. Cut away the inside section so that you will have fusible web that now looks like this.

#4. Fuse this piece to the fabric of your choice.

#5. Trace the brindle lines onto the fabric before fusing. It is easier to see the tracing lines from the pattern through only one layer of fabric. Fuse to your block and then do the embroidery work.

There are two sides to every piece of fabric. Sometimes the back of the fabric just works better and for my cloud on this block, I thought the back was better than the front so I flipped it over.