Ellie

I took a workshop this weekend at a local quilt store. It's "Ellie" from BJ Designs. I had tried the project on my own and after wasting a lot of fabric and not liking the results, figured I could use some help. The teacher was excellent and she swooned when I rolled in with a ginormous bin of Kaffe Fassett fabrics. She said she hadn't seen this wide a selection even at a quilt store. I have been collecting his fabrics for years, picking up pieces everywhere I go. So, yes, I have a lot of Kaffe fabrics.

The instructor asked us to use Floriana Appli-Kay Wonder fusible web. As far as I am concerned, the jury is still out on this product. You have to use more heat than with other fusibles - at least 7 seconds to get the first bond. Then you can peel off the paper backing and it is tacky, allowing you to place and remove the piece until you are satisfied with the results. I have experienced the fusible sticking to the stabilizer, however, and the fabric coming away from both adhesive and stabilizer if I left the piece too long before trying to move it. So I have been pinning it in place until I am sure it is the piece I want to use. At $9.00 per yard, it is more expensive than any other fusible I have tried and I expected better performance from it. One nice thing about the Appli-Kay Wonder is the sturdiness of the paper backing which makes handling the fused fabric very easy to handle and cut out.

Once I am satisfied with the fabrics and placement, the pieces are permanently fused into place. A satin stitch is used to outline all the interior seams. The stabilizer, which has no fusible on the back, is then trimmed away from the finished elephant and the entire appliqued piece is glue basted onto the backing fabric. Finally, the outer edges are satin stitched to finish the edges.