Reverse Applique: The Ricochet Method...

From A Glossary of Quilting Terms I found online:

applique --a piecing process using small cutouts of fabric which are then sewn onto a background fabric in a decorative design. Typically intricate and curved floral and animal motifs are used.

reverse applique --designs made by sewing on a patch to the underside of the block and then cutting away and turning under the edge of the top fabric.


From Ricochet's Glossary of Sewing Techniquies:

Ricochet's method of reverse applique--designs achieved by stitching toether 2 or more layers of fabric and cutting off portions of the top layer(s) to reveal the fabric underneath.  No turning under of raw edges!  Leave 'em rough and tough!  See Ricochet's Reverse Applique Gallery for examples.


Basically, "applique" is attaching small shapes of fabric to a larger background.  So, you cut your shape first, then sew in on.  In "reverse applique" you stitch your shape first and cut last.  Kind of hard to type out.  However, once you see it, you'll totally "get" it.

Check out this little demonstration I cooked up today:

I took 3 layers of fabric and pinned them together.

I drew a simple design on one side. Note: I drew on the "top" side with a gel pen for the sake of the tutorial. You should draw on the back with chalk or your pattern-marking pencil.

Using my shortest stitch length, I stitch over all the lines of my flower. I used red thread so you all could easily see the stitching.

I pull all my threads to the back side and this is what it looks like so far.

I use a seam ripper to make a hole in the center of the flower. I'm careful to ONLY CUT THROUGH THE TOP LAYER. I use little scissors (from a beard-trimming set, I think) to cut out the center of the flower. I leave a raw edge about 3mm wide from the stitching. Note: if you cut through your stitching, or you cut through extra layers, all is lost! :-( You must start over again. Do not pass go. Do not collect your $200.

Then, I cut out the outside of the flower, leaving a raw edge of about 3mm from the stitching.

You know what I have now? I have what looks like an applique white flower (with a reverse applique center) on a blue background. But did I carefully cut out a white flower, carefully pin it to my blue background, and carefully stitch around all the edges? No, I didn't. I think the technique I used was far simpler.

Next, I cut through the center of the flower again, revealing the green fabric in the very back.   

Now look at what I have here. 3 layers of fabric. All 3 layers are playing their roles in creating a simple flower design.  Maybe all those raw edges are driving you crazy (you neat-freak, you!). You can trim them down a bit more closer to the stitching and then cover them up with a satin stitch. Once you satin stitch all the edges, no one will ever know if you used reverse applique or not. It'll be our little secret! Shhhh!

Just for fun, I got out my super-special fabric marker, er pink highlighter, I mean. I did a little coloring for beautification purposes. 

I added a corduroy button for a finishing touch. Now wouldn't that make a great pocket for a little girl's dress? The possibilities with this technique are endless. And unlike normal applique, you didn't need any expensive adhesives or fusible web or spray-on basting...

I would love to hear your thoughts on this.  I've been looking, but haven't seen a tute that approaches reverse applique like I do.  Let me know if you have, please. 

I made this tute as a reference tool for The Retro Pillow Challenge:

 Are you up for a challenge?

Happy crafting and big hugs from Montana,

Up for a Challenge?

My newest and dearest blogging friend Keren from:

has just posted her finished hand-quilted pillow!
I featured the almost-done project in my I Love Green post last Friday.  Take a look at her finished work of art:

Gorgeous, right?  And I must say her photograph really enhances the "puffiness" and needlework.  This pillow caught my eye because of all the green in it, but check out the other pillow she made:

Obviously Keren has some skills, not only with the technical aspects of such a project, but she has an "eye" for matching up colors and prints.  Could I do something like this??????  I don't know, but I'm dying to try!!!!

Keren and I started emailing back and forth, and a plan formulated! (insert evil laugh!)  She was interested in trying reverse applique (which is pretty much the only kind of applique I do) while I was interested in regular applique and quilting in general.  So now we are working on a project together!!!!  (insert squeal of delight!) 

Keren, a huge fan of retro styles (1950s) sent me some very cool retro patterns to use as inspiration for a common theme and I was very taken with this one:

This is the inspiration for our theme:
squares/rectangles with rounded corners
with circles.  Ya dig?

We agreed on certain parameters:

Project: Pillow cover, approx 50x50 cm (20 x 20 inches)

Design: squares/rectangles with rounded corners, optional circle in the center.

Color scheme: whatever you like!

Techniques to be used: Quilting, Applique, Reverse Applique (hand stitched and/or machine stitched)

Timeline:  The month of September
Voting: Everyone can vote via poll linky-dealio (high tech term!)
Prizes?:  Winner(s) receive bragging rights and a super-neato badge of honor!

So here we are in the Retro Pillow Challenge!  (insert applauding audience!)



Click here for more info



Would you like to join in?  Please!  We'd love to have you!  Comment on this post or email us and let us know.  We've made a wonderful hostess page with contact information here.  Keren has created some great tutorials to help us all with quilting (by hand and machine) and applique and patchwork:

How to Make a Basic Pillow Cover

How she put together her red/blue pillow with the applique circles.

How she made her latest green/blue pillow with the applique squares.

And I'm a slacker and have only done this tute:

Reverse Applique: The Ricochet Method

Update:  We've created a Retro Pillow Challenge Headquarters here.

Please join us!

And Keren, of course!

The Brenda Tote...

Happy Saturday!  Hope you all are enjoying the warm weather and taking advantage of it!  Only a few more weekends until my kids start school so we're going to take a drive somewhere.  I should be working on the garage sale I planned waaaay back in June, but I'm kind of over it.  I'd rather sew!

My latest project is this new tote for my friend, Brenda.  She liked my last version of Amy Butler's Cosmo Bag and wanted a smaller version for herself.  So, I got out my ruler and shrunk down the pattern.  The results?  Super cute!!!!  I'd like to pretend some modesty or humility, but really I totally rocked this bag.  I'm the schiznit.  I'm going to make another for myself.  Usually I carry the "reject" bags that I can't sell.  But now, I'm going to treat myself to something nice!

I have a real problem with making duplicate bags.  I truly want my customers to have a unique-one-of-a-kind bag.  So, I strove to give Brenda the "feel" of the original Cosmo she liked, but I didn't want a mini-me version of it.

Besides the obvious difference in size, I chose a rich wool-blend teal for the reverse applique.  The flower motif was inspired by a google image search.  I do this all the time for ideas.  I typed in "flowers" and narrowed it down to "line drawings" and that eliminated all the photos and detailed pictures. 

I'm particularly pleased with the welted pocket I placed on the back.  The corduroy buttons and silk pocket-lining are special touches you just don't see everywhere.  Plus, it kinda looks like mouth with button eyes, don't you think?  Even more cuteness....

A whimsical print on the inside and two patch pockets complete the Brenda Tote.  Should I have added a closure of some kind?  magnetic snap?  tab and button?  Would you want one?

 Here they are together, little sister and big mama!

Thanks for reading and double thanks for following!

Coming soon: a totally new tutorial and after that.....my first guest post at a bigtime blog!  Yay!

Before you click away, I would like to invite you to participate in:

for more info click here

Happy crafting and big hugs from Montana,

I love green!

The end of summer is approaching faster than we'd all like. The first day of school is just around the corner. Before we know it, all the leaves will be turning and we'll be stocking up on Halloween candy... I'm posting today a tribute to the color green. My absolute fave color. Here are some the most striking green things I've seen lately:

From my backyard:

{As you can see, gardens in Montana are just starting to produce.}

I heart green tomatoes!

our first pumpkin!

like jewelry...

I fried up these for dinner last night!

Teeny-tiny jalapenos!

Our first cuke!

Finally, a sweet bell pepper!

My precious redheads!  2 of my favorite non-green things!

I was just about to post this, when I ran across this precious quilted pillow:

sew la vie: loving hand-quilting

 Keren from the blog, sew la vie, is in the midst of crafting this gorgeous quilted pillow.  HAND-QUILTING, I should add.  Check out the close-up of her work below.  Now that is skill and dedication! 

sew la vie: loving hand-quilting

And check out this pretty green bracelet from EasyPeasy Grandma! She made it from real leather that she watercolored green and the base is a braided band of brown with a snap closure.  I want one!

She's made a ton of them, but I gravitated towards this one!
You can find her post here.

And you all know how much I love a purse!  How could I resist a green purse?

Kadie at Seven Alive made this vibrant shoulder bag from a sweater.  The burlap roses are a nice touch, don't you think?

Link up to Seven Alive's specific post here.

 Thanks so much for reading my post!  Double thanks for following me!

If you were featured today, please feel free to grab a button:

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Happy crafting and big hugs from Montana!

The Tudor Rose Purse...

Way back in October 2010, I was digging through Burdastyle  looking for some good (free) purse patterns when I came across the Tudor Rose purse.  You can find the exact project that caught my eye here.  I was sold.  I HAD to sew this purse!  The burdastyle project said the pattern came from savvyseams.com.  Well, there was no such website when I searched for it and still is none as I am writing this post.  After some more digging and learning about web archives, I was able to find this.  That link will take you to a pdf file with the pattern pieces.  Instructions?  Well, some more digging and I found what was left of the old site in a web archive, but many pics were gone.  I was going to put a link to that site here, but my 'puter freaked out and said it was a malicious site full of evil spirits or something like that... 

So, after all that, I am sorry I can't give you the real origin of the pattern, only a pdf of pattern pieces without directions.  Bummer, eh?  Just remember, I didn't create the pattern, and I certainly don't want to take credit for it.  I'm new to the blogging world, but have already seen my fair share of blatant disregard for crediting sources, and it totally irks me.  So, OK now, I'm done ranting!   

Let's get back to this honey of a purse!  The Tudor Rose symbol is of great historical importance in England.  Want to learn more?  The wikipedia entry for the Tudor Rose can be found here.  If you look real close at your list of followers, you'll see my blogger graphic is a Tudor Rose.  Cheese and crackers!  I keep getting side-tracked.  To those of you who are still with me and my rambling: hang in there I can't last much longer! 

Please scroll down and check out the pics of the Tudor Rose Purses I've sewn.  Please excuse the quality of some of my pics.  Way back when I was taking them, Ricochet and Away didn't exist.  As you look, please keep in mind the "flower" part is all savvyseams.com and the functional parts (i.e. straps and bag) are of my own design.  I'd love to tackle a remake of this pattern, but we'll see...

Man oh man, those Canadians sure know how to smock, eh?

The original pattern calls for a flower on each side of the purse.  Yes, you read that right.  2 flowers.  Nope, not something I wanted to tackle.  There are 5 big petals and leaves and 5 small petals and leaves.  Each leaf and petal is like a little pillow, consisting of 2 pieces of fabric sandwiched around a piece of batting, and then top-stitched.  By the time I finished one complete flower, I was over it! 

Thanks for checking out this post today!  As I mentioned before, I hope to someday make my own "tribute" tutorial to this sweet pattern.  Let me know if you'd be interested.  I know with a little more digging, I might be able to contact the original designer.  Wouldn't that be cool?  I think so.  I've spent more time with this pattern than any of Amy Butler's.  Chatting with Miss SavvySeams would be pretty neat-o! 

As always, thanks so much for reading and following Ricochet and Away!

I love your comments!

Happy crafting and big hugs from Montana,