Dryer Sheet Applique

Well here is what has become of those paper pieced New York Beauties.

I thought they looked like a spiked flower so I turned them into an applique project. I have never really done hand applique and am signing up for a workshop this month but thought I'd try my own version first. As the title of this post suggests, I used dryer sheets to make the whole process quite easy.
First I layered my partial NYB block right side up with a dryer sheet on top.

After stitching around the outer edge, make a slit in the dryer sheet, trim, clip and turn



Then it was onto the tricky stems......well, not so tricky after all. I pressed the freezer paper shape to the right side of my fabric, again layered with a piece of dryer sheet. After stitching and trimming they were a snap to turn because I stitched across the paper at the narrow end and by gently pulling the paper it turned quite easily.




The leaves were done in the same manner as the "flowers" The vine is simply a bias cut strip that has been stitched folded and pressed.

Makes me think SPRING!

Prompting Paper Piecing

This week's prompt is a little different, instead of a word, Jaye has asked us to post about something we have seen and been inspired by.
I have been inspired by Kathy of Kathy's Quilts who did a piece called the Internal Sun.
I absolutely love this piece and it has inspired me to try some paper piecing myself.

I decided to work on a New York Beauty block. First, for prompt #50, I did this black and white block instead of my usual doodle.




Tendinitis makes it very difficult for me to remove the paper from the back so I thought I'd see if I could find something to use that did not have to be removed. I used a product called "trace a pattern" that is sold at Fabricland stores. It is inexpensive, easy to see through, is lightweight and soft enough to be left in a quilt.




I cut the point sections out of a paper version so that I could audition the fabrics I thought I would use





You will just have to wait for my next post to see what these are going to become.