Stinky Pete

Today I started working in earnest on the Toy Story quilt for Izzy's third birthday.  I really want it done before we leave for Disney on September 16th since we don't return until the 22nd, just before her birthday.  Mr. Potato Head and T-Rex are already fused and ready for the final stitching.  But I thought you might like to see how I proceed.  Today's first block was Stinky Pete, the prospector.

This is the coloring page I started with.  Since I only wanted Pete, I inserted this page into my graphics program, Photodraw.  I know it's an old one, but I love it and still use it.  I cut and cropped Pete out of the page, and then made him the size I wanted him for the 10.5" block that I'm using.  Then I reversed him so that he would be all ready for fusing onto fusible webbing.  I really like Heat n Bond lite.

This is Pete, all ready to trace.  As you can see, I have rounded out the hat where Woody's face and arm were, and finished the edges where they had been cut off.  Then I decided which pieces would be behind which pieces, and started to trace onto the fusible.

Here the traced pieces are fused to the fabric.  Remember, they get fused to the wrong side of the fabric.  You're seeing two of some of the pieces because I did two of the blocks -- one for Izzy and one for daughter Mary.

I cut the pieces out, and get ready to fuse them together.  Sometimes I take "artist license", and choose a fabric that isn't quite what the original was.  Here, I have chosen a checkered fabric, instead of doing a red with denim suspender straps.   When I fuse my pieces together, I use a teflon pressing sheet. My pattern is reversed so that the right side is up, and then inserted under the applique sheet.  Yes, I have put it on top and then had to start all over.

And then I start to fuse, starting with the pieces that I have decided to put on the bottom, and building to the top.  You can see the applique pressing sheet here on top of my ironing surface.

And finally he's all fused.  And I use my fabric markers (mostly Pigma pens and brushes) to add the details.  I let it cool, and peel it up from the pressing sheet. I then do a good pressing on the background square, and fuse Pete as one piece to the background.  It makes the positioning so much easier when the piece is already put together.

And here's Pete all fused to the background and ready for the final stitching.  I used to use a buttonhole stitching, but lately have been doing a close zig zag stitch around all the exposed, fused edges.  I have a large collection of rayon threads that I bought for the embroidery machine.  I don't do a whole lot of embroidery, and love the shimmer that the rayon threads give to the blocks.