Book Review - Mi Amor by Margarete Heinisch

Mi Amor, Legacy Appliqué

by Margarete Heinisch
©2014 American Quilter’s Society
ISBN 978-1-60460-140-4
Proudly printed in the United States of America

Margarete’s exquisite quilt “Mi Amor” was exhibited at American Quilter's Society QuiltWeek in Lancaster, Pennsylvania in 2012, and this quilt certainly deserved the Best of Show award. I was fortunate to be able to view this magnificent quilt 'up close and personal' and take photos before the show officially opened. The first thing that caught my eye was a peacock in full display – a stunning feat of skill with fabric and thread. There is so much to see and enjoy on this quilt, I hoped the maker would publish a book. Gladly, she has!

Born and raised in Vienna, Margarete moved to California in 1971. After visiting a quilt exhibit, she was inspired to make a log cabin quilt, and like many of us, found herself immersed in the quilt world. Mi Amor was made as a 25th anniversary quilt for her daughter and son-in-law.

Sixteen original Baltimore album style blocks highlight her family life, loves, America’s history, patriotism, social compassion, and spiritual expression.














Margarete includes imaginative use of many kinds of fabrics and threads on her quilt, and some unexpected materials. Hidden among potted flowers is a baby bird in a nest woven from yarn and Margarete’s own hair!

Flowers are made with gathered yoyos, hexagons, yarn, and rickrack. Some are folded, frayed or fringed. No flower garden is without critters, so she included ladybugs, potato bugs, caterpillars, bumble-bees and many birds. Huge butterfly wings with bound edges seem ready to lift off the surface of the quilt. A multitude of embroidery stitches add final touches on the appliqué.

Margarete makes creative use of iron-on ribbons and acrylic fabric paint. Pigma pens form delicate facial details, eagle feathers, lettering, and a detailed drawing of a church scene. Step-by-steps show how to handle dimensional features such as a bound book, a written scroll, a little girl’s dress, and a woven basket with ruched rim. A unique partially-pieced compass block is framed with bias, rickrack, and prairie points.


The book, Mi Amor, offers close up photos and diagrams explaining how to achieve these techniques and more. From the CD-ROM included, print patterns in sections on 8½"x11" paper, or .pdf files for commercial printing. Print full color pages of each block for reference or fabric shopping. Appliqué fans will enjoy Margarete’s beautiful book, Mi Amor. Try some of Margarete’s fun techniques in your quilts, or be inspired to create your own original appliqué designs.


Keep Stitching!
Barbara M. Burnham
www.barbaramburnham.com
(c) 2015 Barbara M. Burnham. All rights reserved. Reproduction of any kind is expressly prohibited without prior written authorization.

Teaching Hand Applique at Paducah 2015

Join us in Paducah, Kentucky at the American Quilter's Society QuiltWeek for some applique!  Whether you are a beginner or advanced appliquer, have fun learning new techniques in Paducah. I will be teaching SIX different applique workshops! Many workshops are almost FULL, so hurry and register. 

Mark your calendar for April 22-25, 2015. Bring your friends! Enjoy the incredible AQS contest quilts! Visit the vendors! Enjoy learning new techniques!

Edge-Ruched Flower and Bud - Wednesday Afternoon 1:00-4:00 pm Lincoln Room

SOLD OUT Dress up your appliqué quilts or clothing with easy edge-ruched flowers and buds. Learn easy techniques to finish this little block. Start with a simple leaf and stem and learn to appliqué smooth curves. Sew a fancy ruched flower and a bud bursting from its calyx. Add a stuffed circle or button to finish your ruched flower. I will also show you how to turn your ruched flowers into fabric jewelry to wear.

Applique Stems and Vines - Wednesday Morning 8:30-11:30am Lincoln Room

SOLD OUT Start as a beginner or expand your appliqué toolbox! Barbara will demonstrate as many methods as time allows to make stems, vines, and basket weavers for various styles of hand or machine appliqué. Determine which methods are best for each appliqué situation. Learn about bias and straight grain, when each cut is most effective, and easily figure out how long and how wide to cut fabric for stems and vines to fit your project. Learn several methods of stem placement, how to neatly turn under cut stem ends, and how to reduce bulk or add dimension. Handout booklet is loaded with graphics, tips, and tricks for eighteen different methods. Choose a few methods to sew stems on your class project, or make samples to store in your booklet for future reference. Top off your stems with colorful yo-yos or add flowers of your choice.

Baltimore Garden Dogwood - Thursday Morning  8:30am-4:00pm  Lincoln Room

SOLD OUT This graceful applique block is drawn from the antique quilt featured in Barbara’s book “Baltimore Garden Quilt,” and may have been inspired by our native dogwood trees. Honor tradition with red and green, sew pink dogwood flowers, or learn ways to harness the power of modern fabrics for any color flowers. Start as a beginner, or expand your appliqué skills! Learn techniques to finish this block using needleturn with freezer paper on top method. Begin with gentle, smooth curves and pointy points on leaves. Choose from several methods to make stems and two ways to place them in graceful curves. Learn how to appliqué inner curves and round outer curves on the flowers. Experiment with layered appliqué. Finish with perfectly round stuffed flower centers, or embellish with French knots or beads. Learn Barbara’s method for accurate placement without marking the background, tips for handling small pieces, and ideas to make your hand appliqué faster.

Baltimore Garden Bluebird and Tulip - Friday Morning  8:30-11:30am  Lincoln Room

SOLD OUT A single tulip clipped from one of the original blocks in Barbara’s “Baltimore Garden Quilt” is joined by a swooping bird. Start as a beginner, or expand your applique skills. Learn to applique smooth inner and outer curves, and two methods for a graceful curved stem. Master inner and outer points and learn tricks to make your fabric do as YOU wish using freezer paper on top as a guide for needleturn. Barbara will offer a method of accurate applique placement without marking the background, and tips to make your hand applique faster. For a final touch, the bird will seem to come to life with an embroidered eye.

Antique Cornerstone Applique - Friday Evening  5:30pm - 8:30pm  Lincoln Room

SOLD OUT Inspired by an antique Pennsylvania applique quilt, learn to hand applique with an easy back-basting technique and needleturn using very simple tools – fabrics, pencil, scissors, needle and thread. Start as a beginner, or expand your applique toolbox! Choose fabrics and marking tools for best results with this easy and portable technique. Honor tradition with red and green, or go wild from your fabric stash. Determine the order of appliqué placement and how to align symmetrical pieces. Learn to appliqué gentle inner and outer curves, turn angles on flower buds, and perfect points on leaves. Barbara will offer tips and tricks to handle small and large applique pieces, and ideas to make your hand applique faster.

Baltimore Garden Rose Sprig - Saturday Morning  8:30am-11:30am Lincoln Room

SOLD OUT This graceful little rose sprig is clipped from a pattern in Barbara’s book Baltimore Garden Quilt. With freezer paper on top as your guide for needleturn, learn to hand appliqué with gentle curves, Vs, easy points, and a two-part flower bud with inner and outer curves. Choose from several methods to make graceful curved stems. Honor the traditional with red and green, harness the power of modern fabrics to fussy cut roses and buds, or try an optional broderie perse technique. Barbara will offer tips and tricks to make your hand appliqué faster, and teach you how to manage placement of small appliqué pieces with no marks on the background.

Hope to see you in Paducah!

Barbara M. Burnham
www.barbaramburnham.com/

(c) 2015 Barbara M. Burnham. All rights reserved. Reproduction of any kind is expressly prohibited without prior written authorization.

The Great Featherweight Cover-Up

Last year in Paducah, KY at the AQS Quilt Show, I bought a pattern for this Featherweight Cover-Up and Thread Catcher from Chris Moline. What a great idea to protect our precious antique vintage sewing machines while in storage or travel, and at the same time, keep our sewing area neat with a pocket to catch snippets and threads.

Note: This is not an advertisement, and I have no affiliation with Chris, but it is fun to share such great ideas! Isn’t this a great idea!?!

The instructions provided in the pattern are minimal, but as my Grandma used to say “How hard can it be?” It looks easy enough, and a simple pattern. The only real challenge (to me) was a little clip – how to sew around that little clip had me stumped – so the pattern sat around for a quite a while, cut out, but unsewn.

You know how sometimes when you can’t sleep, your mind wanders aimlessly? That’s when I realized, "Oh! Yes! I know how to do this!" I had some pre-quilted fabric and binding strips on hand; so if it didn’t work out, it would be an inexpensive trial run. At the clip, I stretched the edge way apart, pinned it well, and kept the needle down at the corners. For binding, one strip cut from selvage to selvage was plenty.

Maybe I will make another Cover-Up someday. Next time, my Cover-Up will be appliqued with a flower and bird from my Baltimore Garden Quilt pattern!


Fans of vintage Singer Featherweight sewing machines will want to know about this pattern, so I contacted Chris. (I don’t think she has a website.) Here is information directly from Chris:

"This pattern is $2.75 plus $1.00 in postage. Orders for the pattern only can be placed by mailing a check made out to Chris Moline, 1168 Hyde Park Lane, Naperville, IL 60565. If they desire additional featherweight items, I would suggest they call 630-357-8055. For orders over $10 they can use VISA, MasterCard or Discover. I am running a bit low on the pattern after this year's quilt show season, but am planning to go out today and get more printed, as it has been very popular." - Thanks Chris!



P.S. The light on the left of my sewing machine is a magnetic, battery operated barbeque grill light. Another great idea for sewing on the go!

Keep Stitching!
Barbara M. Burnham
Author of Baltimore Garden Quilt

(c) 2015 Barbara M. Burnham. All rights reserved. Reproduction of any kind is expressly prohibited without prior written authorization.

Cherry Birds and Running Reds

One of my favorite blocks from “Baltimore Garden Quilt”* is this Cherry Bird block. I started this one for teaching a hand applique workshop in Chattanooga, Tennessee, at the American Quilter’s Society’s QuiltWEEK event. Now I can finally finish stitching the rest of this block. Just one little problem...

I do not make any marks on my background fabric, so there are no marks remove; however, by the time a hand appliqué block is finished, it is a little wrinkled. So I rinse the block in cool water, then let it dry overnight laid flat on a terrycloth towel. Once the block is dry, I give it a little spray mist, and press it with an iron from the BACK on a fluffy terrycloth towel. (Never press the front of applique – it flattens the applique, and could cause shiny edges at the turned under seam allowance.)

But, wait! OH NO! Some of the red cherry fabrics ran! See the pink halos around the cherries? (Insert your own words of distress here.)
 

No worries, I think I can fix this. Back to the basin, fill with cool water and add a spoonful of Dawn dishwashing liquid (original blue Dawn shown in the photo). Swish it around, and let the block soak in that a while, maybe an hour. Then rinse, rinse, and rinse again to get all the soap out. (No wringing or squeezing which could distort the block.)

Let the block dry once again. Hoooray! The pink halos are gone. Back to the ironing board, face down on the fluffy terrycloth towel. Spray a light mist to dampen the block, and the block is ready to press.
  

Looks good!

 
Students often ask “How did you do the tiny bird’s eyes?” Here is a photo of the fabric (with a penny for scale) that I used for these bird’s eyes. I seem to collect bird’s eye fabrics. This fabric was also available in white, but it was not handy, so I needleturned the pink under, leaving only the circles.
  

One of these days, I will blog step-by-step how I stitch really tiny circles. But, if you were in my Chattanooga workshop, you already know!

Keep stitching,
Barbara M. Burnham

P.S. This pattern and more are available on CD in the book "Baltimore Garden Quilt" or in full size printed patterns here: http://www.barbaramburnham.com/

(c) 2015 Barbara M. Burnham. All rights reserved. Reproduction of any kind is expressly prohibited without prior written authorization.

APPLIQUE! Workshops at AQS Chattanooga, September 10-13, 2014

Join us in Chattanooga, Tennessee at the American Quilter's Society QuiltWeek for some applique!  Whether you are a beginner or advanced appliquer, have fun learning new techniques in Chattanooga. I will be teaching FOUR applique workshops, plus free demos of Applique Basket Weaving. Some workshops are almost FULL, so hurry and register. Hope to see you there!

Enjoy over 500 quilts, including the incredible AQS contest quilts! My quilt "M.E.C. Remembered" from the book Baltimore Garden Quilt will also be on exhibit.  

#63501 Edge-Ruched Flower and Bud

Wednesday 1:00-4:00 pm

SOLD OUT Dress up your appliqué quilts or clothing with easy edge-ruched flowers and buds. Learn easy techniques to finish this little block. Start with a simple leaf and stem and learn to appliqué smooth curves. Sew a fancy ruched flower and a bud bursting from its calyx. Add a stuffed circle or button to finish your ruched flower. I will also show you how to turn your ruched flowers into fabric jewelry to wear.

http://www.quiltweek.com/workshops/63501-edged-ruched-flower-and-bud/?portfolioID=13202

#63101 Cherry Tree Birds

Thursday 8:30am-4:00pm

SOLD OUT Four hungry birds in a cherry tree appear on an antique quilt featured in Barbara’s book Baltimore Garden Quilt. Plan traditional colors of red and green, or go wild from your fabric stash as Barbara shows you the techniques needed to finish this block including: how to choose fabrics, organize and manage lots of pieces, and accurately place the pattern without marking the background. Learn how to needle-turn smooth curves and points with the freezer paper on-top method. Make perfectly round, stuffed cherries with super skinny appliquéd cherry stems. Raise your skills to a new level, and learn to sew tiny appliqué on a bird’s eyes and legs, or use embroidery techniques for details. Experiment with layered appliqué and off-block appliqué techniques. Barbara will offer tips, tricks, and ideas to make your hand appliqué even faster. http://www.quiltweek.com/workshops/63101-cherry-tree-birds/?portfolioID=13202

#63502 Baltimore Garden Tulips

Friday 8:30-11:30am

SOLD OUT Inspired by an antique appliqué quilt, perky tulips are clipped from the larger pattern in Barbara’’s book Baltimore Garden Quilt. Learn to hand appliqué smooth curves and soft leaf points. With freezer paper on-top as your guide for needle-turn, master the V-points in the tulip and inner U-curves of unfurled tulip buds. Choose from several methods to make graceful curved stems. Barbara will offer tips and tricks to make your hand appliqué faster, and how to manage accurate placement of appliqué pieces without marking the background.
http://www.quiltweek.com/workshops/63502-baltimore-garden-tulips/?portfolioID=13202

#63503 Applique Stems and Vines

Saturday 8:30-11:30am

SOLD OUT Start as a beginner or expand your appliqué toolbox! Barbara will demonstrate as many methods as time allows to make stems, vines, and basket weaves for various styles of hand or machine appliqué. Determine which methods are best for each appliqué situation. Learn about bias and straight grain, when each cut is most effective, and easily figure out how long and how wide to cut fabric for stems and vines to fit your project. Learn several methods of stem placement, how to neatly turn under cut stem ends, and how to reduce bulk or add dimension. Handout booklet is loaded with graphics, tips, and tricks for eighteen different methods. Choose a few methods to sew stems on your class project, or make samples to store in your booklet for future reference. Top off your stems with colorful yo-yos or add flowers of your choice. http://www.quiltweek.com/workshops/63502-baltimore-garden-tulips/?portfolioID=13202

See you in Chattanooga!

Barbara M. Burnham

www.barbaramburnham.com/