Thursday, June 4, 2015

Laser cut appliqué

What is it?
Laser cut appliqué are pieces of fabric, fused to fusible web, and cut out ready to use...... and......they are
Expensive!
Worth it?
Yes!
Buy them again?
Maybe!
Now let's get down to what I'm talking about.  In 2013 I went over to the quilt shop in Fonthill and listened to Edyta Sitar talk about her passion.............quilting!  It was a fabulous few hours sitting in the store and hearing her story.  If you get the chance~~go, listen, enjoy!
I had purchased her then new book
and the store owner mentioned that Edyta had redone the July block so Canadians would have their own flag.
I thought that was rather nice of her.

so I bought the packet for the same price in Canadian dollars as I could buy on the online shop.  $28.00                             (If you click the link, you will find the Canadian block offered.)    When we were sitting at stitch and chat in May someone mentioned that laser cuts were just not that great.  She had been given some and they wouldn't stick.  I thought about it and knew I wasn't permitted to do anything with this,  until Brandon's quilt was done.   But, once it was done....... 

 I picked up the book, the packet and headed down to the work station.  I first found the flag (there were actually two in my package........one American and one Canadian) and using my appliqué pressing sheet I laid one piece on top of the other.  I had no trouble fusing the two pieces.  No trouble at all.




I figured what the heck, I may as well keep going.  I think there were two heels to the boot, not sure, so I chose the piece I liked.  I worked on the boot and fused it all together first.  No trouble.
Then I came to the flowers and seeing as I wasn't sure how to put them together I laid the pieces on top of the picture in the book.  
I snapped this photo so you could see an actual laser cut.  It is the same as fusible web pieces that you do yourself.  Except......you don't have to trace, you don't have to cut out!  It's all done for you.  The paper peels away and I didn't even have to score the paper to remove it.  I did use steam to fuse the pieces as no directions were given.

 I used a bit of artistic license on this one.  When you put on a pair of "western" boots, their are "tabs" on either side of the boot.  You pull the boots on with these.  I have a tab on my boots!  I'm not going to be sewing these pieces down as this is for our front door for the summer.  It won't be getting a lot of wear and tear.
Then it came time to decide on border fabrics.  What would make my western boot pop right off the fabric.  I had already tried several pieces when I snapped this photo.



Yes, I chose the brown and then gave it one more try!  It  looked really good to me.
I didn't do a sleeve this time.  I opted for corner holders (I have no idea what they are really called.)
I took two five inch blocks, folded them on the diagonal and put them in the corners.  Karl made the stick and the eye screw is right in the middle.






I didn't do a lot of machine quilting.  I highlighted the flowers and sewed on the inside of the maple leaf.  I meandered the background and that was it!  It's on the front door now and I can see it from the road......can't see the difference in the sashing and the binding, so I doubt anyone else will notice that they don't match.

More gardening.
These are our ferns.  We have one bed that has been taken over by one little fern I asked my neighbour for.  She was digging them out and tossing them.  I love ferns..........they are a beautiful, graceful plant and mine are huge!
That rock that is visible.  That's a souvenir from Algonquin Park.  Don't tell them I took it!



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