Quilty Reverse Applique ~ Sew & Tell - 7/28/25

Welcome back to this week's edition of Sew & Tell.  It was a slow week... It was a busy week.  Kinda like "It was the best of times and the worst of times".  LOL  What does that even mean?

I didn't do a lot of quilting, but I got a lot done! 

I finished the Lavender Patchwork quilt... Here are a few of her glamor shots.

It was late in the day and I *thought* I was done for the day... I mean, it was after 4 p.m. ;)  I turned off all the lights and machines and walked out of the studio, headed for a few minutes of hand-quilting.  I sat down and then promptly went back to my studio.

I quickly pulled out the orphan block that I uncovered while searching for purple scraps and my thrifted sweatshirt ($3) that happened to match quite nicely.  You may have seen the post on my Instagram page... I was so excited that I just couldn't wait for the next Sew & Tell session!

Thanks to the inspiration from Nicole at @modernhandcraft in 2024...

Though my process for making it was very different than Nicole's, I give her all the credit for this one. 🩷 I L❤️VE it.

Here's what I did...

First, I quilted the little block and trimmed it so that it was slightly larger than the block itself.

I used fusible batting... after quilting the block I added a piece of white fabric to cover the batting.

I marked the 1/4" seam allowance and basted around the block.  This step not only covered up the batting, but it also showed me exactly where the stitching line was on the back of the piece. (This is an important step!)

 

I found the center of the front and marked it on the inside of the shirt.  Making sure your block is straight, pin into place and sew.

I used a stretch stitch so there will be just a little "give", rather than having stitches pull and break.

I used a contrasting thread to stitch a frame around the block.  This second line of stitching not only adds an accent, it also helps to hold the edges of the block down and will help to prevent any fraying that may happen with wear and washing.

The next step was a bit scary... Turn the shirt right-side out and make a small snip with sharp scissors to be able to trim away the fabric covering the block.

Carefully, trim away the fabric...  The jersey fabric doesn't require any sort of finishing... It will just roll out of the way and won't ravel.

Ta-da!  

I've never done reverse applique, but this is something I will probably repeat in the future.

Now I need some fall weather to be able to wear it, enjoy it and show it off!

On a different topic.  Did you celebrate Christmas in July with me?  The blog hop was a success with 6 quilters sharing various projects, progress on projects, recipes, tutorials, patterns and prizes!  It was great fun.  If you missed out on it, you can still find all the links for the participants here.  

Here's a little detail of the quilting

I did eventually find my way to my Red Rainbow Scrap Challenge quilt and hand-quilting project... 

As most of you can relate and understand... Summer is not the best time for a hand quilting project, so the quilting is going slow.  It is much more enjoyable when the warmth of the quilt covering you doesn't cause you to melt. I can get one log cabin block done in the evening before I have to toss it aside.  LOL.  

We finally caved on Saturday and put one AC unit in the living room window.  Had I not been having a live Pampered Chef cooking demo, we would have survived a few of the warmest days this summer over the weekend.  After getting it into place I told it, "Don't get too comfortable there.  You're not staying long!"  (BTW, if you would like to order anything from PC, my party order will be open for a week.  You can place the order on-line and have your purchase shipped directly to you. :) Easy-peasy! I'd be happy to share the link to order.)

We have some guests arriving from TX at the end of the week and the temperatures are going to be mid 70s.  We could not ask for better planning. ;) It's always nice to have guests come... it pushes us to clean just a little deeper than the normal.  

Time for this week's Sew & Tell feature.  Gwyned Trefethen has shared over the last few weeks how she is slowly becoming familiar with her new Bernina 990 sewing machine.

I can relate to her struggles with the "learning curve" and her desire for perfection.  

You can visit her blog to get the whole story.

I personally have found a freedom in wonky and more "organic" quilt blocks.  

Precision and perfection are lovely to look at, but I find the freeform projects much more fun.

I plan to be playing with more purple scraps this week.  I won't have much in the way of housework to do since I cleaned for the PC demo, a light cleaning on Friday morning will suffice.  I have an idea for another string pieced project. Be sure you come back in a few days to see what I end up with.  If all goes well, I will have my heart all a flutter with excitement.

In March, over on Instagram, Amy's Ellis @Amyscreativeside hosts "Quilt Fest".  One of the prompts for the month is "Why do you quilt?"  This statement is one of my "Why's".

Why do YOU quilt?

Leave a comment... I'd love to hear from you!

Keep Piecing,

Melva

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