Applique Idea

After hanging on the design wall forever, I have finally gotten off my duff and come up with an applique idea for "Two of  Us", the 2013 BOM from thequiltshow.com. The colors aren't real accurate here. The greens are really pretty lime green and the oranges are all orange, not yellow as some appear in the photo. I didn't care for the flower pot applique that is in the original pattern. I decided on an applique from the Rose of Sharon contest and book of the same name by Sharon Pederson. I increased the size of the applique a bit so that it filled the open area better.

I lost my mind somewhere along the way dealing with the fusible web. I don't like Steam-a-Seam because I can never figure out which paper side to draw on. The instructions indicate to draw on the side that comes off easiest. My past experience with this product was a nightmare. I finally realized, by placing an X on the side I drew on, that the paper does not come off consistently on either side. Halfway through a sheet of the stuff, the paper on the opposite side began to fall off. After reading Pam Holland's blog (she is rendering the entire Bayeux tapestry in applique using this product), I realized that the manufacture had stopped making the product for an extended period due to problems with the product. Whew!

So, back to the old tried and true Pellon Wonder Under. Another problem reared its ugly head. The fusible falls off the paper rendering it unusable. Some salesperson told me that happens if the product is old. Really? So you buy several yards of the stuff to have on hand as you work through a project. Then you put the project away for a few months and when you go back to it, the product is coming apart. It's inexpensive enough that it's not a big financial loss. Just a big headache at 10:00 p.m. when the stores are closed and you are trying to make it work. Grrr.

I am going to try a brand new (to me) product - Floriana Appli-Kay Wonder Fusible Webbing. Alex Anderson has been touting Floriana products recently. I bought a roll (18" X 3 yds.) for a workshop I will be taking next weekend. Since I won't need all three yards for that project, I am going to try it out today and see how it works. At $27.99 for the roll, it's not cheap. But if it works well, it will be worth the price.

By the way, my Chinese fortune cookie yielded the following "fortune" last night: "The item you lost will be found tomorrow." What a relief. I guess the mind I lost yesterday will return to me today.