HOYH: My Pansy Progress

 

I'm making progress; with the light box out, I'm tracing the pattern on my corner squares

The pen I'm using is a Frixion pen. There's been a lot of discussion about these pens in the last few years - some people are concerned that they can 'ghost' stain the fabric. For me, I've never had this issue so I continue to use them. 

Another reason why I'm so at ease with using them is that when I trace the pattern onto the fabric, I trace the lines a tiny fraction inside the pattern outline. This means that when the applique motif goes down, it will cover up any drawn pattern lines completely. Actually, my lines simply brush off, but if there were to be any lines threatening to stain in the future, they're hidden under fabric anyway.

After prepping the background fabric squares, I move onto the pansy parts. I work in 'sections'. All good applique is a process of steps. Sometimes I work methodically through a design, other times I prep the individual pieces and bring them all together at a later stage. There's really no way to bypass the prep work. 

For me, all this prepping used to feel like such a chore. But now I have a different opinion about it - I don't impose deadlines on my work. This means I can really enjoy the process involved with each step without feeling like I have to reach some finish line within a set time idea. This allows me to treat each prep step with pleasure instead of 'process'. Here I'm ironing down the fusible shapes that will make the side petals of my pansy. I'm cutting them out on a 45 degree angle for the sake of fabric print arrangement. 

For my gentle colour scheme, I've gone with dark grey pansies. Actually, I think it's a dark blue, with it works well with the grey tones throughout the beige of my pallette.

I'm still playing around with the centre overlay motif. I might use this yellow as pinned above, or I might stitch the area with yellow threads on my machine to create some stitch painting instead. I'll see how I feel when I've got all 12 completed. 

 'Hold Onto Your Heart' is a paid BOM 

It's a breathtaking quilt full of meaningful symbols and beauty. The floral border is a triumph which offers an additional  pieced option - making it versatile for all skill levels. Perfect for lovers and enthusiasts of applique. 

You can start this BOM today! 

Be sure to visit my Online Quilt Group on Facebook where progress images are being shown all the time. It's a massive inspiration and I warn you, it's addictive!