Covid Quilt Challenge #3

Since it was a long weekend, we decided it was time to do another quilt challenge. We used a random number generator to end up with the technique of "machine appliqué". My mother was tasked with giving us a theme/concept and she decided on "close-up flower" (inspired by the tulips in her kitchen). She then added an extra element of "at least one piece must be finished as to not be attached to the background on all of it's edges". This gave us quite a challenge of thinking through technique.

I decided to go with the tulip theme and looked online for inspiration. I found one I really liked and ran with it. I liked the symmetry of the design, but also that all the petals weren't identical.

From Wikimedia Commons

Initially I drew a square design, and then decided that I would make it circular instead. I also decided to do it slightly off centre, so I had to make a different pattern for each piece. (Impressively, my homemade pattern came together with one one issue of something not lining up, which was easily solved.)
I made 3 of the petals "stand-alone" and made them with a front, a back and some batting in the middle. At the same time I attached the petals that I was going to be sticking down. I did this by sewing the right sides together with the other petal in the middle, then putting the batting in, folding the edges under, and then top stitching the petal closed with the adjacent petal in the middle. I didn't have the batting or the fusible web run all the way to the middle, because I don't have a walking foot right now, so I didn't want it to get too thick.

Pieces before assembly started

Once I had all the petals attached together, and three of them stitched, I attached the whole thing to a background circle, where I stitched around stamen (which I had just stuck on), as well as the black and yellow parts of the remain 3 petals that hadn't been stitched. Then I stitched the petals themselves down to the background. At the very end, I added the stigma. After that I trimmed it down (which I had to eyeball a bit) and then bound it.

Back with stitching

Overall I am happy with how it came together (although it looked too much like a pansy the whole time I worked on it. In the end, instead of a full circle, I rounded the individual petals and I wonder if they would have been better left in the full circle. I then took it out for a photo shoot — it's just too bad that my red tulips weren't blooming yet.

My friend really flexed her artistic muscles. She choose an alstroemeria as her inspiration.

She made a collage background (with bits of fusible web holding it together). (She was able to use a lot of scraps in this challenge... I was not).

She then made a few petals that she stuck to the background and a few petals that she left sticking out. She finished it with an overcast stitch.

Hers are able to stick out more than mine and really play into her design well. She also did a lovely job of thread painting the petals to bring the beautiful colours in.

So there we are, another challenge complete.