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Night Blooms Instructions for making a floral quilt with a geometric border From "Uncommon Threads" episode DUCT-117

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It's time to start adding the colorful appliquéed elements.

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Appliqué

1. Trace flower and leaf shapes on right side of selected fabrics. Lay the template on the fabric and look through it to see what area of the fabric will show. Use the print of the fabric to add details and interest to the appliqué piece. If the fabric has flowers or leaves, use the printed petals and veins of the leaves for the appliqué pieces. Or use striped fabric to turn a single petal into many. Trace around the template with a removable marking pencil. I use a while chalk pencil for almost everything, even light fabrics.

Figure D

2. Cut out pieces with generous 1/4" seam allowance (figure D). Store pieces for each flower in a plastic bag with the templates for that flower.

3. For the stems, use your favorite method to make 1/4" bias stems, or make templates and cut stem pieces as you did for the flowers and leaves.

4. Using the placement guide, begin appliquéing pieces to the background. Make sure to start with the pieces closest to the background and build up. First will be the secondary stems and some of the leaves. After that, the main stem and topmost leaves. Then you can start the flowers.

	Figure E
	Figure F
	Figure G

5. For stems, fold back placement guide and lay bias strip on background in generally the correct position (figure E). Fold placement guide back over background and look through it to align the bias strip. Pin stem in place. Starting on the concave (inside) curve side, appliqué the stem to background with a blind hemstitch.

Blind Hemstitch: Knot thread and bring the needle up from the back through the fold of the bias strip. Take the needle back down into the background as close to the fold as possible. About 1/16"-1/8" from the first stitch, bring the needle back up through the bias strip a few threads from the fold and then back down into the background. If you are right-handed, you will sew counterclockwise around the pieces.

6. For flowers and leaves, the placement guide can be used to more accurately place the appliqué pieces. Fold back the placement guide and place one of the flower pieces on it, right side down and exactly in place. You can lift up the corners and edges of the piece to align the chalk marks with the lines on the placement guide (figure F). Smooth the appliqué piece down so that it will adhere to the interfacing. Carefully lay the placement guide back over the background in place. The appliqué piece will then be in the correct place. If it shifts, you can use a pin to nudge the piece into the correct place. Now, gently roll the overlay back off the background (figure G). When the piece you just placed starts to show, hold it down with one hand and lift the placement guide off the rest of the way. Pin the piece in place.

Figure H

7. Starting anywhere other than at a point, begin appliquéing the piece you just placed. Trim the seam allowance down to 1/8" a couple of inches ahead of where you will be sewing. Pinch the piece to the background with your thumb on top and your other fingers underneath. Keep your thumb next the marked line on the appliqué piece. Using the needle, turn the seam allowance under your thumb up to the marked line or just beyond the line so that it does not show. Hold the turned seam allowance with your first finger and thumb. Stitch with a blind hemstitch as before around the piece (figure H), trimming and turning short sections of seam allowance as you go.

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