Is it warm anywhere yet? Brrrrrrr! My hands are so cold, I can't get my block stitched! I have half of the stem done, which is cotton, by the way, cut 7/8" wide on bias, and put through a bias maker tool from Clover to make a 3/8" wide finished stem! You will need about 18 1/2" of vine. I used wool for the rest in lots of pretty hand dyed colors! The template will be on my website soon, http://www.woolenwillowdesigns.com.
The background was cut 7" x 13", and I drew lines with chalk, marking 6" x 12" which will be the finished size, so I know where to put my applique pieces. After the stitching is complete, I'll trim the block to 6 1/2" x 12 1/2." I do it this way, because I don't pre-wash my fabrics, and when I'm done with the applique I like to press the block with a touch of steam. Steam will make the block shrink a little after its dry, so I don't trim until after I steam press the block. That way it will end up the correct size to piece with the rest of the blocks! Now, if you steam your fabric, before you ever cut your block in the beginning, you probably won't have much trouble with shrinkage, but sometimes people may have a little shrinkage just during the process of the applique. So I like to give a little wiggle room for just in case! Better to have more, than not enough!
I hope you all stay warm and cozy, and stitch a lot!
Jeni
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