My Dandelion Quilt - Appliqué Leaves

The last of my piecing being done, it's time for (blessedly math-free) appliqué!  (The last time I did any significant appliqué was when I made the fish dress!  That dress has long since gone to the thrift store... swim free, little fishies!) 

This time I'm inspired to try Hawaiian appliqué, which is designed by folding the fabric and then cutting it to get symmetrical designs.  Both the  appliqué and quilting are traditionally done by hand, and the quilting is usually echo-quilting, like the lines of a topographical map or the ripples of waves around an island.  ​Whether the appliqués are representational or abstract depends on the designer.  I am going for identifiable dandelion leaves and flowers.  Today I'll show the leaves.  

LEAVES

The dandelion's leaves might be my favorite part of the plant.  There's not a ton of variation in dandelion flowers or puffballs, but the leaves are unabashedly individual: one plant's leaves may look so different from another's that you'd wonder if they were the same plant at all!  Sometimes the dentate edges are neatly serrated, other times cut in giant swoops all the way to the center vein.  They make a sun-hogging circle around the base of the plant to claim that land from any encroaching grass or enterprising wildflower.  They are ugly, demanding, and wonderful.  They are even edible: blanch them for a minute to get the bitterness out, then wilt them in butter, and they're delicious.  

To design my leaf appliqué, I fold a 24" square of paper in eighths, as if I were about to cut a snowflake.  I draw half a leaf on each folded edge.  But eight layers of fabric is a lot to cut at once, so I open up the last fold to get my pattern.   Taking a 24" square of green fabric, I fold it in quarters, and lay the pattern on it, with the corner of the pattern in the folded center of the fabric.  I add quarter inch seam allowances as I cut: 

folded in 8ths

folded in 4ths

​Here's how I center the appliqué: I fold my base fabric in quarters, just like the appliqué fabric, and align the center and corners.  Then I unfold both layers and smooth the rest.  

The book of Hawai'ian quilting which I'm using as a reference suggests then basting the whole pattern down a quarter inch from the edges, using the needle to gently turn the raw edges under, and handstitching with small stitches.  I opt to more lazily baste just the center of each leaf, and pinch and turn my edges as I get to them.  You can see that in the top picture of this post.  I find this method works fine.  I enjoy being able to take my work with me to keep my hands busy on the bus, too!  And I can show it off to people!  

The finished leaves are a delight!  Rosanne wondered whether the colors might be too similar, and the effect of the appliqué lost in the green, but I don't think it'll be a problem.  For one thing, it's part of my original vision for the quilt to be light and airy at the top and dense and cluttered at the bottom.  For another, the final quilting might highlight the leaves and make them pop.  I don't intend to to ask for echo-quilting; I think I'll ask for custom designs in the appliqués.  

Next up: the appliquéd flowers!