Burmese Beauty Quilt

Instructions provided courtesy of guest Aie Rossman.

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Filed under: Quilting, Crafts, How To

Materials and Tools:

18-inch square of black fabric for foundation square
two inches of 45-inch wide dark green fabric for border 1 (innermost border)
eight inches of 45-inch wide floral print for border 2
five inches of 45-inch wide yellow fabric for border 3
16 inches of 45-inch wide black fabric for border 4 (outermost border)
11 inches of 45-inch wide black fabric for binding
assorted greens of different values for stems and leaves
assorted colors and values of fabric for flowers
33-inch square of batting
33 inches of 45-inch wide fabric for backing
skein of yellow embroidery floss for tendrils
wax-free dressmaker's tracing paper for transferring design onto dark fabric
white and silver marking pencils
thread to match applique pieces
quilting thread
Laurel appliqué pattern design

Read through the instructions before working on the project. They are written for needle-turn method of hand applique, but the pattern can easily be adapted for any applique method.

Applique

Tape dressmaker's tracing paper to the right side of an 18-inch square of black foundation fabric, making sure that the center of the foundation square is aligned with the center of the applique design.

Tape the applique design on top of dressmaker's paper, then trace the design with a ballpoint pen. Remove design pattern and dressmaker's paper then retrace the design on the foundation fabric with a white marking pencil.

Trace the applique design on template plastic using a black felt-tip pen. Cut out the template pieces as you applique in numerical order, starting with the stems first.

On the right side of the stem fabric, trace along the first template. Cut out the fabric 3/16 inch beyond the traced line. Turn under the 3/16-inch seam allowance by finger pressing.

You don't need to turn under edges that will be overlapped by other pieces. Position the stem in place on the black foundation fabric. Pin to make sure that it is well aligned on the traced pattern. Applique.

In the same manner, prepare the rest of the stems (using templates 2 through 23), and applique them in numerical order.

Prepare the fabric pieces for leaves, flowers, and buds (using templates 24 through 176). Applique them in numerical order.

Embroider the tendrils using embroidery floss and a stem stitch.

Press the work from the back.

Trim the work to a 16-1/2-inch square, making sure that the design is centered.

Mark the center of each side of the square.

Borders
If desired, all border strips can be cut longer than specified lengths and trimmed to size as you sew.

From border-1 fabric, cut two 3/4" x 16-1/2", and two 3/4" x 17" strips.
From border-2 fabric, cut two 3-3/4" x 17", and 3-3/4" x 23-1/2" strips.
From border-3 fabric, cut two 1" x 23-1/2" , and two 1" x 24-1/2"strips.
From border-4 fabric, cut two 3-3/4" x 24-1/2", and 3-3/4" x 31" strips.
For each strip, bring the shorter edges together. Finger-press to mark the center line.
Match center line of a shorter border-1 strip (3/4" x 16-1/2"), and center line of the left side of applique block then pin. Sew them together. Repeat this step for the right side using the remaining shorter strip. Press the seams toward the border. Sew the longer strips (3/4" x 17") to the top and bottom sides of the applique block. Press the seams toward the border. At this point, the finished work should measure 17 inches square.
In the same manner as in step 6, attach borders 2, 3 and 4. The quilt top should measure 31 inches square.

Quilting

Layer the backing, batting, and quilt top. Baste.
Quilt along the outline of the applique pieces.
Stitch-in-the-ditch quilt along the border seams.
Quilt the black background area of the applique block and the wide borders (2 and 4) as desired.
Remove all basting and markings when quilting is completed.

Binding

Cut the binding material on the straight grain into four 2-1/2 " x 45" strips.
Sew them together at a 45 degree angle into a continuous binding strip. Press seams open.
Use the double-fold French binding method to bind the quilt.