The Order of Stitching

After all the pieces are fused into position, I work on the embroidery and applique next.  First I begin the with layer that appears to be on the bottom.  So I'll begin with the edges of the blue ginkgo leaf first.  Why?  Because I'm lazy, and don't like to spend lots of time back tacking and pulling threads to the back and tying them! If I do the bottom layer first, then another layer of stitching will eventually cross the ends, and hold them in place.  When I get to the top layer, then I'll have to do a minimum of stitching in place or pulling threads to the back.

Choose your thread carefully. I always use shiny polyester embroidery threads usually variegated ones. Remember that my name is Ann Variegated Fahl.  I love color change.  Unreel an arm's length of thread and let it puddle on the fabric.  Do you like it? If you aren't sure, do a little test stitching first on a scrap to avoid having to tear out lots of embroidery.

Note*  The photos below were taken after the quilt was finished.  However the the embroidery and applique were actually stitched only on the quilt top.

Closeup of Ginkgo Leaf, Florentine Edge Applique

The Florentine Edge Applique is a technique I have created using a free-motion zigzag stitch and a hoop. It gives a versatile wide edge treatment that I just love.  I have written a booklet on the subject of Applique, which gives complete instructions on this technique.  Or you may also refer to a 2013 article that I wrote in the American Quilter magazine fall issue.

Also in a hoop I stitch the veins in the lily pads. I've used a blue variegated thread for this.

Next, while I still had my embroidery hoop close by, I covered the cattails, ducks heads and bills with straight free motion embroidery. Then I basted the layers together, and will finish the rest of the details in the quilting phase of the quilt. Before I do more decorative quilting, I outline every shape in the center of the quilt with mono filament thread.

Here is Ethel. I've quilted her with a brown variegated thread. She has so many different fabrics, one thread choice acts as a unifying device. I've tried to quilt near the edge of almost every feather.

I had to use two different threads to quilt Norman.

I used a shiny white thread on the wings and slender white detail on his neck. Then I used the same variegated brown that I used on Ethel's wings.

Quilting in the pond.

I chose a light blue variegated thread to quilt the pond.  It is the same thread used for the Florentine edge applique. I love adding a little spiral here and there.  Once the middle is completely quilted then I stitch around the inner edge of the border and then quilt the edge.

Detail of the top edge of quilt

I used lots of curls and coils in the green background, using a blue variegated thread.  Then on the edge I stitched using a dark variegated combination thread on the border. 

I blocked the quilt, trimmed the edges and bound the edges.  You can see the finished quilt on my website.  On Ginkgo Pond.

Next time I'll talk about another ginkgo quilt.

Ann Fahl

Working on the Pond

The ducks, cattails and water lilies were all floating on the pond in my last blog. I was happy with its appearance.

I fused everything in place, while still pinned to my design wall covered with white flannel.  Then decided, I needed a little more green to spill out into the border.  So I added two leaves in the lower right corner, you'll see that they are still pinned in place.

This last addition will be fused and the composition will be complete.

I've been thinking about a title for this quilt, and so far nothing great has come to mind.  Then it came to me:  On Ginkgo Pond.  The ducks will be Ethel and Norman, the main characters from the movie On Golden Pond.  I loved that movie. 

If I complete my thread work well, Ethel and her buddy should float around in their beautiful pond forever.  Now what should I quilt, embroider or applique?  After I have spent my entire career writing and teaching machine embroidery and quilting, I am over saturated with heavy thread work. I'm going to leave more open spaces so there will be texture changes across the surface of the finished quilt.

Ann's opinion:  I just visited a small show of art quilts, and we are over stitching everything.  Why?  I guess because we can; and historically the judges have always awarded more prizes to those quilts that are heavily quilted.  From my point of view, we're not allowing the batting to add dimension to the surface because everything is quilted too closely. Or maybe I'm just tired and grouchy!

Next time I'll show you some closeups of the thread work.

Ann Fahl

Ginkgo Leaves, the Symbol of my Quilting Spirit

Winona Lake Commemorative,  quilt by Ann Fahl  22 x 18 inches

I'm still working on my red and green tulip quilt, only one block remains to be re-appliqued. As I've been finishing this huge project,  I've been thinking about what I should blog about next.  One of my favorite images is that of a ginkgo leaf, perhaps one of the most beautiful in nature.

Leaves and trees are very special in my life.  My grandmother planted a maple tree at the cottage, about the time I was born, this tree and I have grown up together, I won't tell you how big the tree is today!  My husband and I live in the woods and we enjoy all the wonderful benefits of living among the trees.  One of my favorite spots in the word is the swan pond at Winona Lake IN.

A view of the swan pond at Winona Lake

A young man once pointed out to me, the 2 huge old ginkgo trees on one side of that swan pond. I was amazed at the lovely shape of the leaves as I had never seen them before.  I took some leaves home that were lying on the ground; and the rest is history.  I've tried to use a ginkgo leaf in as many quilts as possible.  Without realizing it, I had chosen the shape as one of my personal symbols of my life.

Class sample of embroidered leaves

It didn't take long for me to realize that adding free-motion embroidery to a fused leaf, made it come to life in such a beautiful realistic way.  So I'll be writing about ginkgoes for awhile.

Right now, I am completing the quilting on a small ginkgo leaf piece.  It's too early to show it to you, but stick with me, I'll be talking more about ginkgoes, embroidery, design and quilting.  It feels good to be back talking to you. 

I feel like I'm writing in a vacuum. Please take the time to comment on my blogs, its the only way I know you've come to visit.

Ann Fahl

There is a Title for Hockey Garden part 7

The quilt is finished. The label is sewn on the back, the binding is stitched and the hanging strip at the top of the back edge is in place. I have nothing more to say about it, except it was fun.

End of the Hockey Season by Ann Fahl

You may read my final statement about this quilt on my website. Enjoy.

Ann Fahl

How Do You Quilt a Hockey Bag? part 6

The time has come to begin all the detailed quilting of my hockey quilt.  I've spent two days outlining all the shapes with monofilament thread. I outline everything using monofilament on top and in the bobbin, with a size 10 titanium topstitch needle. This stabilizes the entire quilt, and reduces the amount of shifting of the fabrics on the wool batting.

Now that the outlining is done,  I can play with the beautiful threads and doodle in the areas between the garden elements. But back to the question; how do you quilt a hockey bag?  This question has never come up before, so I went to my notebook full of quilting ideas and found one idea that would work.

This is the sketch in my quilting design notebook that I chose for the hockey bag.

I keep a notebook (3 ring binder) full of quilting ideas.  So when I need an idea I go to this resource.  This is the sketch of an idea that appealed to me. I used a rich variegated blue thread and it looks great.

I chose a rich blue variegated thread for the quilting on the bag.

Now, how do I quilt a hockey skate?  There is very little space to fill, so I chose a shiny gray thread and began a spiral where the ankle bone pushes out the side of the skate.  I just detailed the rest.

The hockey skate has been embroidered and quilted.

It's time for the sky. So I'm just going to play a little keeping the scale of the curls, coils and loops small.  There is very little space between the hockey sticks and other items to do much quilting.  I chose 2 variegated blue threads to use. The darker for the center and the lighter one for the 2 sides.

Thread choices for quilting the sky.

Here is a closeup of how the coneflowers are detailed and stitched.

Now all that's left is the  grass on the lower edge and the border.  Hmmmm what will I use for the binding? The binding is almost sewn on, here's a peek at how it will look.

Here's a look at the binding and the midnight variegated thread used for quilting the border.

 So it's almost done.  I already have an idea for my next quilt.

Ann Fahl

Announcing Applique Ann's Way!

Ann's newest booklet, April 2013

At last the booklet on 6 ways to applique has become a reality.  It is based on my full day workshop, but there was never enough time to cover 6 methods during the class.  So I've put them all together in one booklet, 36 pages with a color cover. I began writing it this past summer, and last month it went to the proof reader, my friend Jayne, because she is great at making my directions simpler and clearer.

Oreo is helping to send out the first promotional copies.

 I cover both traditional and untraditional machine methods, so whether you are a beginner or experienced, you will find something helpful here. If you follow this blog, you know I love thread work of all types, applique is just one method of embellishing fused shapes on a quilt top.  I can never restrict myself to just one technique in a quilt, I really like to mix up embroidery and applique.  This booklet only includes applique methods and I've tried to discuss each one in depth, including tips, refinements and problem solving.

Closeup of Summer Sanctuary, quilt by Ann Fahl

The quilt that started it all was Summer Sanctuary. Check out the coleus leaves, they are made with the Florentine Edge Applique technique discussed in the booklet. This will later be the subject of an article for the American Quilter Magazine next fall.

Read more about this booklet on my website.

Give applique a try.

Barb Harms has posted a review. 
A  Bit of Yellow has posted a review.

Ann Fahl

Needle UP? Needle DOWN?

That is the question.  Having a needle up/down option on your sewing machine makes the job of sewing so much easier.   Once you have the needle up/down option, you can never have a machine without it!

This is the needle up/down on my machine.

When I'm quilting on a piece, if I stop the machine to rest for a moment, the fabric or project can't shift on me if it is set for needle down. Then when I start sewing again, I carefully begin stitching slowly, working up gradually to my regular speed.  If well done, the starts and stops shouldn't show!

When quilting, I like to set the machine for needle down.

When doing free-motion embroidery, I guess it really doesn't matter whether the needle stops in the up or the down position. The starts and stops aren't as visible.

Piecing, is nice when the needle stays up. After each seam is finished, the needle is up and the pieces may be easily removed from the needle area and threads clipped. When I attach bias binding, I like the needle down.

If the project is applique I usually choose to have needle down. If I have to pivot at corners, or have smooth curves, it's nice to have it set down.

Especially when pivoting is necessary at corners, I like the needle to stop down

If you are sewing on a new machine, take the time to notice which way your prefer to set your machine for different tasks.  Then when you begin sewing for the day, set your needle position accordingly.

Caution:  I'd like to leave you with one caution on this subject. Never leave the needle in the fabric or project for long periods of time.  If you are finished sewing for the day, make sure the needle is up.  Should the fabric get pulled away from the machine it won't tear or rip your project.

Hockey project update:  I'm spending time each day doing the embroidery and applique on my Hockey Garden quilt. I still need a good suggestion for a title!  Any ideas?

Ann Fahl  

The Hockey Applique Begins part 5

Well, I'm not sure if the thread work will be fun or not; it was really fun to design.  I think I may have created a monster with never ending applique and embroidery, in just about every color thread in the rainbow.  So where does one begin, when there are thousands of little pieces to be stitched?

Pick something easy to begin, it is important to get started. In the early stages of a project, sometimes the job appears to be overwhelming--like this one. After I have dealt with the initial hesitation, then I basically work from what appears to be on the bottom layer and work up to the top. This is because the ends of my starts and stops will be covered by another line of stitching on a segment that appears to be on top of it, and this secures any loose threads that need to be controlled. This bottom to top guideline, is the general rule, but of course I break it all the time! If I have blue thread in the machine, I'm not going to hop over and applique a red flower; I'm going to find something else blue to sew before I change my thread color again.

This is the back corner of the hockey bag. I've chosen to use a decorative stitch in variegated blue thread.

So I'm going to applique the hockey bag first with a beautiful blue variegated thread using some of the programmed stitches that my machine offers. The hockey bag is my starting point because it is underneath all the other objects in the picture.  I have chosen my favorite programmed stitch, and I use shiny thread with crisp tear-away stabilizer underneath. [This process will be covered in depth in my new booklet, Applique Ann's Way.]

Here is a sneak peek at the cover of my new booklet! Available in April.

Next I'll embroider the hockey sticks, covering them with thread.  This will be faster than appliqueing them and it will give them a wood grain look. Embroidery is done with a hoop, no stabilizer, and I move the hoop from side to side to completely cover the object. For detailed info see my book Coloring with Thread. 

A closeup of the embroidery with variegated beige thread, that gives a wood grain effect on the hockey stick.

 Now I realize the finely cut dandelions are curling up and starting to fray, so I'll embroider them next or they may just disappear. 

Dandelion detail in the lower left corner.  These too are embroidered.

So the applique and embroidery has just begun.  This is going to take me some time at the machine. Eventually this blog thread will be continued.  I have hours of decorative stitching ahead of me.

Ann Fahl

TheQuiltShow.com Special Event

Ann, Alex Andersen, Ricky Tims on the day of the filming of Ann's episode.

International Quilt Day is just around the corner, and as a featured artist on a past episode of The Quilt Show, I wanted to let you know about a gift that Alex and Ricky have put together for quilters around the world.  

Beginning on Friday, March 15 through Sunday, March 17, everyone who signs on to The Quilt Show will have free access to over 140 of their internet shows, including my episode #111.  You can watch the shows, check out the tutorials, browse the gallery of over 19,900 member quilts, visit the forum for answers to the most burning quilt questions and lots, lots more. And if you missed my show, you can see it now. Filming this show before an audience was a very exciting experience!

There are prizes and all kinds of things happening that weekend for no charge.

So check in at www.thequiltshow.com on Friday, March 15, and enjoy the shows and exploring The Quilt Show website and all it has to offer!  And I’d love to have you view my show, episode #111.  All of my Oreo quilts will be there!

Ann Fahl

Embroidery on The Sun God's Garden

After spending so much time and thought on the composition of a quilt, it's fun to actually begin the machine work. For me, the embroidery is what adds rich texture, and holds all the pieces in position.  I do this in a hoop so I don't need any stabilizer underneath the pieces.  This creates a softer quilt top and allows the quilting (over wool batting) to add more dimension to the finished product. For more information on how Ann handles her embroidery refer to her book, Coloring with Thread.

Detail of Scraps of a Different Color showing rejected embroidery pattern

Being a coneflower fan, I wanted to begin with them.  I had already decided how I wanted to embroider my angular flowers. First I had experimented on another quilt where I discovered that I didn't like my first idea. This is why it is so important to test out ideas first, so problems can be avoided on major pieces of work. So I had to rethink my ideas and this is what I came up with.

Embroidery and quilting detail of coneflowers with honey bee

Each petal was detailed in the opposite direction with a variegated pink thread. This was a simple plan which I could easily accomplish, yet different than anything I had done before.

The papyrus was another challenge.  How will I embroider them?  I chose to use metallic blue and green thread to detail the heads, and gold thread for the sepals. This was lots of fun and a challenge to work with metallics.  I had finished writing my Mastering Metallics booklet by this time, so I tested out some of my suggestions! The detail on the curved edge is really pleasing and adds richness of texture.  I also love the little circles that hold the seeds in the papyrus head.

Harry becomes the focal point using Superior Thread's Midnight Rainbow #844

 And then there is Harry. I knew all the embroidery on the bird was going to make him come to life. I didn't worry too much about individual feathers, I just wanted texture.  Midnight Rainbow add the color I wanted over the double dyed blue/purple fabric. Notice that the grass behind the bird adds more depth to the quilt.

Now that the embroidery is complete, all that remains is the quilting.

Time to put the Sun in the Garden

The sun rests above the garden.

The black "bowl" above the heron's panel is actually a cow horn headdress.  It holds a flaming sun that I created from a commercial fiery red fabric. One of the earliest symbols in ancient drawings and art is the sun disk.  In early Egypt is was shown as a headdress worn by the goddess Hathor, or seen as simply a round disk in the sky.  Now the flaming red sun fabric can warm my quilted garden.

It is now time to permanently fuse all the pieces in position.  I do this on my design wall, after painstakingly removing the paper backing from the Wonder-Under.

I thought I was done. After reviewing a photo of the "finished" piece, I realized that the panel behind Harry needed a little something.

Addition of grass in center panel

I cut out some little grass like shapes and they seemed to fill the soil area behind Harry. Yes, this is a small thing, but the empty field now has what it needs.

Now it is time to begin the embroidery.

Garden of the Sun God-or-Harry the Heron comes back

Harry the Heron has been fabricated and fused onto baking parchment.

Needing to concentrate on the heron, I removed the papyrus and coneflowers that had been floating on the background. Doesn't he look great standing in front of his new home?  This is such an exciting part of the design process when everything is flowing well.

I wanted to make the coneflowers, one of my favorite images to use in quilts; look Egyptian.  So I drew them to fit in a diamond shape to become more angular.

A left-over Egyptian coneflower.

 I cut out more coneflowers than I needed, but that always leaves some to use for embroidery practice. If you look at my quilt Scraps of a Different Color you will see an extra one that has been inserted into a collage.  By doing this, I learned how I didn't want to embroider the flower in my Sun God quilt!  If you look at the close up images you will see how it was embroidered. Allowing yourself to play with your images and experiment with ideas is important because it helps you make better decisions when it comes to your more important work.

Here is Harry now standing among the papyrus and coneflowers.

The coneflowers have been pinned in place, with long graceful curving stems and a few green leaves to anchor the plant.  The papyrus are back in position, with a warm brown fabric that was eventually used for the stems. Things are looking good.

Why is Harry still pressed on baking parchment?  Because at this point in the design phase I want to be free to move the all elements around until I am completely sure everything is in the right spot. His beak, feathers and legs are too long and narrow to be able to shift around; so he stayed on paper until it was time to fuse everything on permanently.

Tune in next time, to see if Harry gets glued on!

Ann Fahl

Walk Through Ellen's Garden: a winter treat

The other day, a copy of Thread Magic Garden, by Ellen Anne Eddy arrived.  What a beautiful book.

Water Lily Sunset, quilt by Ellen Anne Eddy

When I opened the book and saw the title page and table of contents I was hooked.  Beyond these first pages the entire book is rich with color, detail and texture of her wonderful new work.  Ellen and I think the same way about our flowers and gardens:

"My garden intoxicates me.  The sights and smells, textures 

and sounds are my daily retreat.  Just as I slip into the garden, 

the garden slips into my quilts."

What a lovely thought, I wish we were closer to spring. 

Ellen's work has changed some since her first book, Thread Magic. At least for this new book, her focus is on her garden and the creatures that live there.  Her new quilts are small jewels, each one better than the next.

Snail's Pace, quilt by Ellen Anne Eddy

She is still blending sheer fabrics with her dramatic hand dyed fabrics; and has added commercial lace, trims and loose fibers.  She explains in rich detail how she accomplishes each look.  Ellen includes:

• tips
• dos-and-don'ts
• types of stitches
• color theory
• blending threads and colors
• composition
• creating a visual path
• shading
• angled stitching
• and the list goes on. 

Her approach is very thorough and understandable for anyone wanting to try her free-motion techniques.

Whether you are interested in thread work or not, this book is a visual delight. CandT's book designer did a great job of including large detail shots throughout the book. It makes me drool!

Book details:  full color, 111 pages, 8.5 x 11 inches, $28.95, available as an eBook from CandT Publishers.  The book is now available in quilt shops, from CandT, and from Ellen's website.

Cover of Ellen's new book

Support your local quilt artist.  Ask your local quilt shop to carry the book.  It will soon become a "must have" for everyone interested in thread work.

Ann Fahl, an envious thread artist!

What's in the Bag?

This is the bag that stores the miles of bias binding that I have left over from quilt making! I keep a special collection of stripes and plaid fabrics that I like to use for bias. I think bias makes the best and longest lasting binding. (I feel so strongly about this that I wrote a booklet about it.)  There is a strip of almost everything I have in this binding bag, so when I'm auditioning binding fabrics, this bag always gets pulled out.

Last week, in an earlier blog I asked you to vote for how you thought I should bind or face the outer edges of my collage. I initially wanted to face the edges, but something inside of me kept telling me to bind the edges instead. So here is the finished quilt. It is just funky and fun.

Scraps of a Different Color, (c) 2012 by Ann Fahl 32 x 21 inches

I chose to bind it with two of the darker fabrics.  This gives only a slight contrast to the outer edges. I used the blue/green stripe on the left side and the charcoal/red print on the right.

Now that the quilt is complete, I've attached the hanging strips on both the top and lower edge of the quilt back.  The label is attached, which identifies the quilt and me as the maker, and will shortly be uploaded on my website. Also it gets its own listing in my quilt inventory notebook. The digital photography has been taken and stored. My initials always go near the lower right corner. On this quilt it is located near the white spade-like shape.  So it is truly finished. Nothing more needs to be done to document the fact that I made this quilt.

The actual ginkgo leaf I used for the pattern was given to me by my neighbor. She had just been to the library on Lake Michigan and found the leaf.  I immediately cut one out of fabric but never used it.  So this leaf has been pinned up on my design wall for years.  It is good for it to have a real home. I quilted it with a wonderful variegated Superior gold thread.  The purple cup in the corner is from Ginkgoes Galore.

The fish is something I cut out years ago, I think they may have been part of the fish left over that could have been included in Fish Tales! Fish Tales is included in A Black and White Tale.  The coneflower lying on it's side is from the quilt Sewn Together. The little ginkgo leaf is something of which that I've used hundreds.

The pink coneflower is from a large quilt that I am currently embroidering. The cup is from Ginkgoes Galore. The large green hand painted and beaded leaf is from one of my all-time favorites Summer Sanctuary.  I painted hundreds of these coleus leaves and only had 2 or 3 remaining.

As usual, even though I've made a good attempt at using my little fusible scrap shapes, I still have many. It's difficult to close the drawer that holds them.  There will inevitably be more in the future.  It's a challenge to see how I can put them all together.

So here it is for you to enjoy, part of my quilting life in scraps!

Ann Fahl

This Really is the Good Life!

I have just finished the last of the studio polishing.  The white flannel is pinned on my design wall and I am vacuuming one last time.  At 4:00 today, I sat down, with a chocolate chip cookie, tea and watched Dr. Oz. And I thought, "Life is really good today, my studio is ready for me!"  It has never been so clean.

Looking at my communications center and newly covered design wall.

The pink Styrofoam design wall is covered and usable, a beautiful quilt is hanging on it, and my walls have  quilts and other special items that surround me that I love.  My printer which conked out this week, is now working, thanks to HP tech support.  The baseboard heaters are painted a beautiful white and trim is too. The dark 70's paneling is gone. It is time to work on my newest Egyptian quilt again, it needs lots of embroidery before it can be quilted.  There is my collage which you've seen, which is ready for basting and quilting.  Lots to do.

Before I begin my embroidery and quilting, I will give you a quick tour of my studio.  This wall is my communications center and design wall which is 8 x 8 feet. It is shoved into the corner, but if I need the full width, I can scoot is to the left, covering up the clock.  Egyptian Water Garden II is hanging on it right now.  I love this quilt, when I look at it, it makes me feel good. 

Check out the fresh white walls! My cutting table is half a ping pong table, & rulers hanging on the wall.  Notice the outlet on the wall where the pencil sharpener is plugged in.

Around the corner is the long wall with my TV, cutting table and windows.  I have hung up Line Dancing Under the Stars, Tragedy on Esplanade, Black Eyed Susans on Purple and A July to Remember.  It is good to live with your quilts surrounding you. My studio gets lots of light in the morning, so I rotate the quilts to reduce fading.

This is a very long wall, so I'm showing it to you in 2 parts.

Around the next corner is my short wall with all my products that I sell online: books, patterns, booklets etc. My stereo keeps my quilting smooth and there is an assortment of Winona Lake items on the wall. My postage stamp piece honoring Winona, a historic painting on grass cloth, a water color by local artist Jean Thielen, a Japanese figure I've had since the age of 12, a poster of Winona, and two black eyed susan pieces. The little one was a gift from Emily Parson, and the Purple Eyed Susans was a demo in my book Dancing with Thread.  It really sings on the bright white wall.

This is the part of the room where the embroidery and quilting happen!

 Last of all Oreo is thrilled with the new look.  She can walk along the ledge that is 4 feet up from the floor and watch over all my creative activities and the critters outside. Another bonus, I found an electric outlet, that I didn't know was there, on the long wall. It had been piled up with assorted treasures and junk for years.

The drawers facing out, under the machine cabinets are where I store my thread--by color.  They are on wheels and can be moved around.

Well, I'm ready to sew now.  This major cleaning will never happen again. Once every 35 years is enough. I'm good to go sew.

Have a good weekend.

Ann Fahl