Mary Jo’s Appliqué

I introduced you to my friend Mary Jo in a post from the retreat I attended near Green Bay in October (click here for that post). Her hand stitching blew me away and I asked her if I could share her story and some of her work in a future post. She graciously agreed and sent the following to me. Her hand work encompasses both piecing and appliqué and, as I mentioned in that previous post, she inspired me to get back to my mini Mariners Compass because the hurdles I faced would be easier to complete by hand. Here’s a bit of her story and some of her wonderful quilts:

“I have enjoyed many forms of stitching since I was young, including crewel, felt appliqué and cross stitch. I made my first quilt in 1975 to take with me to college. With no instruction, I cut two fabrics into 12-inch squares, sewed them as a checkerboard, backed it with a pillowcase finish and tied it with yarn. I still use this quilt on my sofa.

In 2015, after a 35-year full time career and active parenting, I took up quilting and needlework with great enthusiasm. I am a process person, so welcome the challenges that different quilt techniques present. I prefer hand sewing to machine piecing, so many of my quilts involve appliqué, English paper piecing, or hand piecing. I also like including many fabrics in one quilt…scrappy, but coordinated, and I like to fussy cut. I’m all about the process of creating quilt tops and don’t worry about how long it takes or how tedious it is. I like to problem solve and am self-taught, so my methods may not always be conventional.”

Blueberry Hill, pattern by Lori Smith

“This is one of my earlier projects. I bought a kit with the objective of improving my appliqué skills with an emphasis on small pieces, curves, and points.”

Dresden Plate – “I rescued the vintage hand pieced plates at a rummage sale. They were in extreme disrepair. I repaired them then turned edge appliquéd them to muslin.”

I love seeing quilts that were rescued from sad circumstances (CK 😊).

Quilted Village, pattern by Janet Miller

“This is an older pattern that I discovered in a thrift shop. I knew I was meant to make it when I found all 12 patterns in various places throughout the shop. The appliqués around the square are turned edge using a freezer paper method. The most enjoyable part of this project was collecting fabrics and fussy cutting to enhance the look of the buildings. Embroidery with silk ribbon was used to add the finer details. This was my first turned appliqué quilt.”

Her silk ribbon embroidery is so lovely (CK 😊).

Scrappy Circles ~ “I won what was considered a booby prize at my guild meeting. It was a box of hundreds of very eclectic 2.5” squares. I love scraps, so I accepted the challenge to do something with them. I cut half of them into circles and hand-appliqued them to the rest of the squares. I used the interfaced method of turning the circles before appliquéing them. There are 1050 circles.”

WOW! (CK 😊)

Peas in a Pod, pattern by Kim Diehl

“This quilt combines hand appliqué with machine piecing. The squares with the curved pieces are turned appliqué, then alternated with the pieced blocks.”

When I first saw this photo, I was wondering how she did it. Alternating blocks – how clever! (CK 😊)

Cabin in the Pines, pattern by Jan Patek

“This was made with a raw edge appliqué process utilizing a blanket stitch. I love when I can work on small components of a quilt, only needing to bring them together at the end. I chose this pattern to work on in my own little cabin on a small lake.”

“This is the center of a quilt called School Girl Sampler. When I talk about appliqué, I like to point out that it’s fun to incorporate it into a traditionally pieced quilt. It’s an interesting accent, and a way to do appliqué without committing to a whole quilt of it.”

Tulips in the Park, pattern by Piece ‘O Cake Designs

“I became aware of this pattern through an older member of my guild. I became obsessed with it, mainly because of the bold, bright fabrics and funky shapes. I searched online until I found a seller in Canada who had purchased the original kit and was willing to sell it. This is my current project and I am in the process of making blocks. I am using a freezer paper method of preparing my pieces.”

These last blocks were the ones she was working on at retreat and I have to admit, I enjoyed watching her stitch, and loved the tips she shared with me. When I asked her about featuring her work here, we talked about what she should send me. It turns out her hand piecing is just as delightful as her appliqué. We decided to save that for a future post.

For a quilter who has done a lot more machine appliqué than hand, these quilts and their stories have been a joy. And the appliqué work Mary Jo inspired me to attempt ~ has been great fun!

Thanks Mary Jo!