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So I'm working along, thinking I'll use yo yo's for the flower parts of the block and the authentic cherry appliqué circles for the "buds" part of the block when a strange thing happened. I made about 180 little yo yo's and was pleased to find I had developed blistering speed and accuracy in my yo yo-age. Nice. Then came the time to grit my teeth and begin the appliqué circles again. Started, and failed. Got some helpful advice from my quilting sherpa Debbie ("Starch the HELL out of them) .... and it worked! None of this namby pamby 'brush the sides with a little starch' thing. Oh no. STHOOT. And it works. So I started back in.....and the strangest thing happened. I developed some serious technique. I like doing them. The AC is on in the family room, so when I'm home I hole up there and sit and whip these things out. Then I run upstairs and iron/starch them, let them cool, pull the mylar templates out of them, and run back downstairs to cooler climes and do another batch. It rocks. I'm close to having enough cherries and yo yo's to do a 4-block wall hanging (a big one at that) done! The pictures above show them in the initial freezer paper cutting process and the ironing/flipping them over process. I press both sides. PRESS. Not iron. And I leave the little thread tails on them, it's cute and I can give them an extra tug when I finally pin them down to appliqué them on to the background fabric.
Here is the rub. I think I could make a million of these little cherry things. Honest. I know I didn't get enough Kona Chinese Red to do an entire quilt top. Dye lots are sketchy - I doubt I could match the fabric, and I bought the last 2 and a 1/4 yards on that bolt. The bonus? I have a new-found talent and that makes me very happy. I will never again feel intimidated by a technique that is new to me, knowing that it really IS just a matter of careful repetition. The minute it clicks and you start exhibiting such skill is just magic.
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