Make an applique quilt with your own design. Why not? It is not difficult. An applique is a simple figure of your design, cut, placed, and stitched onto a larger yardage surface which will be used as a chair throw, bed cover, or other household linen usage.
Appliques can be made from any small pieces of fabric giving it a useful or decorative purpose. Anyone who loves fabrics finds it difficult to toss pieces of cloth into the trash container especially if it can be used in another manner.
Circle Crib
Appliques can be hand stitched or machine stitched. Traditional quilters prefer hand stitching. The reason being the quilt appears to be of better quality, measurements are more accurate, and there seems to be a better texture or tactile feel to the finished quilt.
Machine stitching is quicker which matters to those who have busy lives but enjoy stitching. The quilters, whom I have spoken with, enjoy using the combination of the two methods for each quilting project.
Make an applique quilt with your own design. If you are a beginner choose a simple circular quilt design. If you prefer something more complicated you may wish to purchase an iron on applique or an applique kit.
My first applique design was an orange. It fits the description of a beginner starting with a circular pattern. It is simple, but it gives you an opportunity to experiment with hand stitching or machine stitching. The leaves will offer other experiences.
The orange is a fruit which will be simple to draw as it is a slightly irregular circle with a stem and leaves. You may use cotton fabric which appears to have a dimpled orange peel pattern or stuff the orange for a raised dimensional appearance, or apply a photo in the middle of the orange for an exclusive personal touch.
To add more interest you may wish to cut the orange into four quarters using four different fabric prints, patterns or solids and reconnect in a random order. It will still be an orange; however, there will be an interesting array of color variations within each orange.
The leaves may be made from fabric, ribbon, cord, other trims or painted with textile paints.
The advantage of starting with a round object is for its simplicity and for creating the overall quilt design for the final appearance of your quilting project.
The advantages of making your own applique pattern design allows you the freedom to use a variety of materials or notions which will be suitable for the applique quilt design which you have created.
Make an applique quilt with your own design and learn other quilting techniques. Visit the hobby page of Tricia Deed at http://www.infotrish.vpweb.com/ and review Quilting Gems. Do not forget to get your free quilt pattern.