Another Baltimore Autumn

Admittedly, I am behind on posting currently quilted quilts here on my blog.  I have been busy quilting, writing, prepping stuff for teaching and other kid related stuff.  I realized it was time to repost.  

Remember the Baltimore Autumn I did last spring - April or May...It was lovely.  It was some of the best needle-turn applique I have seen.  And that quilt went to win the BOS at the Napa County Fair, a pre-qualifier for the California state Fair this year.  Well, I knew when this quilt came it would be a big job with loads of applique.  But this quilt is actually fused applique.  The edges have been either blanket stitched or straight stitched.  I have already spoken with the owner, but I will broach the subject here.  Fused applique can be done very successfully, but please...please do not just layer it upon layer upon another layer.  Eventually it becomes the quilter's equivalent of formica.  Yes, places of this were dang near as thick as a countertop.

 I went into the ditching of the appliques with extreme caution.  I had just had my machine serviced/retimed and the tech had found this "gunk" near the basket which he figured had to be from fusible.  I do next to no fusible quilts, BUT my silk quilts do have a lightweight fusible on them.  I was pretty wary after seeing that about starting another fused quilt.

 It did turn out to stitch ok.  There were surprisingly no thread breaks or shredding as I anticipated.  Thicker areas do not tension consistently, but that is to be expected and I can't do anything about it.  A quilt hanging on one's home wall is no big deal.  You wouldn't want to quilt a show quilt like that.

 I did try to make the motifs used on this quilt different from the one I did last year.  They are equally pretty.  If you remember, the first client did not want any feathers.  This quilt was definitely getting feathers!

Feathers and leaves.  I like this simple leafy border.

Fused applique never has the poof that needle-turn will have.  It is inherently flatter.  The client was very happy though when this came home.  She had started it several years ago, and knew that there were better applique/fusing methods to use, but chose to finish it the way it was started.  It will be pretty hanging in her home!