Elaine Quehl Workshop - In Full Bloom

Yesterday I took the In Full Bloom workshop from Elaine Quehl. This was also a very interesting one, I learned a lot, but definitely more intensive and required more brain power than the Tue one. Elaine went through how she starts with a photo of a flower and turns it into a pattern and that is suitable for using the fusible web and creating a wall hanging. By the way here is a link to Elaine's website: http://www.equarelle.ca/ and to her blog: http://www.elainequehl.blogspot.com/

You basically start with a 8 by 10 size photo and place one of those acetate overhead sheets over the photo. Then with a marker draw out the various sections that will become a pattern based on the light, mid and dark sections of the various colours of the flower. The easiest way then to get that enlarged is to take it to a copy place where they can do enlargements. The ones we were working with are about 36 by 30. The other method is to take the acetate and project it on an overhead projector onto a wall. Have a large piece of paper taped to a wall and draw it out. With that method you need a lot of patience and it is hard on your back and shoulders.

If I was going to make more patterns I would go with the copy place for the enlargements.

Once enlarged, you then have to sort out the petals, and do some numbering when furthest petal is the first one, then the second furthest petal is the second one, etc. The furthest petal is labelled A, and then within A, you have to determine how to the various sections A will be put down and number them from 1 through whatever. I think this process would take practice before you were good at it.

So once you have the numbering figured out , (ours was already done for us) tape it down to a table, then cover it with light weight muslin, and tape that down. the muslin should be about an inch bigger than the pattern. Then you need a fine point Pigma Micron pen (it is permanent and doesn't bleed), to trace the pattern as well as all the letter and numbers for the sections onto the muslin.

Once you have all that done, you have to flip the pattern, and draw all the outlines and renumber everything, because you need the reverse image for the steam a seam light fusible web stuff because it is cut out from the reverse image pattern.

Once that is done, you get your fabrics together, arranged light to dark and start figuring things out. Again this part will take practice. I got my first petal done in terms of placing it on the muslin. you don't fuse anything in place until everything is cut out and up on the muslin. She then said to take a photo and look at it on your computer to see if all looks good or if anything looks a miss. There may be some fabrics that may need to be changed. Once good, then you can start fusing everything down.

So this is Elaine's poppy quilt.  I'm doing the poppy, but only one flower, and it is the lower flower.

Here is my muslin piece with the first petal done.

Once you have the whole flower done and fused, you cut out the flower from the remaining muslin and then you need to audition background fabrics.  Once you find a suitable one, then the flower gets attached to the background fabric, and then the quilt sandwich is made, and you can start quilting.