Friday, March 14, 2014

Tutorial - preparing a rosedaisy block...


What a truly encouraging response to yesterday's 'unveiling' of my new set of 26 designs which combine to make up the Rosedaisy Alphabet.

Today I am going to show you how easy they are to stitch! 
You could use this tutorial to prepare any of my applique/stitchery designs, but let's look at how to prepare the F block from the Rosedaisy set.

First let me explain that I like to use just two fabrics and two (sometimes three) threads in my "Rosedaisy" designs so as we go through this tutorial that's what I'll be doing. Feel free to use as many fabrics and threads as you like when stitching yours.

First of all, I chose white linen for my background fabric, some pretty aqua and pink quilt fabrics, and two co-ordinating threads, so now is the time to choose the thread and fabrics you will be using...


After printing up the pattern page with the letter 'F', flip it over and lay it face down on a light box. Now, you may not have a light box (and for years neither did I), so other methods that worked for me were taping the pattern sheet to a window, or laying it onto a glass table, with a torch held between my knees under the table, and the torch beam facing up under the paper...


It's important that you have the paper face down as we need to trace the reverse applique section 
of the F...


Place a piece of fusible bonding paper (I use Vliesofix) face down over the letter F so that the smooth side of the paper faces up and the rough side lays on the pattern sheet. Trace the reverse F with a pencil...


Trim around the F on your bonding paper so that you have a narrow margin outside your traced line, and fuse it onto the back of the fabric you're using for the applique...


Now turn your pattern sheet right side up and secure it onto your light box...


Cut out your applique 'F' along the traced lines, and peel off the bonding paper.
Place your background fabric over the pattern sheet on your light box, so that the design is in the middle.
Position the 'F' in place and carefully take your background fabric and 'F' to your ironing board and fuse the 'F' in place with your iron set on warm and dry...


Using your preferred medium for transferring a design onto fabric, trace the pattern around the 'F'. I use a 0.3 brown Zig Millenium pen...



I never use a hoop when I stitch, so I always fuse a piece of fabric stabiliser behind my blocks. Normally this is Weaveline or Staflex...




My last step in preparing a block is to trim around the edges with pinking shears...


And now I am ready to stitch!


The full set of 26 "Rosedaisy Alphabet" blocks can be purchased as an instant pdf download HERE in my shop.







Mr E was very glad to have some fresh meals prepared when I arrived home from Melbourne!
A tasty Vietnamese Noodle Salad was the first meal on my return-home menu.
The dressing was amazing...



...and the end result even better.




Have a lovely weekend. Make sure to stop and breathe, remind yourself of what's truly important, and ditch the things that have no value.
Love your God-given life.

hugs


14 comments:

Di S said...

Clear easy to follow tutorial Jenny, great work. Thank you for sharing your experience and knowledge

miss~nance said...

Well explained tutorial Jenny, will share this with my daughter when we start her babushka quilt as she has never appliqued b4 and I am not nearly good at explaining it as you are.

Hugs

Gail

Patricia said...

Jenny, Thank you for the tutorial! It will be very helpful of me.

Patricia C

Victoria said...

Jenny,
I miss the side notes of your favourite blogs. Will you be including these again?

Jenny of Elefantz said...

Victoria, I miss them too, but for some reason blogger won't let me put it up again. Much like that translate button that disappeared for a while! I'll keep trying. xx

Tanya Hughes Australia said...

Hi Jenny
I cannot believe that you do not use a hoop! and yet your work is perfect and gorgeous...I just assumed everyone used one...The cutting with pinking scissors is also a great idea...I can see the merit in that...
Thank you so much for your generous blog. I really enjoy 'checking in' with you every day. You inspire me so much. All the best Tanya Hughes from Perth WA

Unknown said...

Hi Jenny, Great tutorial, you make the steps clear to follow. I shall invest in a light box! Many thanks xx

Lynn B said...

Hi Jenny,

I have been catching up on your blog today and I must say what a feast for the eyes! I looooove everything you design and now too the Rose Daisy Alphabet, it is absolutely gorgeous. You are so talented and it is such a pleasure to visit your blog as I feel I have entered a little bit of heaven!

Joyce Carter said...

Thank you for sharing all this information, Jenny.
I didn't have any trouble going to your blog today so I am very happy you got it fixed. There were about three blog post on my dashboard this morning that came through about the same time. I love your blog and I am so happy that I won't miss any of them. Have a great weekend.

Melody said...

Fabulous tutorial. Thank you so much

Rosa said...

Genial¡¡¡

Unknown said...

Thanks so much for this, as I am about to draw up two of these for this weeks stitching projects.

MarLane Dows said...

Jenny, thank you for a very easy to understand post.

Pilarín said...

Fantástico tutorial!!!!

Muchas gracias!!!

Besos desde España,
Pilarín