I still have more copies, so before the postage goes up May 11, check it out and let me know about your group.

Cheers,
Kay
Quilt Puppy Publications & Designs

If you’re a member of a group that makes and donates quilts for kids in need, email me at “kay at kaymackenzie.com” and tell me about your group. I’ll send you 6 copies (as many as I can stuff in a bubble mailer) by the “slow boat to China,” Media Mail. If you feel like paying me back for the postage, you can PayPal a couple bucks to the same address.

If you’re not a member of such a group but you know somebody who is, feel free to spread the word.

This book includes step-by-step. illustrated instructions for five easy quilts and a comfy cozy flannel blankie, plus detailed instructions on the fusible-interfacing method for machine-appliquéing big, simple shapes.

Until next time,
Kay

This is a form of appliqué that requires neither skill nor experience for great results. It’s a good technique for big, simple shapes. And it’s very durable, with turned edges, so it’s highly appropriate for kid quilts. The fusible interfacing is the key. I use the sheer-to-lightweight variety. This product only fuses on one side and you want to be sure you are using fusible interfacing, not fusible web.

Here we go with a lollipop. Cut an oversized square of fabric and an oversized square of fusible interfacing. Trace a circle onto the smooth side of the interfacing. Place the marked interfacing square smooth (marked) side up on the right side of the fabric square. Pin in a couple places if you like.

Shorten the stitch length on your sewing machine and sew all the way around the circle just inside the marked line. Pivoting should not be necessary once you find the right combination of stitch length and sewing speed. Go ahead and stitch over the first few stitches when you come all the way around.

Trim the seam allowances to about 1/8″. Pull the interfacing away from the fabric and make a nip through it. Lengthen the slash just enough to turn the pop right-side-out through the opening.

This illustration shows the interfacing side, after the slash has been made and before turning the pop.

Turn the pop. Insert some kind of pointy implement through the slash and run it along the stitching line, fully extending the seam. The pop will look a little puffy yet, but don’t press with an iron yet.

This illustration shows the pop after being turned but before being pressed. Puffiness is normal at this stage, do not fear!

The stick for the lollipop is made the same way, by sewing a fabric-interfacing tube and turning it right-side-out. In this illustration, the stick has already been fused to the background and stitched. Now we’re ready for the pop. Place the pop in the desired location. Following the manufacturer’s instructions, fuse the pop in place. (I find that 10 seconds with steam does the trick.) Don’t move the iron back and forth, just set it down on the pop.

This is where Miracle #1 occurs. The pop flattens out and becomes beautifully round. It’s fused in place for your favorite form of machine appliqué. A simple topstitch is shown here, which I use a lot for these, with the same shortened stitch length.

Once the stitching is complete, here comes Miracle #2. Because the interfacing only fuses on one side, it is only fused to the background fabric and not to the lollipop. You can pull apart the layers and trim away the fused background, removing most of the product.

Here’s the back of a block, after the fused layer is trimmed away. Leave about 1/4″ inside the stitching line. These blocks are soft and supple.

So, appliqué fans (or appliqué fans to be), fusible interfacing is another one for your bag of tricks.

Patterns for kid quilts with detailed instructions and lots of illustrations on this method can be found throughout my book In a Twinkle: Youthful Quilt Designs over at Quilt Puppy.

A couple of darling Lollipops, Candy Bars & Jujubes quilts can be seen on the Lots of Lollipops post here on the blog.

Did it ever! I was wonderful to hear that the gals enjoyed the process and that the instructions conveyed well. The lollipops are machine appliquéd using the fusible-interface method introduced to quilters by Eleanor Burns. The pops are turned-edge and come out round and flat with no skill required. The candy bars are rail-fence blocks, and the jujubes are nine-patches. A simple pattern and a tasty confection of a quilt.

But you may be wondering, why on earth did they undertake to make three?? The answer is, because Guin has twin granddaughters!

This is one of the twin quilts that Guin made. She used 30’s reproduction fabrics. The inclusion of the black is great and makes me think of licorice all-sorts. Guin’s granddaughters are five years old now, and Guin says that the quilts were well used. I like that. When I make a baby quilt for a friend, I want it to be used, not hung on a wall!

Here’s Debra’s LCBJ. Look at those luscious citrus colors! This quilt hung in a shop as a sample for a long time, and was universally admired. Debra now reports that “The quilt was given to my nephew’s new baby girl. I was so happy to send her one of the special ones from my collection.” How nice! Thank you, Debra.

Guin and Debra were a huge help in getting LCBJ ready to publish. They asked very good questions and suggested several improvements. Thanks gals! See you at the Pinnacle Quilters show later this month!

Springtime in the Pinnacles April 28-29, 2007, downtown Hollister.

In preparation for the interview, I sent Maria a copy of Dog Cabin and In a Twinkle: Youthful Quilt Designs, which were my books thus far. I was delighted when Maria wrote to say that she had showed them to her youngest daughter, who was then expecting a child. Knowing that her mom would soon be starting a quilt for her, the daughter fell in love with the quilt called “In a Twinkle” from the book of the same name, and asked for that one.

It just so happened that she had also been eyeing a star-covered blue fabric in Maria’s stash, and requested that it be used for the entire background (as opposed to a pieced background as I had used in my version). Maria set out making the quilt, and presented it to her daughter at the baby shower.

Maria says, “I was especially grateful to Kay when I heard all of the oohs and ahs of the guests. They especially loved the little verse at the bottom.”

It’s my pleasure, believe me, when quilters choose my designs and go on to make them their own.

Here’s Maria’s Twinkle. That background fabric could not be more perfect. The whole quilt sparkles, and glitters!

If you can’t read the verse, it says, “In a twinkle, covers crinkle. Snuggle deep, off to sleep.” I’m glad you like my little poem.

Visit Maria Michaels Designs to sign up for her fabulous, free newsletter/magazine. Once you do, you can also read all of the back issues, which contain a wealth of information of interest to quilters.