Jan Patek Quilt- Miami Valley Album Quilt- Fishbowl

Doesn't this look like a real fishbowl?

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I'm having fun with this quilt pattern. This is the Mystery Quilt I won last year from Jan Patek's blog.

This is turning out to be easier than I thought, and I love the results!

The applique method I use is what I call "stitch and turn". I use fusible interfacing. I trace the shape onto the "dotty" or fusible side of the lightweight interfacing, then place the right side of the fabric next to the smooth side of the interfacing. Then sew on the traced line, all the way around the shape. Then I make a slit in the interfacing only, turn the shape, push out all the edges and sometimes trim the interfacing out of the middle so it won't be so stiff-- especially on the larger pieces. Then press.

Next, place each shape onto the back ground fabric, pin in place and then machine applique. This stitch and turn method doesn't work too well with really small shapes-- like the fish, so I had to do traditional needleturn applique for those.

I also trimmed out the excess fabric fron underneath the layers of fabric, so it won't be so heavy/thick/stiff. It makes it feel more like traditional applique.

I made this fishbowl in a few hours. It was easy for me, as I already know the technique. You can see another explanation of the technique here. (click on the word "here.")