There is a bit of progress

with my Block of the Month from Cabbage Rose quilts in Texas.  Regular readers will recall that I joined into this BOM in order to do Kim McLeans "Flower Pots" quilt.  The BOM is sent already lazer cut, with flisofix on the back - ready to stick in place.  I tried a little bit of hand blanket stitch, and decided I did not like it.  It looks like it was time to learn how to do machine applique!  eek!  Have never done it before, but I have managed to teach myself how to.  The advertising blurb with the BOM says "ready to applique using your preferred method".  My preferred method is needle turn, but there is no way you can do this appilque in anyway except with buttonhole.

I just finished the large block, which is actually 2 months worth.  They sent bits last month, and some more this month.  I held onto the lot and did it all in one go.  It is about 1 full days work really.

Being a basically lazy person, hate wasting time, I worked out a really fast way to put the pieces in place.  I am sure I did not invent it, but no one showed me how.  I laid the pattern sheet on top of the lightbox, then on top of that I put this brown applique sheet that you get from the quilt shops, then the background fabric, and finally the cut out pieces.  I put them where I wanted them, and pressed very lightly with the iron.  When they were in place, and just stuck down a bit, I then took them to the ironing board, and gave them a good press in place.  The applique sheet is to protect the surface of the light box.  You can see all the layers through using the light box, and no need to mark the lines on the background fabric.

I am really liking this machine applique.  Not sure how I much I will like it if I have to do all the hard part myself, but time will tell with that.