Adventurous Applique - Round 1

Our Island Batik Ambassador Challenge this month is 'Adventurous Applique'.
#adventurousapplique #islandbatik

I had worked on this RaNae Merrill designed paper pieced heart in February for our Valentine's/Galentine's inspired challenge and just wasn't sure what to do with it. This month's challenge gave me an idea and this is the result.

To the paper pieced heart, I stitched mistyfuse to the front of it, by stitching on the paper line exactly the size I wanted it finished. I happened to have some scraps that two pieces coming together at the center of the heart were just wide enough. That gave me my automatic 'split' to turn it inside out. The 'valley' of the heart and the 'point' of the heart gave me a bit of a challenge since the two pieces of mistyfuse didn't stitch well right there, but I got it ironed in place on the backing and was satisfied. The finished edge with little bulk added by using the mistyfuse makes this a super each stitch down too. Next I did a very small blanket stitch in red on the lower 2/3 of the heart and in white on the upper 1/3. Then I put it on a piece of wool batting that fit the size of the heart and basted it right next to the heart (this is where I should have used water soluable thread) and trimmed the batting close to the stitching. yes, I even did my first attempt at trapunto. For a first go, I'm really pleased. I think stuffing a piece of batting cut to the shape and stuffed inside the mistyfuse would also work.


Now I loaded it on my long-arm with backing, a layer of 80/20 and then a layer of wool on top and stitched right next to the heart and in the shape of the inversion of the paper piecing --this got a little tricky as it is quite thick with the many small sections. I also wanted a thin string hanging below the heart as if it was a big balloon in the sky. One stitch path and I decided it needed dimension so added a second one close to it. Then I stitched in the cumulus clouds, inspired from Gina Perkes book.

A simple all machine binding finished it up to make it a fun whimsical wall hanging that I'm calling "Love is in the Air".

The adventure this love balloon is on represents me and my husband and our taking off into the sky tomorrow morning for a big adventure ourselves!