"Leaf" It to Me

Today's post is about applique. If the thought of hand applique makes you shiver, please feel free to skip this post. :-) Anyway, when I decided to work on Yoko Saito's "Floral Bouquet," I wanted to make it smaller. Instead of enlarging each patterns 200%, I went with 150%. It seemed like a good idea at the time. That is, until I began prepping a few blocks. Look at how tiny these leaves are. I used these apliquick tools to make them possible.

These tools were developed by a woman in Spain and there are a number of videos on YouTube demonstrating how to use them. At first, I found them slow and awkward to use, but as I kept at it, they became easier to manipulate. Soon I had plenty of practice making the leaves for just two of the blocks. 

When I thought the pieces couldn't get any smaller, they did! There are three separate prepared pieces resting on this dime. Yikes!!!

I really don't think I would have been able to prepare them without the apliquick rods which with practice work very well!  The good news is that though the pieces took a long time to prepare, being so tiny they will take no time at all to stitch. :-)

 I borrowed the little book light which is usually on my music stand and clipped it on the Lap App which I wrote about here. It works great!