Fusible Web Appliqué Youtube Video Series - Episode 4

Hi everyone:

You've been waiting for it and now it's here: Adding Interest to Your Design, the final episode in the fusible web appliqué series on my Youtube channel. 

Episodes 1, 2 and 3 dealt with issues such as appropriate tools and how to fuse your design. In this final episode we get to the fun part: various ways to add interest to your fusible web appliqué project. 

See more of  Bubbly Stripes in Adding Interest to Your Design

In Episode 4: Adding Interest to Your Design, you'll learn different ways to use your fabric and find out how scraps can be incorporated into a fusible web appliqué pattern. You can find this episode on my Youtube channel or view it below. 

I hope you've enjoyed this series. If you haven't yet viewed the previous three episodes, watch them on my Youtube channel. 

Let me know your tips for fusible web appliqué and any comments you have on these videos. 

P.S. Purchase the pattern for Bubbly Stripes on my website.

Inspiration for Embroidery Designs

Hi everyone:

Last week I gave you a peek at the latest embroidery design that I'm working on. I've done more on the sample now, so I can show you more of it. I think it looks quite elegant and stately (I was working on it while watching House of Cards) and I thought you might be interested as to the inspiration for this design.

Art Deco Embroidery design by Chatterbox Quilts

I love to drink tea, especially Chai tea and I can often be found with a cuppa next to me while working in my studio. I was opening up a new box of Tazo Chai tea and noticed the lovely scroll design on the interior of the box. Wouldn't this look nice as an embroidery design? Of course it would? And off I went.

Design on interior of Tazo tea box

I envisioned using neutrals for this design and had the perfect shade of copper in a Tencel thread to use for it. I guess it's close to tea colour, so maybe that's why I went in this direction. 

Tazo tea box interior and Tencel thread

I'm using a linen look fabric for the background and I think I'll be adding some yo-yos to it for some extra texture. Plus I have some Michael Miller Fairy Frost fabric (try saying that quickly!) in a copper shade that I've been hoarding for some time. I think it's going to be perfect on this project.

Yo-yo made from Michael Miller Fairy Frost in copper

I also have a lovely turquoise batik that I think would look nice as a smaller yo-yo on top of the larger copper one. I haven't yet made these up, but have cut out the fabric so I can use my Clover quick yo-yo makers.

Batik fabric would be perfect on top of copper yo-yo

Here's what the design looks like - in a reduced format. The magenta circles represent the yo-yos. 

Art Deco embroidery pattern printed at reduced size

I don't like having to enlarge my patterns, so I printed this out in a tile format and then taped it together with Scotch removable tape. This is what it looks like taped together at full size.

Art Deco embroidery pattern full size

I traced the lines onto the background fabric with my Frixion pen and then started stitching. 

I hope to finish this design soon and I'll let you know when it will be available on my Chatterbox Quilts website.

Where do you find your inspiration?

Stripping at a Discount

Hi everyone:

Yes, I've done it again. Okay, no I'm not stripping - at least not the way you think I am! I'm talking about strip piecing, of course! I couldn't resist signing up for another Craftsy class since they're currently on sale this week-end during Craftsy's Endless Creativity Sale. All online classes are on sale at up to 50% off until March 17 at midnight MT. 



My latest enrolment is in Nancy Smith's Strip Your Stash class. I think I was attracted to the idea of using up more of my stash (I guess I should start doing that sometime!) and there are some really fun designs in this class. Nancy also has some great suggestions for choosing colour palettes for your projects.

Don't limit yourself to quilting classes: there are over 60 quilting classes available on Craftsy, with classes in other categories such as fine arts, crochet, knitting, and food. I've also signed up for classes in some of these other categories and am enjoying these as well.

So don't delay - check out Craftsy's Endless Creativity Sale soon as these savings are only available until midnight MT on March 17.

**This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links

Episode 3 of Fusible Web Appliqué Youtube Video Series

Hi everyone:

I hope you've had a chance to watch the first two episodes in this series: Episode 1 - Fusible Web Appliqué - What it is - and isn't and Episode 2 - Tracing Tips and Techniques. Now it's time for Episode 3 - Pressing Issues. Again, I'll be dealing with a specific part of fusible web appliqué and this time the heat is on! 

Hoot-mon!, a Chatterbox Quilts pattern

In Episode 3 you'll learn about techniques for fusing with fusible web appliqué and how to reduce stiffness in your appliqué pieces. This knowledge will be especially important if you're creating a bed quilt where you want it to drape nicely. Nobody likes a stiff quilt!

You can watch Episode 3: Pressing Issues on my Youtube channel or by viewing it below.

 There is still one more episode in this fusible web appliqué series. It will be released in a few weeks, so stay tuned for the release announcement.

Do you have any additional tips or techniques that you use when fusing your appliqué pieces?

How to Waste Time While Embroidering

Hi everyone:

Okay, as if I don't spend enough time watching Downton Abbey, Call the Midwife (thanks, Ebony!) and Mr. Selfridge, as well as cruising several social media sites, I've now become addicted to another series on Netflix. 

It's really the fault of the Academy Awards, which I love to watch every year and enjoyed again this year (all those gorgeous gowns, although I do miss Cher's outfits). Kevin Spacey was on Jimmy Kimmel's show after the Oscars and they were talking a bit about his series, House of Cards. I'd never watched it or paid much attention to it really, after all, it is about politics, so how interesting could that be? Well it turns out it's really interesting! 

Filling in the embroidery based on Darcy Ashton's design

So for the past week I've been spending my afternoons watching the episodes on Netflix and doing some hand embroidery. I figure I can at least say it hasn't been a complete waste of time if I've made some progress on some of my projects.

Embroidery detail

I finished the outline on this design which is actually an appliqué design by Darcy Ashton. I thought it needed a bit more, so now I'm filling it in with some french knots and chain stitches. I drew the additional stitch details with a Frixion pen so I can erase them later with the iron - on the back of the embroidery, of course. 

Of course I couldn't be just working on one project, so… I designed another embroidery pattern and am working on the sample. Here's a little peek at it. I'm really liking how it's turning out and have used a fly stitch in part of it, which I haven't done before. Gives it a great look, I think.

New Art Deco embroidery design by Chatterbox Quilts

I'll be showing you more of this new design in a future post - if there are more episodes of House of Cards to watch, that is.