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Greetings fellow quilters, sewists, and AccuQuilt enthusiasts - it's me, Belinda from Samplings from a Blue Ribbon Girl, with another guest blog post. I am back today to share another one of my latest quilt pattern creations for AccuQuilt - a set of GO! Early To Rise Placemats.
When I was asked to design a project using the GO! Folk Art Fowl die by Bill Kerr, I have to admit, I was a bit perplexed - at first, it didn't seem like a very versatile die...but as I started brainstorming ideas, I quickly realized these shapes would work really well for a plethora of projects.
I thought the rooster, hen, and eggs would be perfect for a placemat design. I wanted more of a modern look, so I used the GO! Square-6½" (6" finished) and the GO! Square 3½" (3" finished) for the base...then appliquéd the Folk Art Fowl shapes in place...and finally, added a sun - a 5" circle from the GO! Circles-2", 3", 5" die. The entire design came together rather quickly and the final result was exactly what I envisioned.
When making this set of four placemats, you will want to be sure to apply paper-backed fusible web to the appliqué fabrics before cutting the shapes - this is a HUGE time saver. You will also want to make sure you cut your hens facing left and your roosters facing right - for the hens, place your fabric wrong side up on the cutting die...for the roosters, place your fabric right side up on the cutting die - this will ensure they are facing the correct direction. The roosters and hens have some intricately cut sections, so to aid in the machine appliqué process, use a shorter stitch length and a narrower stitch width - this will help you make the sharp turns on the beaks and tails. I would also recommend using a lightweight tear-away stabilizer on the back of your work to keep your machine stitches crisp and flat.
While designing these placemats, I couldn't help but visualize other ideas for these fun shapes - they would be perfect for an entire set of coordinating kitchen accessories. The rooster, hen, and egg appliqués would be great as accents on kitchen curtains, potholders, kitchen towels, aprons, and/or a table/counter runner. Once you have completed your set of placemats, I'm sure you will be inspired to create more projects using the GO! Folk Art Fowl die shapes!
I would really enjoy hearing about your GO! Early To Rise Placemats and GO! Folk Art Fowl projects - stop by my blog, website, or social media pages. I am happy to answer any questions regarding this AccuQuilt project...and I always enjoy meeting new virtual quilting friends!
