Overcoming 'Mental Block' By Making Two Applique Quilts
by Linda Griffith, The Organized Option
I've never been one for making New
Years' resolutions, but I did make one at the end of 2006. I was determined to
get over my fear of using applique in my quilts. It was actually more of a
challenge put to me by my daughter, Amanda. She told me that all of my quilts
looked the same. Puzzled, I asked her what she meant. She nonchalantly said
they're all geometric shaped (this coming from a 20-year old non-quilter).
Okay, I admit my feelings were hurt (nowhere did she say how georgeous my quilts
were) and, yes, my quilts are made up of squares, rectangles, diamonds (what's
wrong with that?). I've always been a traditional quilter, never venturing into
the art of thead painting, applique or landscape.
But my daughter's comment got me
thinking about "stepping outside of my box". I had tried applique before, but
found it confusing and frustrating -- rough edge, needle turn, freezer paper,
P3, fusible, etc. The numerous methods left me with a mental block.
So I decided to make two applique
quilts in 2007. I've started one using the rough edge fusible method (with
blanket stitch) and Steam-a-Seam 2. I saw this product demonstrated at the
2004 Houston show, and it looked fantastic, but the two sticky sides confuse
me. I just want a simple, easy method.
The other applique quilt I will
attempt is Verna Mosquera's "Vintage Valentine". As of this writing, I haven't
decided which method to use. Of course I love the needle turn look, but that
entails hand stitching (which I dread). My clients say that binding their
quilts by hand relaxes them. I'd much rather organize a client's messy sewing
room than to sit down and hand stitch my own quilts.
The "Vintage Valentine" will be a
Block of the Month Club made up of my good quilting friends (the same ones I
went to Houston with in 2004). I know they rolled their eyes and snickered when
I announced I was determined to make this quilt with them. I started out in the
same Block of the Month Club last year making Verna Mosquera's "Enchanted
Autumn" applique quilt. I never even got the first block made . . . another UFO
due to the applique mental block.