HelenW I love your moose it’s so fun to add a bit of yourself to a pattern or just to mix it up a bit .

Cindyaziah, I too am making a few minor changes to the block. I am using it in two quilts. Afternoon Delight and Over and Down Under.
I also took time out from double nine patches to do an art quilt wall hanging. I used Toni Whitneys moose from a pattern I bought a long
time ago and put it with some other clip art that was free of the squirrels and geese flying. HelenW

What kind of thread are you using for the embellishing? It looks great!!!

Adding some bling

I've been keeping up with my blocks. I now have about 30 Double Nine- patch blocks.

Your blocks are beautiful.

I was able to finish these blocks this month.

Here are my May blocks. I picked fabrics for all the blocks at the beginning. I'm anxious to see how they will all look together, Excited to get working on July's.

You are in the right place. Scroll down on this Topic and you will see photos in many posts—either as Attachments or Inserted in the post directly. Currently, there are 36 pages of posts, going back to January.

Where do I see the blocks that people have done. I'm in the show and tell section but don't see any. Thanks

JudithA,
Thank you very much! Sue Garman's block patterns for this quilt are very pretty, and it has been enjoyable to play with fabric options I've been digging deep into stash....

Chrys,
I really like your blocks! Wow! Great choice of fabrics. I love the fussy cuts.
Your blocks inspire me to go a little farther with mine.

Judy

June applique blocks are done It's been so nice to see everyone's blocks and layout ideas.

Ckewing,
I use Karen K Buckley's mylar templates also. I have tried different ways of making circles with them. This is what currently works best for me.....
- I start with an oversized plece of fabric for the applique. The extra fabric makes it easier to handle in the other steps.
- Next I glue Karen's mylar template to the back of the fabric with a little bit of Roxanne's basting glue, iron it dry and let it cool. It has to be really dry.
- Then I machine -baste around the template. The smaller the stitches the better. I used to do this basting be hand, but I found that slow and frustrating, because of carpal tunnel.
I wondered, what if I tried basting around the circle by machine? After some experimenting and some practice, I machine baste around all my circles now.- even the small ones. I usually use an applique foot. I have also used an edge-stitching foot with the needle moved about 3 steps to the left on my Bernina. I reduce the stitch length on my Bernina to about half the default. I increase the top thread tension to 2 or 3 times the default. I use the hover mode and stitch slowly. I start and end with long thread tails. I baste about 1/8" from the template. I find this method a lot quicker. I get better circles because the small stitch length helps prevent big puckers/pleats/points.
- Then I gather the thread around the template, easing it much like we used to ease a sleeve cap in garment sewing.
- Next I trim the seam allowance.
-Then I dampen the seam allowance with Dritz Fabric Folding Pen and press it. My favorite iron for this step is the Dritz Petite Press Portable Iron. (My standard iron is too big and awkward for this step. My other mini iron is too small and takes too long.)
-IMPORTANT: Iron around the outside perimeter edge of the prepared seam allowance only. Don't iron the entire seam allowance down first time around. Ironing only the outside circumference first will often result in a perfect circle. I like to use my Appliquick tools to help with this. Then I go around it again with my iron, pressing the whole seam allowance.
- Then I examine the circle and run my finger around the circumference, trying to find any points/pleats, etc. If I find any, I dampen that area again with the Dritz Folding Pen and use the sharp point of my Appliquick tool to fix that area.
- When I am satisfied, I apply starch to the seam allowance with Traditional Primitives Starch Brush, and press it dry.
- When dry and cool, I slide the mylar template out and press all the circles at the same time with my big steam iron and a silk press cloth. This step sticks the whole applique together. I try to protect the circles until I am ready to hand-applique them down by putting them in a small plastic bag in my Afternoon Delight notebook.
I hope you can find something in this that helps.

Happy quilting,
Judy Austin

I’ve got the two Applipops sets (different sizes) and really like them. So easy to use. Only drawback is you can make only one at a time so if you need a LOT of the same size circles, it could take a while. But for just a few, it’s a great method!