Celtic heart appliqué

Drum roll please......
Maybe some bagpipes.....
Fiddles and flutes....
Some step-dancing......

Because I accomplished one of my goals for 2013 :
Teach myself Celtic fusible bias tape appliqué!

There is still a lot that I need to learn, I'm sure, but I think this is pretty good for my first attempt! (four, actually.)

And, maybe you can guess what the theme is for this set and where they're going to be attached....think Valentines Day.

Hearts and more hearts

I've been paper-piecing these little hearts this week.
The little straight ones are possibly the simplest and most fun little paper-pieced hearts! And I really like how the heart-in-a-heart turned out, too. It almost looks like a heart-shaped gem in a heart-shaped ring, doesn't it?

Just a few notes about removing the paper foundations: every quilter has his/her own preference. For me, when joining sections together, I like to remove the paper in the outside seam allowances, anywhere I'll be joining edges. Then I leave the rest of the paper there, until I'm ready to join the blocks together into the quilt. I just feel it stabilizes the block better until joining in the quilt.

When paper-piecing, it is helpful to use a larger needle, such as a 90/14, which can help penetrate the layers and paper. Then set your machine to a slightly shorter stitch length than the preset. The larger needle holes and smaller stitches work together to help make the paper easier to remove afterwards.

Whenever you decide to remove the paper, work in reverse order of sewing, if you can. That's usually from the outside in. Use a pair of tweezers or the tip of small scissors to pry up the corner of a piece of paper in a patch, press onto the seamline with another finger, which stabilizes the seams and helps prevent stitches from pulling out with the paper. --it helps to do this on a flat, hard surface--
Then slowly pull the paper off along the seamlines.

And I just got my borders done and all attached, on the first round of Quilt U Be Mine! Whew!

Quilt U Be Mine round robin

Hi everyone!
I'm so excited to participate in the Quilt U Be Mine Mystery Round Robin, hosted by Michele from Quiltsfrommycrayonbox.blogspot.com !
I can't wait to see what my group and I decide to add to our blocks as we go.
I can't wait to get to know new quilting friends, too.

Here is my center block. I think it's named Hearts Around or something similar.
1--I traced and cut out the hearts.
2--To appliqué, I sewed the hearts, right sides together, with a piece of very lightweight fusible interfacing, in a 1/4 seam allowance.
3--Then I clipped all the curves, then cut a slit in the interfacing to turn the hearts right side out. Use something pointy to gently smooth and shape the seams. Use a warm iron on delicate setting to gently press the seam allowance.
4--Fold and spot-press the background piece to mark your centers and diagonals. Arrange your hearts where you'd like, using the marks to help you center them on the background. Pin in place, and turn up the iron to the hot setting recommended for the interfacing. Place a press cloth over the hearts, and press in place.
4--Then you can hand-appliqué in place with a stitch of your choice, or use the machine, like I did. I used the blind stitch, but flip-flopped it, and reduced the width of the zigzag. Then I carefully stitched around the outside. It is helpful to stitch with your needle set to always stop in the "down" position, so that you can pivot your piece slightly as you go. I found about every 3-4 stitches is a good time to pivot for my machine, to be able to hug the curves.
Ta-da!
And here's a cute label I made to match. I hope my group members will sign my label as they complete their parts!