Pepperdish.......In Progress

Last week I pulled the pizza box labeled "Pepper Dish Quilt" off the shelf and decided I would finish up this project. You can click on the images to enlarge them:

This is a Judy Niemeyer pattern. She is my guru when it comes to paper piecing. I have taken 3 classes from her, and learn something new and valuable each time I see her.

I rarely work with a pattern anymore, preferring to design my own work, but when it comes to paper piecing you need one.........and Judy's are the best out there.

I pulled the completed top out of the pizza box and saw where Judy had signed my quilt top.........2006.........3 years ago I took that class? Time can get away from you.

As always I like to file away my works "in progress" in NEW pizza boxes. Everything for the entire project can be stored away.......pattern, fabrics, glue sticks, wipees to get the glue off my fingers during the applique process, etc.

The next time I yearn to work on this quilt......I pull the pizza box off the shelf, and everything I need is contained inside, no hunting around for supplies...........and I haven't stolen any of the fabric for another project!

I am working on the applique flowers, leaves and stems. In order to get the correct placement of the applique on the quilt, I use a piece of plastic......lay it over my paper pattern.......trace over the entire applique with a felt marker onto the plastic..........that is the shiny surface you see in the image above.

I take the traced-on plastic and place it in the correct spot on my quilt. For this pepper dish quilt, each corner of the quilt will get this same flower applique arrangement.

As I complete the applique shapes, I place them under the plastic, on top of the actual quilt, and this gives me accurate placement of each piece. The plastic will remain on the quilt until each shape has been placed where it belongs.

I have enjoyed working on this quilt again.......I hope to finish up the applique tomorrow........get all the pieces basted down with Roxanne's Baste It Glue........then I will be ready to head for the sewing machine. I plan to blind stitch with smoke invisible thread around all the applique shapes. I don't want the applique stitches to draw much attention to themselves. I plan to do a lot of free motion quilting on this piece, and I don't want the applique stitches to complete with my machine quilting work.

p.s. To see the completed quilt CLICK HERE

To see more tutorials CLICK HERE

CLICK HERE to view My Quilts

With Sticky Fingers,

LuAnn

Pizza Box Project

A pizza box is the way most of my new projects start out. I start out with a NEW pizza box and fill it with my fabrics, pattern or book if I am using one, templates, etc. These supplies can live in this box until the project is completed. Everything stays contained in there, especially very tiny pieces. When I have time to work on this quilt, I just reach for the pizza box and everything I need is right there. No hunting around for different supplies. The boxes also stack neatly in the studio, with the name of the project printed on the outside edge of the pizza box. They also travel well to quilting retreats. I use the jumbo rubber bands around the box to keep it closed, just in case the box is dropped, everything stays inside where it belongs. In this feathered star photo you can see that I use sticky labels to mark the tiny shapes of fabric that are cut out. This keeps me organized, especially when I have to put the project away for a time, and when I go back to it, I can easily see where each piece goes and quickly begin working on the project. It is amazing how much you can fit in an extra large pizza box. I normally fit all the supplies for a large quilt top in there. There is one downfall to this.......when I show up at quilting retreats with my pizza boxes, the quilters get very excited at the prospect of having pizza for lunch.

May Your Bobbin Always Be Full,

LuAnn