June 16, 2012

It’s the final day of our Scrap-Appliqué Playground Book-A-Round! I’m Kay, the author of the book, and If you haven’t been here before, welcome to my blog All About Appliqué! You’ll find lots of great information about appliqué here, all kinds, so be sure to take some time to poke around the Categories and use the Key Word Search.

We end up our tour in my town of Santa Cruz, California, right on the coast between San Francisco and Monterey.


View Santa Cruz, California in a larger map

I hope you’ve been having a fabulous time on our 10-day tour. I sure did! Weren’t the other bloggers fantastic? A big shout-out to all the gals who played in the Playground to bring us such great inspiration.

Most of the other bloggers have been showcasing the piecing methods in the book, so I thought I’d give you a peek at the fusing method. I call it “Lay Down and Fuse,” because that’s what you do… lay down pre-fused scraps and stick them together to create spontaneous fabric compositions.

This is the project Imaginary Blooms from the book. My husband refers to this one as “Psycho Flowers” LOL. He’s having a hard time getting used to it, I think because it’s just so different than what he’s seen come out of my studio for the last 20 years. Personally I love it, because it’s so NOT me :). I had a blast cutting loose with these blooms from my imagination.

Since I made a blue spiral flower for Imaginary Blooms, I decided to do one in a different color. Hmmm, how about red. I dumped out my bag of red scraps and started casting about for inspiration. A pretty red-and-white floral caught my eye. That’s it! All red-and-white, all the time! I rummaged and pulled out all the scraps and strips that fit the description. I also looked through my tub of reds and pulled one more fabric. (We’re allowed to do that, you know. And besides, I love rummaging.)

Right now this looks like a hot mess.

In addition to fabric scraps, pull out those odd little pieces of leftover paper-backed fusible that you’ve been saving.

SoftFuse is my current favorite.

Now I’ve pressed and pre-fused the scraps, and given them a fresh scissor-cut all the way around.

I traced a freezer-paper template from the pattern in the book, scribbling inside it so I could more easily tell the positive space from the negative space. It will serve as both a cutting template and a sizing template.

Spontaneously and without overthinking it, lay down the pre-fused scraps slightly overlapping on a nonstick pressing sheet. The composition is large enough for the template. (And I didn’t even need that fat quarter.)

A quick flower center, and here it is, ready to fuse and stitch! So quick, and what fun! Scrap-Appliqué Playground takes you through the process in full detail.

Courtesy of Martingale, I have a copy of the book to give away. If you’d like to enter the drawing, please leave a comment here on this post before 7:00 p.m. on Sunday, June 17. Tell me what you enjoyed most about the Book-A-Round!

Heads up: If you’re subscribed by email, you can’t leave a comment by hitting the “Reply” button. Go to All About Appliqué on the internet and add your comment there, at the bottom of the post. Contest open to U.S. and Canada mailing addresses only.

Good luck, and thank you all so very kindly for coming along on this journey with me.

Cheers,
Kay
By Kay Mackenzie

Comments

68 Responses to “Book-A-Round 3 ~ Day 10”

  1. Sally King on June 16th, 2012 6:14 am

    Love your projects.
    Sally@BabyStepsQuilting.com

  2. LeAnne L on June 16th, 2012 6:54 am

    What fun flowers!

  3. nancy in IN on June 16th, 2012 7:06 am

    I love the creativity of the flowers, especially. I do needle-turn applique so I check to see how I would do. Love the small quilt for teachers.
    Thanks

  4. DebrafromMD on June 16th, 2012 7:08 am

    What I love most about book hops is seeing all the projects included in the book. I also enjoy seeing which of these photos inspire others.

  5. kathy h on June 16th, 2012 7:19 am

    I love how you can use all those little leftovers to make such cute flowers and pictures. I tend to quilt with more subdued colors but really enjoy the brights for little applique pieces.

  6. Anne-Marie Binet on June 16th, 2012 7:25 am

    Cool flowers! I really enjoyed the blog tour!

  7. Linda on June 16th, 2012 7:30 am

    YES,YES,YES to a very loud shout out to the other bloggers. If I do not win this book, I’ll be ordering it. I love the idea of using up my scraps to make a new FABRIC. Thanks sooo much for a chance to play along.

  8. Marilyn on June 16th, 2012 7:49 am

    I loved reading all the different blogs, some new to me that I have added to my daily reading list! The projects and techniques are great too.

  9. Kate on June 16th, 2012 8:08 am

    So cute and a great way to use up fusable and fabric scraps. Would love the book, thanks for the chance.

  10. LisaT on June 16th, 2012 8:24 am

    Congratulations on your book – it looks fantastic. Thanks for the chance to win one!

  11. candace on June 16th, 2012 8:38 am

    Hello Kay, I wanted to first say thank you for the great ideas in your new book. The blogs that were stops on the tour were so much fun to see what others did for their projects and how they were inspired. My fav. is the studio project. I would really love to give a copy a home :D

  12. diane i on June 16th, 2012 9:15 am

    What a cute flower. My color RED. Love it.

  13. Jevne on June 16th, 2012 9:21 am

    Congrats on your new book. It looks like fun!

  14. Carol J. Miller on June 16th, 2012 9:23 am

    Enjoyed every blog stop and seeing what was done with the blocks in your book. Definitely going to buy this if I don’t win. Carol

  15. Deborah Marshall on June 16th, 2012 9:39 am

    Love the random-ness of the project shown today and what a great idea for those of us who hate to throw anything out!! Keep up the great ideas for us. I love your website/blog. I would love a shot at a free copy of this book!!!! If not, it is definately on my “to buy” list!

  16. Nancy B on June 16th, 2012 9:40 am

    I love the sample projects shown from this book. I would love to win! Thanks.

  17. Jane Knoll-Tenney on June 16th, 2012 9:40 am

    Now I don’t even know where to start to relay what I liked best. What a great experience for me and being a new quilter you have piqued my interest to no end! Great talent, designs, and techniques! Thank you so much1

  18. Nancy Larsen on June 16th, 2012 9:42 am

    The more I’ve seen of the book, the more I want to try out the projects. What fun.
    Nancy in Newport

  19. Kathy Lancaster on June 16th, 2012 9:42 am

    Great techniques

  20. Paulette on June 16th, 2012 9:47 am

    Great ideas to apply to my quilts and projects.

  21. Joan Rodriguez on June 16th, 2012 9:53 am

    The blog hop is a great idea. Its an opportunity to understand everything about your new book. I’m having so much fun and look forward to your emails for a chance to explore other talented quilters and their blogs. :)

  22. Ellen Pearce on June 16th, 2012 9:53 am

    Enjoyed all the perspectives on your projects. I love your work because it is so full of fun that it makes me happy.

  23. ritainalaska on June 16th, 2012 10:10 am

    thoroughly enjoyed the blog hop for your fab book! all the reviews were intresting, informative and inspiring. love your spiral flowers and circle trees! thanx for all the opportunities to win a copy!

  24. Judy G on June 16th, 2012 10:42 am

    Kay, I just love your patterns in this book. They are all so cute and creative. And I have really enjoyed the Book Around and visiting all the blogs, some of which I was already familiar and some not. It’s been a fun week. Thank you.

  25. Joyce Mitchell on June 16th, 2012 10:47 am

    Loved all the stops of this blog hop. Thanks for the chance to win your wonderful new book.

  26. Polly on June 16th, 2012 10:48 am

    Oh, the very best thing is finding all these wonderful new blogs to follow and gain inspiration from. LOVE this whimsical, fun new book from Kay. My fingers are tightly crossed. :P

  27. Maria on June 16th, 2012 10:58 am

    I have to say I have that my favorite part of this Book Tour was that it has sparked my imagination and creativity again! I love the ideas I have seen and can not wait to get a copy!
    Maria

  28. Cheryl on June 16th, 2012 11:13 am

    I have loved this Book Tour! My favorite part was seeing haow all the other hosts have interpreted the various techniques and used them to make their own personal projects. Applique is my favorite quilting style and I’m happy that you showed the fuseable method today. Thanks for the opportunity to win!!

  29. Brenda Cornell on June 16th, 2012 11:19 am

    Thanks for the fun, Kay. Your tutorial about how you created your fabric answered a lot of questions.

  30. G Britten on June 16th, 2012 11:34 am

    Have enjoyed this whole week looking at various sites promoting your book. I can’t wait to try this fused applique method. Would love to win this book!

  31. Kat on June 16th, 2012 11:45 am

    I enjoyed meeting the different quilters in the other blogs and seeing other perspectives. I hope to win this book because it is so “not me” spontaneous….I need to get kicked out of my comfy box!

  32. maggie avrit on June 16th, 2012 11:56 am

    I absolutely LOVE your new book and I can’t wait to get started. Thanks for all the pictures and ideas.

  33. Angie in SoCal on June 16th, 2012 12:10 pm

    I like your fun flowers. The book is great and can hardly wait til I have time to start a project from it. Thanks for the chance!

  34. MarciaW on June 16th, 2012 12:37 pm

    Each stop on the blog hop used a book project as a jumping off point to make their own version. It was fun to see how the techniques from your book could be translated into so many different ways. Thanks for the fun and the giveaway. Congratulations on your newest book!

  35. Donna on June 16th, 2012 12:40 pm

    I think the main thing I enjoyed was how the others who participated in the book around made the same thing but put their own zing to it! Thanks for the opportunity to win.

  36. Kathleen on June 16th, 2012 12:49 pm

    Oh no, it can’t be over…I am having too much fun on your Book-A-Round. I always enjoy visiting and seeing all of the other blogs on these hops and visiting with quilting friends. See ‘About’ in my profile for contact info. Thanks for a great giveaway! :)

  37. Elizabeth on June 16th, 2012 12:56 pm

    Thanks Kay. I really enjoyed the Book-A-Round. What I enjoyed the most was visiting the different blogs and getting a peek at what is in the book. Thanks

  38. Sandy on June 16th, 2012 1:00 pm

    I loved meeting some all the quilters that I hadn’t known before and visiting all the great places. Plus, seeing what everyone did with their blocks. Applique has been may favorite quilting technique for over 20 years so it was a lot of fun to see all the applique.

  39. Sandi on June 16th, 2012 1:13 pm

    Great projects! Nice way to use up scraps.

  40. Judee on June 16th, 2012 1:22 pm

    I really love the round flower but I am confused as to how the fabric pieces don’t come undone even when sides are sewn down…the middle fabric?….anyway..love it all! I like the crazy look of flowers!

  41. Diann Cornell on June 16th, 2012 1:58 pm

    I liked seeing all the projects and meeting all the bloggers.

  42. Annette on June 16th, 2012 2:07 pm

    I enjoyed seeing all the projects from participating bloggers. Love the book.

  43. Wanda on June 16th, 2012 2:09 pm

    This spiral flower is really different. Loved the book around and the inspiration at each stop. Your area of California is very beautiful. I was in Morgan Hill/Gilroy several years ago. Couldn’t believe the very tall palm trees. I’m from Florida and they don’t get that tall here.

  44. Marilyn S on June 16th, 2012 3:30 pm

    That book is so fun. It looks like I could use a lot of my scraps and get that patchy look.

  45. Sandra on June 16th, 2012 4:00 pm

    I loved seeing the different projects done and also seeing the different blogs.

  46. Sharon on June 16th, 2012 4:32 pm

    I loved seeing all the different projects!

  47. Mary on June 16th, 2012 5:31 pm

    I have really enjoyed the Book-a-Round.Love the ideas you have created. Thanks for sharing and I’ll be getting one of you books by either winning it or ordering it.

  48. Lline on June 16th, 2012 5:34 pm

    More and more great ideas. My scraps are calling me. Hope I win the book. But win or not this is one is on my ‘must have’ list.

  49. sandy on June 16th, 2012 6:19 pm

    What I learned on this blog hop was more techniques besides plain quilting and also loved the opportunity to visit blogs of such talented people.

  50. Linda on June 16th, 2012 6:28 pm

    I have always had this “fear” of applique. I tried my first a couple of weeks ago. I DID IT! I just discovered your book through this hop. I would love to own the book to read and try your techniques and ideas. I loved seeing what others have created from the book.

  51. Caryn on June 16th, 2012 6:50 pm

    I love your applique books and this has been fun. I would love to own this latest book. I need to start more applique.

  52. Debbie St.Germain on June 16th, 2012 7:01 pm

    I have enjoyed visiting new bloggers and designers and seeing what they have made from your book. Lots of wonderful ideas and fun projects.

    Debbie

  53. Loris Mills on June 16th, 2012 7:09 pm

    These flowers are fun! It has been a great tour. I’ve enjoyed seeing the different bloggers show some of the projects they have done from the book. can’t wait to try your technique.

  54. Karrie Smith on June 16th, 2012 7:21 pm

    I really liked getting the chance to “meet” new quilters/bloggers. I love the tutorials about the projects in the book. When I see how easy it is, I get inspired to make something. I’m definitely a hands-on learner, so when it’s broken down step-by-step with pictures, I am definitely more apt to try something new. Even applique! Thanks for the chance to win! And Congrats on the new book. It really is awesome.

  55. Nancysue on June 16th, 2012 8:10 pm

    I’ve loved reading what everyone’s favorite projects are in the book, and who doesn’t love all the tutorials in the book-around blog hop! I love the inspiration!! It’s been such fun!

  56. Teresa in Music City on June 16th, 2012 8:13 pm

    Last chance!!! Ugh!!! I so wanted to win a copy, so keeping my fingers and toes and eyes crossed :*) LOVE your book and appreciate the Book-a-Round. I got to meet a lot of new bloggers and learn more about your methods.

  57. karima on June 17th, 2012 7:25 am

    Really loved your fun flower project. I could use all my best red fabrics…love red.really would love to get this book.

  58. Marjorie on June 17th, 2012 7:33 am

    The curly flowers are super, and the fresh, fun approach to design is delightful. Would love to have the book. Thanks, Kay!

  59. Anne on June 17th, 2012 7:51 am

    Oh, way too much fun as now I want to do
    applique. Such exciting flowers and great use of scraps. A thousand thanks for the TUT. Anne

  60. Jan on June 17th, 2012 8:20 am

    Hi Kay! I loved seeing other interpretations of your work, as well as seeing the work of other appliquers.

    This looks like a very fun book! I love any and all ideas for using scraps!

    Jan

  61. Kathe on June 17th, 2012 9:16 am

    Love your book and all that you show us to do. Thanks for sharing and the giveaway.

  62. Jodi G. on June 17th, 2012 12:21 pm

    I love your flowers! It really does make for an interesting flower etc using different pieces of fabric. I loved the hop for two reasons. I learned about a great book that has tons of information, projects and inspiration. I’m also happy that I was introduced to some new blogs. It’s always great to find talented and creative people to learn from.

    Thank you for a great giveaway and a chance to win. Thanks as well to all the bloggers for joining the hop.

    usairdoll(at)gmail(dot)com

  63. Connie on June 17th, 2012 5:13 pm

    Cute flower and what a wonderful book!

  64. ellen b on June 17th, 2012 5:52 pm

    Just saw this book….I love it….one more book to add to the library

  65. Jill Hicks on June 17th, 2012 6:00 pm

    I enjoy going to new websites and reading about different designers.

  66. Bunny on June 18th, 2012 4:13 am

    I think the book is brilliant. Love all the great ideas. I just started to learn appliqué in the last year or so and am beginning to love it. Would love that book.

  67. Sharon B on June 18th, 2012 6:46 am

    This is SEW cute and a great technique! I am really enjoying the “book-a-round” and all the talented ladies who have contributed! Hope this book lands in my mailbox!

  68. nancy in IN on June 18th, 2012 8:29 pm

    What a fun book. Each pattern is a learning curve. Thank you