Second Viewer's Choice

Woo who!! Just found that I received second viewer's choice at the Sydney Quilt show.  Can't believe it.  First entry was this stunner of an applique quilt by Rhonda Pearce. I could say that one day I will make a quilt like that but that would simply be a complete and total lie with absolutely no chance of my even thinking of starting it,let alone putting needle to thread and fabric.

Applique is generally a favored technique in the Sydney Quilt Show and so I even included some in Raconteur. 

My first attempt was the tried and trusty buttonhole version but I knew that wouldn't cut the ice in the professional category..even though my stitches were perfect and exactly the same size throughout.  I suppose that was the problem machine buttonhole isn't really that difficult to manage these days.

So for my second attempt I tried needle turn applique and even choose a difficult circle.  Ok so a circle doesn't have many points as such. Well yes when you put it like that I do have to agree that it doesn't have any points but isn't that why I chose it? and I did turn them over some cardboard, using a needle.... and tack them then iron them to size and also baste them into place before appliqueing them onto the background fabric.

Then finally in an attempt to include some 'real' applique I decided to do broderie perse, as a friend who once tried to teach it to me said, 'It is a great technique as no-one knows where your piece should start or finish.'  And so I ventured into the broderie perse exercise.  After several attempts I realised why I hadn't spent much time doing it previously...no matter that someone might not know where it should start or finish it wasn't that easy if everything looked like a great big blah!!  Now I know you will say but it looks good and I must admit without a shade of blushing that in real life it looks fantastic.  

So why the fantastic result after such a dismal effort. The reason, which I will reveal shortly, is the same reason that my next block is also super fantastic.  I have to admit that there is no short cut to precise points, both inward and outward bending, nor to curved curves.  It is just practice, practice and more practice.  Many years of it I must admit.

I suppose while I'm admitting things I should also admit that Merelyn Pearce did both of these lovely little blocks for me.  So if your applique skills are as good, or more precise atrocious, as mine simply find a friend.

For those non-Australians reading this let me just say that Merelyn does unbelievable applique and has won Best of Australia with her applique quilts a record three times, she generally doesn't applique anything as simple as this... it was my design choice and her skill...perfect match?