For our January 2023 Aurifil Artisan’s Challenge we were to create a project inspired by the new year. If you are an email subscriber of mine, you’ve heard that the second half of 2022 was a difficult time for me. One surgery mid-year turned into a medical nightmare and 6+ months of recovery time. I came into 2023 when a new vision for my life, my family, my health, and my mental wellbeing. Struggles teach us lessons, so this was an amazing opportunity to learn.
So what did I learn you may ask? A lot! But most importantly, I’ve learned to be patient, give myself grace, embrace everything that life brings and appreciate the quiet.
I really found “quiet creativity” during this time and have been experimenting with more machine applique. I am enjoying the artistic aspect of it and the different method of quilting. I am also enjoying being more intentional about creating artwork and I decided for the Aurifil Challenge, I would create an applique pattern. It is a quiet reminder to enjoy and appreciate the present. Now I just need to find a beautiful scene like this…
My Fabric and Thread Inspiration
I bought this beautiful fabric bundle of gorgeous PBS (Paintbrush Studio) Painter’s Palette Solids from Marmalade Mood Quilts and have been waiting for the perfect project to use them. These colors were just perfect for the design I had in mind. PBS Solids in: Haze, Yarrow, Old Gold, Moss, Bronze, Cadet, Old Green and Robin Egg.
Enter the real fun of using these solids…Did you know that PBS solids can be easily matched with Aurifil Threads? Even better, they’ve done the work for you! Take a look at this PBS Solid -Aurifil Thread color matching chart! I chose to use a nice 28 weight thread in the following colors: 2975, 5008, 2132, 2783, 5009 and 4173.
Applique Design
I drew this beautiful serene scene that I feel represents my 2023. I haven’t been a fan of applique in the past but creating my own design really sparked my creativity. These fabrics and threads really enhanced my ideas!
Because my design was larger, I printed the pages out and then taped together to create the larger design. Now ready for tracing!
Applique Process
I use HeatnBond Lite for my applique pieces. I traced over my sketch and cut the pieces out. Then using my Oliso iron, I adhered the pieces to my fabric.
I love using these Karen Kay Buckley Scissors for applique. They are super sharp and the pointed end really helps me cut all of the perfect lines and curves on my applique!
After cutting the pieces and fusing everything to my background fabric, I basted the wall hanging and prepared for quilting.
Machine Quilting
As opposed to traditional applique finishing, I decided to machine quilt and free-motion quilt around my applique pieces. I was able to use my regular presser foot in some areas too! Have you ever machine quilted with 28-weight thread? It’s quickly becoming my new favorite! I love the look! Need some additional tips on machine quilting with thicker threads? Check out my blog article about machine quilting with 12-weight thread.
In some areas, I quilted more densely than in other areas. Since this is a wall hanging, I don’t anticipate having to wash this like I would a quilt.
Because I wanted a more modern look for this design, I didn’t use a traditional satin stitch to finish the applique pieces. I machine quilted in some areas using a wavy, organic line and free motion quilted in other areas.
What do you think of my project and these beautiful fabrics and threads? Are you a fan of applique? Leave me a comment and let me know! Would you like to see more applique projects? I am definitely getting hooked, but I will still remember my approach for 2023 – quiet and patient creativity!
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