I finished machine-stitching the appliqué border on my Origami Bow-Tie blocks this week. Once I started the machine stitching, I kind of got into a rhythm and just kept working at it until it was finished. I don't have any solid plans for the quilting yet; I'm just happy to have the finished flimsy!
I used Soft Fuse to hold the appliqué shapes in place (fabric glue for the vines), then machine-stitched a blanket stitch edging on all the shapes. The border design is from Fons and Porter's Quick Quilts from the Heart. The stitching was not difficult, but I did find I needed to be careful to use good posture, remember to breathe (!) and take frequent breaks to stretch and rest my wrists and hands.
The Origami or 3-D Bow-Tie blocks were from an exchange among antique and vintage sewing machine users from the Treadle On mail list. The exchange requirements included using reproduction quilting fabric and stitching the blocks on a pre-1900 people-powered sewing machine.
These blocks will always have a special place in my heart because I received them during my exile from New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. My son and I were living with my sister's family in Florida so my son could continue to attend high school - his school had taken on over 12 feet of water and was in no shape for classes. My husband had gone back to New Orleans to work, because his hospital was one of the only functioning hospitals in the metro area. I looked for a job in Florida, but although folks were sympathetic, they weren't interested in hiring a temporary employee. I didn't have any access to Fabric Therapy, so I spent my days reading and trying not to watch television coverage about the flooding in New Orleans. When my package of blocks arrived in the mail, it was a harbinger that life might eventually return to "normal". Not long after that, we learned electricity had been restored to our neighborhood, my son's school had arranged for classes to be held at an alternate location and we would be able to go home!
