The Applique Book Blog Tour Wrap-up: Corona de Flores

Welcome back, and thank you to everyone who has been following along with the blog tour celebrating the release of The Appliqué Book. I hope you’ve gotten to know some of the wonderful contributors and participants and learn more about their projects!

I have one final project to show you as I wrap up the tour, and it’s my probably one of my favorite quilts that I’ve ever made: Corona de Flores. I categorized in the Free-From Appliqué section of the book, because, like improvisational applique, it’s technique does not use a pattern. Instead, it features a technique known as Broderie Perse (also sometimes known as Fabric Collage). Broderie Perse is actually a traditional technique with deep roots. It was originally used in the 18th century to make use of precious and expensive imported chintz fabrics. Individual motifs were cut from the printed fabrics and appliquéd in new arrangements on a base cloth.

Image courtesy of Stash Books; photo by Nissa Brehmer and Kristy Zacharias

I know I’m not the only one who loves the amazing large-scale prints available to quilters today, but is never quite certain how to cut them up to use them. Broderie Perse is one answer to this dilemma. By cutting individual motifs from these fabrics, we can use the parts we love without loosing any of their stunning details.

For Corona de Flores, I chose an amazing border print by Alexander Henry that was based on Mexican folk art. I loved the colors and textures of the flowers in this print, and focused on them for the appliqué, which I arranged in a wreath motif (hence the name “Corona de Flores”).

Image courtesy of Stash Books; Photo by Diane Pedersen

I knew I couldn’t do justice to this design with my own quilting skills, so I sent it to my amazing quilter, Ann McNew, and told her to go to town–my only suggestions were that she pick up on some of the floral motifs of the appliqués and that she organize the quilting as a medallion. She suggested adding an additional layer of wool batting to really emphasize the quilting and appliqué motifs, and she really knocked it out of the park (that’s hand-guided machine quilting you’re seeing, not computer-driven). You can read more about Ann’s process on her blog, Attic Threads and Quilts.

I hope you’ve enjoyed learning a little bit more about the quilts and people featured in The Appliqué Book, and that you’ll check it out–I truly hope it can serve as a comprehensive resource for quilters interested in appliqué, beginners and more advanced quilters alike. You can always order a signed copy from my shop, but also remember that I will be giving away a copy to a lucky blog reader. The giveaway ends at midnight tonight, and to enter please remember to leave a comment on the Kickoff blog post (just to keep the entries organized and simple; you’re also welcome to comment here, but these comments won’t be entered in the drawing). If you haven’t stopped at all of the blogs on the Tour, many of them are also hosting giveaways, so make sure to check them out! Thanks for reading, and have a wonderful weekend, everyone!

Mon. March 14:
Casey York | https://studioloblog.wordpress.com
C&T Publishing |http://www.ctpub.com/blog/

Tues. March 15:
Jenna Brand | http://jennabrand.com/
Adrianne Ove/Pink Chalk | http://www.pinkchalkstudio.com/blog/

Wed. March 16:
Jenifer Dick | http://42quilts.com/
Pati Fried | https://seehowwesew.wordpress.com/

Thurs. March 17:
Shannon Brinkley | http://www.thebottletree.net/blog/
Bari J. | http://barijdesigns.com/blogs/blog

Fri. March 18:
Debbie Grifka | http://eschhousequilts.com/blog
Beth Vassalo | http://plumandjune.blogspot.com

Mon. March 21:
Latifah Saafir | http://www.latifahsaafirstudios.com/blog/

Tues. March 22:
Lynn Harris | http://thelittleredhen.typepad.com
Kevin Kosbab | http://feeddog.blogspot.com
Modern Quilts Unlimited | https://modernquilts.mqumag.com/category/blog

Web. March 23:
Allison Rosen | http://withinaquarterinch.com/
Cindy Lammon | http://hyacinthquiltdesigns.blogspot.com/

Thurs. March 24:
Rossie Hutchinson | http://www.rossiecrafts.com/blog
Generation Q | http://generationqmagazine.com/

Fri. March 25:
Betz White | http://betzwhite.com/blog
Casey York | https://studioloblog.wordpress.com

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