The "A" word...

I have been a quilter for 10 or so years and I have done piecing, paper piecing, machine applique and machine quilting. I have bound and turned, flipped and pressed. I have cut circles, squares and triangles. What was left?

ap⋅pli⋅qué   /ˌæplɪˈkeɪ/ [ap-li-key] ,verb, -quéd, -qué⋅ing. –noun 1. ornamentation, as a cutout design, that is sewn on to or otherwise applied to a piece of material. 2. work so formed. 3. a decorative feature, as a sconce, applied to a surface.

Yesterday, I took my first class in Applique. Suzanne Marshall came all the way to my little quilt guild in the country. We were entertained at her trunk show. (her hubby is hilarious) At one point he said he would be a happy man if he was fondled as much as her fabric!! LOL Suzanne is a self-taught quilter. In 1976, her family needed some "covers" and she took herself off to the library and checked out her first quilting book. The rest seems to be history. I don't remember what year she said she started doing hand applique, but she is a master. She showed many, many examples that we oohh'd and aahh'd over. Frogs seemed to be a theme for good many of them, but she has also used Turkish carpets and photos from old books that she checks out of the library. Please take the time and go through her website by clicking on her name. I would have taken some photos (with permission of course) but the light in our meeting room is horrible. I was really thinking of knocking down one member and stealing her battery operated Ott Light. (did you know they made battery operated Ott Lights?) I want one... even though I have two electric ones, the way we were arranged I didn't have anywhere to plug it in. ANYWAY.... back to the post. Four of the guild members brought lunch for everyone and we had wonderful taco salads and dessert. (Hey Bev, don't forget to send me that recipe for your zucchini bread YUMMO) Then class started. We were told to bring scraps of fabric for a blue bird, flower, grass and leaves. Um...what did I take? black and white prints...LOL My bird will be all black and white and then I have some orange for the flower.

This is my pattern. Go ahead, click that photo and make it bigger. Do you see the word written on it? uh huh....EXCELLENT... Let's pause while I toot my own horn here... Suzanne Marshall wrote EXCELLENT on my pattern. (deep sigh) I asked her a question about what to do next and she looked at my little bird and said "But you have appliqued before." "No", I said. "This is my first class on applique" She said "no!". Um, yea... I don't applique.. She wrote EXCELLENT on my pattern. Yes, Suzanne Marshall that is famous and has award (and money) winning applique quilts wrote "EXCELLENT" on my pattern.



Ok, pause over... but I am still glowing...


Here is my bird. Well, what I have done of my bird. See? It's all black... I will finish this and then I will most likely make it into a pillow top.



And what do you get with any class you take? HOMEWORK.. She has challenged us to 15 minutes of hand applique each day for 6 months. Then if you don't like to do it, you can stop. I don't think this homework is going to be hard.. I think I like this "A" word...

Nancy