Appleton Dance

Fiber artist Kate G. of Brighton, Michigan created this gloriously nostalgic October wall hanging with the aid of Electric Quilt software and copyright free patterns. She created the design as a special gift for the students in her foundation piecing class. Kate has agreed to share her mini-quilt design with Appleton Dance readers. To request her mini-quilt design, and for information about her classes and artwork, contact Kate G. at mailto:quiltinkateg@yahoo.com.   For more information about foundation piecing, check the  tutorial on CM Designs, Inc . website. CM Designs, Inc. markets the Add-a-Quarter Ruler that is an indispensable piece of equipment for foundation piecing. Note: This post was corrected and updated on October 7, 2011.

My friend Virginia tried to explain foundation piecing to me years ago but I really didn't grasp the concept, and found her teeny-tiny dragonfly a mystery and a marvel. Then I signed up for Kate G's foundation piecing class at Creative Quilt Kits in Brighton, Michigan this week, and everything became clear. We made Kate's original design -- a 12x20-inch "Santa and Trees Holiday Wall Hanging" -- using her own paper foundation patterns and her very precise method of doing foundation piecing. I got another new piece of equipment -- a 6-inch Add-a-Quarter Ruler -- that we used to cut precise seam allowances for each piece of patchwork. You can watch a tutorial on the foundation piecing method on CM Designs, Inc. makers of the Add-a-Quarter Ruler at:  http://addaquarter.com/how_to.php . The first block we learned was a cute little three-inch-square six-patch using one solid piece for the tree (instead of the nine pieces for the tree in the photo above). Th...

I guess I'm slightly obsessed with this memory game, after I made the first one I kept thinking of ways to improve or extend the game. When my Aunt Susan was here in July we went to a quilt store I hadn't been to called Wendy's Simple Stitches in Howell, MI (great place!) and Aunt Sue found the perfect flannel fabric for a new & improved memory game.  The fabric is 'Jolly Jungle Labels' from The Hensley Studio.  The coordinating fabrics are great as well. Instructions are the same as those posted here  with a few improvements:  I ironed the fusible webbing onto the flannel before cutting out the animal blocks and I cut the felt squares 1/2" larger than I wanted so I could trim them after sewing on the animals to get even edges. I absolutely LOVE how these turned out with the flannel and felt.  Mom made the perfect box for the game and all that is left is to make a 'how to play' sticker and a 'handmade with love (by your Aunt A, Gra...