Epson Photo: Civil War Bride Quilt # 1/20 Completed

I wish you could see me jumping with joy after I put the last stitch on this block. The best thing is that I am not fed up with it yet. I have QADD (quilter attention deficit disorder) so I am delighted that I have not got it yet with the CWBQ. Keep our fingers crossed...!

Working on the applique is very enjoyable. I keep it within the guidelines for now because I have not touched applique for almost 10 years. I am surprised that I still have the skills to do it. I just want to touch a little bit on the technical how to of the applique . I know that most of you are accomplished quilters, but some of you have been saying that you have not yet tried the applique. I used two types of applique for this block. For the leaves and smaller pieces I used freezer paper applique and for the larger pieces such the urn and apples I used double applique. Feel free to ask any question regarding the technique; I will try my best to explain it to you.

The thread I used for applique is YLI Silk Thread. It is a perfect thread for the job. I only use grey for all the pieces. The only annoying factor for this thread is that it keeps slipping out from the eye of the needle because the silk is so fine. I overcome this by tying a knot at the end of the thread to the eye of the needle. Believe it or not, the knot is so tiny that it slips right through it when I sew!

Here is the completed block. It took me over a week to get this far. Of course I only work on it after I get home from work. I would spend between 2-3 hours stitching each night. Not having worked on applique for a while I have to try and perfect my stitches again. I am happy with how it turned out for the first block.

Here is another view when I keep my camera straight up and down. I don't know why my photos are always crooked! So far I have not bought any new fabrics for this quilt. I am planning to use up what I have in my stash. I hope that this block inspired you to take up applique too...!

I will let you have a peek at my next block. It is block 4/20. I have chosen this block because it has a grapevine and a bird on it. In our back yard we grow an ornamental grape and the new leaves are starting to open. With new leaves and blossoms in the back yard the birds are here as well. So this block is perfect for Spring stitching. If you notice there is a frieze fragment in the picture. I found this piece of moulding on a pile left by builders after they finished renovating an old church on the Peloponnese, Greece. I love it so much I had to bring it back with me.