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- This quilt is made using a technique I call positive/negative appliqu�. It is a simple
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- method of using the shape that you cut out of the fabric, as well as the shape that is
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- left behind as design elements in the quilt. From one piece of Vlisofix, you can make
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- two blocks. It is fast and simple and an excellent canvas for machine quilting.
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- To make the quilt, just like mine...
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- Requirements
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- � 15 FQs of hand-dyed fabric. I have used the
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- colour wheel
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- and the
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- double graduation
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- .
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- � Wadding
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- � backing
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- � 50cm Vlisofix (20 inches)
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- � thread to match
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- � sewing machine
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- � rotary cutting equipment
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- � small sharp nosed cutting scissors
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- � pencil
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- � design wall or floor space to spread out
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- Cutting Instructions
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- 1. Take the 15 FQs and iron them into two piles with the selvedge and one raw edge
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- matching evenly. If you think that you can cut through 15 layers, just make one pile.
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- 2. Even the edge by trimming off a small slice and then cut two strips 4.5" wide. Trim
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- a short end off these two strips and then cut them into four rectangles 8.5" long. You
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- should have 60 rectangles which measure 4.5" x 8.5".
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- 3. Now cut twenty 3" strips from the remaining fabric. These are for your border and
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- bindings. Set these aside for later.
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- 4. From the remnants cut eight 4.5" x 4.5" squares. You may wish to leave this until
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- after you have positioned the rectangles on the design wall.... just in case you want
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- to place specific colours in the gaps.
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- 5. From the Vlisofix, cut twenty 4" x 8" rectangles. Using your pencil and the
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- templates that you have printed off, trace a flower onto the Vlisofix rectangle, centre
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- it where you wish the final flower to be positioned in the block. You get to choose
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- how many flowers of each design you wish to use.
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- 6. Arrange the rectangles on the design wall in 9 rows across and 4 rectangles deep.
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- Place the rectangles in a vertical aspect and offset the rectangles so that the corner
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- of one lines up with the middle of the next. It is like a vertical brick wall. See the
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- photo. When you are arranging the colour scheme, think about the background
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- colours only. Don�t pay any attention to the flower colours yet. The rectangles that
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- you are placing now will end up being the backgrounds. I have placed the colours so
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- they travel diagonally across the quilt. The small squares are to fill the gaps at the
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- top and bottom of the rows. You may wish to cut and plan their placement now.
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- 7. Take the remaining rectangles. Now you can think of flower colours. This is the
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- colour that will show through once you have cut out the flower �positive� from its
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- background. Think more about contrast and value rather than specific colours. Yes,
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- flowers can be blue and green and purple, but you want to actually see the flower
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- against its background or �negative�. Place these under a corresponding rectangle
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- on the design wall.
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- 8. Once you have made these decisions you can iron the Vlisofix rectangles to the
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- background fabrics of the pairs that you have just created. Now don�t get confused.
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- The background fabric of the pair is the one that is the background colour of the
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- block.... it isn�t the one that sits on the bottom of the design wall. It's the one on the
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- top!.
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- 9. When you have ironed them all on, you can begin cutting out the flowers. BE VERY
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- CAREFUL HERE. Don�t cut in from the edge of the block. Using the fine sharp-nosed
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- scissors or a rotary cutter, begin the cut on a line. If you cut in from the edge, you will
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- have a raw edge where you don�t want one. Remember that you are using the
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- background piece as the �negative�, so you have to keep it intact.
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- 10. When you have cut out a flower, place the background piece back where it
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- belongs on the design wall. You can even iron it on at this stage if you are sure on
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- your colour placements. Set the flower shapes aside until you have cut everything
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- out.
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- 11. Now you can start playing mix and match with the flowers. Some of the pieces
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- on the �negative� blocks can be swapped around so that the flower centres have
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- different colours. The �positive� flower shapes can be placed on the remaining
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- background blocks in any way you choose. I swapped all the colours around, placed
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- them differently so that the flowers looked subtly different. Play around and have
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- some fun.
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- 12. When you are happy with the colour placement, peel off the papers and iron into
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- position. I have left a couple of the smaller squares blank to show off some quilting.
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- 13. Now simply sew all the rectangles into long strips. Iron all the seam allowances in
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- one direction ... none of them have to match so downwards is good so that the
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- sewing machine foot glides over them, rather than pushing them into opposite
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- directions. Sew the strips together, matching the tops and bottoms.