Sometimes it's nice to sew without having to think too much and string blocks fit the bill exactly.
I decided to make a colourful throw using the string blocks as the center piece. I cut up all my batik scraps to make the blocks however, I wanted something to break up the strings.
I decided on a few fishies and a couple of seahorses.
I machine appliqued the shapes then set about pimping them up a bit!
This is what I used next - transfer foils which I got at the last quilt show.
I'd never used these before but they were easy to use and I loved the effect.
I cut out slithers of bondaweb and ironed them onto the design.
Simply peel the paper off the bondaweb and lay the foil (shiney side up ) over the area to be jazzed up.
Cover with a piece of baking parchment and press with a hot iron.
When you pull the foil back, some of it will be transfered onto your design.
Before I appliqued the fish/seahorses, I added a layer of wadding to the back first.
I didn't do much quilting on these fish but added a little more detail to the seahorses....
After I finished the sewing, I turned the blocks over and trimmed away the excess wadding.....
This will give the fish and seahorses a raised look (trapunto) when I come to quilt them.
So these are my blocks all finished and ready to be sewn into the quilt.
I will show you more progress soon I hope!
I've also been quilting the butterfly quilt and I'm pleased with the progress I'm making. Shouldn't be long until that's finished.
Rhianon.
