Combining Quilting & Embroidery

Recently, I was lucky enough to meet Carolyn Burgess, the owner of Applique, Quilts, and More.  She has the most wonderful applique kits, and they are all available with or without fusible on the back.  I think that’s a great idea, because sometimes I like to do needle-turn applique, and I prefer not to have any fusible on my pieces. She has lots of themes to choose from, and her Christmas blocks are my very favorite!  Carolyn brought her quilt over, and we decided on an overall motif — quilting right through her appliques.  There are lots of opinions on this because some people think that you can never do that with a fused applique because there is too much stiffness.  These appliqued pieces were soft and had a very nice drape, so there was no problem at all stitching right through them.

Another fun thing about Carolyn’s approach to this quilt is that you can order individual blocks and make as many projects as you can imagine just using your favorites!  For instance, I love the cardinals that are featured in the Applique Christmas Block of the Month section, and I would like to do a few of them as gifts.  I can buy as many of those sections as I want, without having to buy an entire kit! And better yet, I can send a favorite fabric of mine to Carolyn, and she will cut my pieces out of my fabric for me! She really has a great selection of pieces, and I can see lots of future inspiration coming from her pre-cut applique pieces and kits. She has just saved a lot of time for me!

OK…. some times I get just a little bit carried away.  I just love to sit and look at all of the pretty quilt designs that I have on my computer…. but they seem so lonely in there.  They want to come out and play!  I decided to use some of them on the front of a denim shirt.  Then, I added fabric paint and crystals!  It was just way too much fun to do!

 I just LOVE the Swarovski crystals, and the best place to buy them is from Designs by Dawn. She has so many to choose from, and is wonderful to her customers!

I’ve included lots of close-up pictures for you.  Some of them are pretty big, so don’t worry if it takes a while for them to open.  Enjoy!

I was thrilled when Barbara brought this quilt in to be finished!  I love anything patriotic, and this was a true original! It’s based on a Lone Star quilt, with the different areas being changed to suit the design of the eagle in the center section.  Barbara took it a step further though, and added her own ideas for the borders.  Using her embroidery software, she added lettering in the large outer border, and also appliqued swags.

I love the circle of stars that she designed!

And the back is striking too, because we decided to use various colors to match the stitching on the front:

All of the pictures are below.  Make sure to “open” them by clicking on each one, and then clicking again, so that you can make them larger and see all of the detail.

It was an honor and a privilege to make this quilt! Measuring 55 by 48, it’s a contemporary version of the American flag.  You can see by the close-up picture of the square section, the detail of the eagle that is quilted with a circle of stars surrounding him. Inside of all of the white stripes, there is quilted lettering for the entire Pledge of Allegiance. Inside the red stripes, you will find quilted stars. To highlight the area that traditionally has a blue background, you will find a blue and white checkerboard. This created a center square to highlight the light shade of gold that features the quilted eagle. This is a very quick quilt to make, and is a wonderful gift for someone who is very patriotic and proud. This pattern is available as an emailed PDF, and not an item that will be shipped. This saves time and money for you! Just provide your email address when you order, and the pattern will be sent right away. This pattern does NOT contain any embroidery files — all stitching shown is quilted, not embroidered.  Information is included with your pattern for having your quilting service done by Candy Apple Quilts, and also, there’s another pattern option inside! Regular price $10.99, now only $8.99 — Order yours today!

Just perfect for a baby boy, our Baby Boy Bunny Quilt is ready for gift-giving.  This quilt measures 41 inches by 41 inches — just the right size for snuggling with your precious new angel. There is a soft shade of blue 100% cotton fabric, and a white Kona cotton solid, and subtle blue quilting thread. The border features a double heart stitched in each section. The binding is finished completely by hand, with the quality that you have come to expect from Candy Apple Quilts. Small hearts are stitched in the block center areas — and the center square has a beautiful quilted bunny design. This quilt is as pretty on the back is it is on the front. Please click on each of the pictures below to enlarge them, and look at the fine details. This item has a 100% satisfaction guarantee! If you aren’t happy for any reason, just return the quilt to Candy Apple Quilts in it’s original condition, and you will receive a refund of your purchase price. Order yours today to have on hand as a perfect gift. Just 199.99 plus shipping. Only one available, so order quickly!

ITEM SOLD — PLEASE WATCH FOR OTHER QUILTS AVAILABLE SOON!

Just perfect for a baby girl, our Baby Girl Bunny Quilt is ready for gift-giving.  This quilt measures 42 inches by 42 inches — just the right size for snuggling with your precious new angel. There is a soft shade of pink 100% cotton fabric, and a white Kona cotton solid, and subtle pink quilting thread. The border features a double heart stitched in each section. The binding is finished completely by hand, with the quality that you have come to expect from Candy Apple Quilts. Small hearts are stitched in the block center areas — and the center square has a beautiful quilted bunny design. This quilt is as pretty on the back is it is on the front. Please click on each of the pictures below to enlarge them, and look at the fine details. This item has a 100% satisfaction guarantee! If you aren’t happy for any reason, just return the quilt to Candy Apple Quilts in it’s original condition, and you will receive a refund of your purchase price. Order yours today to have on hand as a perfect gift. Just 199.99 plus shipping. Only one available, so order quickly!

ITEM SOLD — PLEASE WATCH FOR OTHER QUILTS AVAILABLE SOON!

What would be more perfect for Valentine’s Day with your sweetheart than fluffy towels, a bottle of wine, and a warm candlelight bubble bath? You could even applique this romantic design on to a matching nightie, or cover for your wine bottle. Order this project today and celebrate in style!

You will receive a zip file with an embroidery file of your chosen machine format, a  PDF of instructions for stitching the applique, and another PDF including photos that make this romantic project quick and easy — even for a beginner!

This project is available in the following formats:
ART, DST, HUS, JEF, PES, SEW, and XXX for only $6.50!

We’ve had so many requests for finished quilts! In response to those requests, we have decided to start featuring completed quilts, and making them available to you for purchase. Just in time for Valentine’s Day, our Love Quilt is the first quilt in a new venture for Candy Apple Quilts! This quilt measures 60 inches by 53 inches — just the right size for snuggling with your sweetheart. There are eight different shades of red and pink 100% cotton fabrics. The border features a double heart stitched in each section, with a scalloped outer edge. The binding is finished completely by hand, with the quality that you have come to expect from Candy Apple Quilts. Small hearts are stitched in the center area — and the center square has a light feather design. Please click on each of the pictures below to enlarge them, and look at the fine details. This item has a 100% satisfaction guarantee! If you aren’t happy for any reason, just return the quilt to Candy Apple Quilts in it’s original condition, and you will receive a refund of your purchase price. Order yours today to receive it in time for Valentine’s Day. Just 299.99 plus shipping. Only one available, so order quickly!

ITEM SOLD — PLEASE WATCH FOR OTHER QUILTS AVAILABLE SOON!

I received a Quilt In a Cup kit from my friend Dawn the other day — and it was so much fun to make! The kit comes with a white inner liner, a clear acrylic outside piece, batting, a template, a lid and a straw.

You can use any scraps you have, and place them however you would like on the batting. Then just use a log cabin method of adding pieces in a clock-wise fashion until you have covered the entire piece of batting.

You only need to finish one side with a binding because the other side won’t show from the outside. Then collect all of your pieces, and a bottle of white glue. I didn’t follow all of the directions, because I didn’t want the piece permanently glued inside of the cup. I want to be able to change my little quilted piece with the seasons. The only place that I used glue was down the length of the side binding. When I was all done, my finished cup was ready to fill with coffee (or a cold beverage). This was so much fun to make!

The secret to an amazing quilt? The inside. That’s right — the part that no one can see. Connie pressed each tiny block in this quilt, and paid a lot of attention to the squaring of each block, and the direction of her seams. When she joined each block together she made sure to alternate her seam allowances, and there are no lumpy areas in this quilt. Waiting until the end of piecing the quilt top) or even the piecing of just one row SEEMS like a time-saver, but in reality you save time by taking care of each tiny issue along the way. This reminds me of something a house painter explained to me years ago. “A wall can only look good painted if it’s smooth before the paint is applied. If you paint over all of the lumps and bumps, trying to hide them, you’ll still be able to see them in the end.”

Adding a feathered over-all design to this quilt in a nice even density enables the eye to go to Connie’s accurate piecing and enjoy her vast selection of fabrics. It also makes the back of the quilt as pretty as the front. This quilt measures 103 inches square, and will be used and washed frequently. An over-all design is perfectly suited for a high-use quilt.

Connie’s quilt also reminds me of something that George Washington said because I firmly believe in this principal…. people won’t remember how QUICKLY you did something, they will remember how WELL you did it. Relax and take a little extra time pressing along the way, and enjoy your piecing. Years later, you’ll be happy you did!