Becky Goldsmith - Wool Appliqué the Piece O Cake WaY: Mix Wool with Cotton & Linen

Publisher: Amy Marson

Creative Director: Gailen Runge

Art Director: Kristy Zacharias

Editor: Lynn Koolish

Technical Editors: Alison M. Schmidt and Debbie Rodgers

Cover/Book Designer: April Mostek

Page Layout Artist: Casey Dukes

Production Coordinators: Zinnia Heinzmann and Rue Flaherty

Production Editor: Katie Van Amburg

Illustrators: Becky Goldsmith and Rue Flaherty

Photo Assistant: Mary Peyton Peppo

Photography by Diane Pedersen, unless otherwise noted

Published by C&T Publishing, Inc., P.O. Box 1456, Lafayette, CA 94549

Acknowledgments

The fine folks at C&T have been very good to us. First, Todd Hensley, CEO, welcomed us with open arms. Amy Marson, publisher, is always there to support us. Lynn Koolish, our editor, has helped to make each and every book of ours shine. Diane Pedersen takes photos that are sharp and clear and lovely. We appreciate the help they have all given to us.

It would be nice to be perfect, but we arent, so we are very grateful to Alison Schmidt, our technical editor, who makes sure we get the details right. Rue Flaherty and Zinnia Heinzmann, the production coordinators, and Katie Van Amburg, the production editor, kept everything in this complicated book on track. April Mostek, this books designer, worked her magic to give this book its distinctive appearance. We thank you all for your excellent efforts.

We want to also thank Phyliss Meiring from in the Patch designs. She shared her knowledge with us and she dyed Christmas-red wool especially for us. That color, and more, can be found at in the Patch designs. We loved working with her wool.

Dedication

It is easy to find your quilting niche and it is tempting to stay there. It can be hard to make yourself try something new and different. We dedicate this book to those who love to try something new, who love learning new techniques and ways to accomplish new things.

There is so much fun and reward that comes from making something totally different from what you have done before. If you have never worked with felted wool, we encourage you to give it a try. We think you will love it.

Linda and Becky

Introduction

Linda started appliquing with felted wool a few years ago, and this book was her idea. It makes perfect sense that she should be the one to introduce you to what youll find as you turn the pages.

I began to purchase small pieces of felted wool some time ago. At the time I wasnt sure how I was going to use it, but the texture and colors in the cloth drew me in.

Not having any idea what I would do with my wool was actually a good thing. It allowed me to think about how to use wool in a new way. I began to explore combining felted wool with other fabrics. The results were amazing.

My first project was a quilt made from our Simply Delicious ePattern. I sewed felted wool appliqu to batik backgrounds. Wow. I loved it.

As I stitched, I realized that appliquing felted wool is different from appliquing cotton, and that is why I wanted to write this book. In it, you will find tips and techniques that make appliquing felted wool a breeze.

I hope you have as much fun as I do as you stitch with felted wool.

Happy stitching,

Linda

Lindas batik and felted wool Simply Delicious quilt

Basic Supplies

A. Cotton and linen fabric: Look for 100% cotton, 100% linen, and cotton/linen blend fabrics. Always prewash cottons and linens.

B. Felted wool fabric: The wool fabrics used in these quilts are 100% felted wool (not wool felt). Refer to Felted Wool or Wool Felt?.

Design wall: This is a must-have tool. We each have a design wall made from 1 thick insulation foam, available in 4 8 sheets from a home improvement store. Use as many sheets as necessary to cover your wall space. The foam is easy to cut. It can be attached to the wall with sheetrock screws and then covered with white flannel or batting. You can use a portable design wall if that suits your needs better.

Piecing thread: We used Superior MasterPiece 50-weight 3-ply cotton (on the spool) or Aurifil 2-ply 50-weight cotton.

Appliqu thread:

C. Aurifils wool thread works well when hand appliquing felted wool. It is a slightly fuzzy, 50% acrylic / 50% wool blend thread that is not showy when used with felted wool fabric. You will see the word lana on the Aurifil spool. Lana means wool in Italian.

D. Use Presencias perle cotton in either a 12 or 16 weight for appliqu stitches with attitude. This thread can also be used to appliqu felted wool when you want a thread that is more visible with a bit of a sheen on top of the felted wool. It is a good choice for big-stitch hand quilting.

E. We recommend Superior MasterPiece 50-weight 2-ply cotton (available only on bobbins), Aurifil 50-weight cotton, and DMC 50-weight machine embroidery thread for traditional invisible appliqu stitches on cotton and linen fabrics.

Machine quilting thread: Superiors King Tut 40-weight cotton is very nice with felted wool appliqu.

Hand quilting thread: We like Gttermans cotton hand quilting thread. Perle cotton size 12 or 16 is nice when you want bigger, more visible stitches.

F. Pins: Use appliqu pins to pin appliqu pieces in placewe like the Essential Appliqu Pins from Piece O Cake Designs. Use fine, long pins for piecing.

G. Needles: For hand appliqu with thicker threads, use a bigger needle. A Richard Hemming & Son 7 or 9 sharp works well, as does Bohins 9 crewel needle.

When sewing a traditional appliqu invisible stitch with finer thread, use a smaller needle. Clovers 12 Black Gold sharp is nice. If you like a longer needle, try a size 11 Hemming & Son milliners (or straw) needle.

In both cases, there are many good needles; find the one that fits your hand.

H. Needle threader: The Quilters Threaders are hand-held threaders that are helpful with thicker threads and larger needles.

I. Scissors: Good scissors are a joy to use. Use a scissor with smooth blades on felted wool. A scissor with a serrated blade works well with cotton and linen. Small to medium-size, sharp scissors are better for precise cutting.

Rotary cutter, mat, and acrylic ruler: When trimming blocks to size and cutting borders, rotary cutting tools will give you the best results.

J. Pencils: To draw around templates onto cotton or linen fabric, use a Generals Charcoal white pencil, or a mechanical chalk pencil that holds a 9 mm refill. We use either white or gray chalk depending on the color and value of the fabric.

K. Permanent markers: To make the positioning overlay for appliqu, a black Sharpie Ultra Fine Point permanent marker works well on vinyl.

Clear or frosted vinyl: Use a clear or frosted flexible, medium-weight vinyl to make the positioning overlay. If the vinyl you buy comes with tissue paper, keep the tissue paper for storage. If your quilt shop does not have vinyl, look for it in online or in stores that carry upholstery fabric.

You will also need clear vinyl if you make the Strawberry Zip Bag.

L. Clear, single-sided, heavyweight self-laminating sheets: Use them to make templates. We recommend the Piece O Cake Essential Self-Adhesive Laminating Sheets (see Resources). You can find self-laminating sheets at pieceocake.com, at most office supply stores, at some warehouse markets, or online. Buy the single-sided sheets, not the pouches. If you cant find laminating sheets, you can use clear contact paper.