Quilt Retro Launch Party – Day 9

What's all the fuss about applique?

Welcome to Day 9 of the Quilt Retro Launch Party! Today's topic: Applique! It seems like many quilters have a love-hate relationship with applique. They love the look of it, but hate what it takes to get it done! My challenge to you if you are one of those quilters is that if you truly want to learn, there is a method out there to match your style and skill set. For me it was to use the freezer paper method to prepare the shapes and to use invisible thread and a zigzag stitch to sew it down. I didn't invent this method, but I heavily modified many different ideas until I got the method that works for me consistently and perfectly.

In my past books I have briefly outlined my method, but in Quilt Retro, for the first time I give you in-depth, step-by-step instructions including photos. I tried to give you enough detail so you can make the quilts in the book, but yet there's enough wiggle room for you to make your own modifications to suit your skill set and patience level! I hope you give it a go if you don't have a preferred method of applique.

If you already enjoy applique then you are in for a treat with the quilts in the book. Although I love traditional applique, I find it to be too fussy sometimes or too cutesy. You won't find that in Quilt Retro. My applique is graphic, unusual and I hope in some instances, funny! My style leans to the folk art genre, really because folk art doesn't have to be perfect, which suits me best. Perfection is stressful, folk art is relaxing. The quilt I  want to talk about is one of the funny ones - but you be the judge of that. Fork & Spoon was the first quilt I made for this book. In fact, I made it before I knew I was even going to write this book. Can you guess the inspiration? Remember those big, wooden forks and spoons that hung in so many kitchens in the 70s? This is my tribute to them. (Fun link from Everybody Loves Raymond click here)

Detail of Fork & Spoon.
Since this is a 60s tribute quilt, my quilter, Sheryl Schleicher, quilted it with a pattern reminiscent of the 60s. It's also a great way to use large-scale prints that you don't really know what do with. I threw in stripes, geometrics and dots to offset the large prints. Solids for the forks and spoons are a nice contrast.

I'd like to introduce you to today's guest (and the last guest of the party), Shea Henderson. You may have seen her patterns under the Empty Bobbin name, but I know her as the most talented president of the KC Modern Quilt Guild! She seems to have an endless supply of ideas that make the meetings not only educational but just plain fun as well! If you're in KC, you are more than welcome to come to a meeting (or two)! So head on over to her blog to take a look at the entire Fork & Spoon quilt!


Tomorrow, meet me back here for the last day of the Party! (And there's one more contest!)

To purchase your own copy of Quilt Retro, go to Pickledish OR Amazon to order.

If you've missed any of the party, you can catch up here:

Monday 10/3: Alissa Haight Carlton of Handmade by Alissa

Tuesday 10/4: BonnieHunter of Quiltville!

Wednesday 10/5: Tammie Schaffer of Crafty Tammie. 

Thursday 10/6: Jenifer Dick at 42 Quilts
Friday 10/7: Angela Walters of Quilting is My Therapy.
Monday 10/10: Jacquie Gering of Tallgrass Prairie Studios.
Tuesday 10/11: Deb Rowden of Deb Rowden’s Thrift Shop Quilts

Wednesday 10/12: Kathy Mack of Pink Chalk Studio