Windowing Fusible Applique'

This is not a NEW IDEA (Windowing Fusible Applique')...it's a few years old.....but I thought I would trot it out because of a question I got from one of my fellow stitchers.

One of the girls wanted to make some quick door hanging decorations for patients in our local nursing home.
 I decided that the two-sided-fusible-web-windowing-technique would be just the thing.  So here goes.....

I picked out a section of the fabric, Spring Fling, that would allow me to collect 7 flowers and 3 dragonflies.

 I ironed the 2-sided fusible web to the back of the fabric.

Then, rough cut the parts I wanted in my door hanging.

Like this.....

Then, I cut carefully around on the outside edge.

I laid them out on the background, which was 12 1/2' x 18 1/2", and designed a vase to go with them, using plain copy paper.

I made the vase, by folding the paper, first, then drawing the shape and cutting it out while it was folded so it would be symmetrical.

I tried some different fabrics with the flowers for the vase and decided on this tonal batik piece I had in my stash.

I folded the fusible web and rough cut the shape about 3/8 inch away from the line traced from my pattern.  I cut out the "arm holes" on the actual lined edge.

Then, to "WINDOW" the shape, I cut out the center about 1/4" inside the traced line.

I laid it on the wrong side of the batik and fused it with a hot dry iron - about 5-8 seconds.

Then, I cut it out on the traced line of the outside edge of the shape.

Looks about the right size.  I cut out the "arm holes".....

....and removed the paper backing from all the shapes I had made so far....

....and laid them out on the background.

I drew shapes of stems and leaves on the paper side of the fusible and fused it to the wrong side of the green fabric.

All the elements......

were ready.

I began to lay them out on the background for the last time.

Everything's on there except the dragonflies.  I went ahead and ironed everything in place....then, added the dragon flies......and fused them, too.

All done!  Wasn't that fun?  It took about an hour and thirty minutes.  All I have left to do is to cut the backing, sew it to the piece, right sides together, leaving a turn-out space at the bottom; turn it inside out, press, and blind stitch the turn-out space shut.

Odessa Quilt Club Annual Retreat - Palouse Divide Lodge

Odessa Quilt Club - Annual Retreat to Palouse Divide Lodge

 Our annual retreat was the first week of November and I am just getting around to showing you all a little of what it was like.  Basically, quilting and beauty....all about us.

This is Shirley, our hostess at the lodge.   

 My work space was near this gorgeous cathedral window looking east.  It was so warm and balmy up there, we had the windows open a lot of the time.  In the previous two years we had been there, it snowed.

Here's the view to the south.  The lodge sits atop the summit of a ridge.  More to the left of this shot, you can see a ski lift up top of a steep hill.

Here's retreater, PJ Jacobsen, with her version of a little challenge quilt we did the first day.  We started with 25 charm squares and went from there, cutting them several times after sewing.  PJ used all Fairy Frost.  Pretty!  By the way, PJ has a retreat house in Lind, WA, along with a quilt shop, Crazy-Quilter.  You can write directly to PJ here.

I haven't included photos of all of our quilters here as I don't have permission from them, yet, but will have more photos, I hope, later.

 This was the view out the window directly behind my workspace, looking east, the first day we were there, in the afternoon.

 The following day, at dawn, I shot these photos as the sun was rising.

 Foggy mist was rising from the ravines in the pine forest below us.

What more could anyone ask of a retreat?  See more photos here.

Here are some of the projects quilters worked one during the four days we were there.....

 A t-shirt/jersey quilt in progress......

 Our 2013 club Raffle Quilt - "Your Favorite Block"....you can vaguely see the border against the brown carpet.  This shot doesn't do it justice.  It's a truly beautiful quilt and almost king-size, I believe.  If you want to buy a chance for this quilt, you can write to me.  Tickets are $1 each and the drawing will be at our annual quilt show, the last weekend in April.  You don't have to be present to win.

 A Halloween wall hanging combining embroidery with piecework.  Lovely!

 An old UFO, we were told, lap quilted.  She was able to finish it at the retreat!  That's a great thing.

A quilt made from scraps gathered at our last retreat and made into a donation quilt.

Three blocks in progress for our 2014 Raffle Quilt - "Aunt Millie's Garden".  It's going to be stupendous.

Some blocks from a batik baby quilt in progress.  The baby has southeast Asian heritage so this is very appropriate, don't you think?  Really nice applique' here.

A mother-daughter team of quilters was working on this quilt for a grandchild - happy, happy bunnies.  Very sweet!

If you are looking for a really nice retreat, go here and get the contact information.  There are good pictures of the lodge and all and you can call Shirley for details.  So wonderful.

And don't forget our little retreat house here in Odessa, The Gathering House.