Sue Garman’s Bed of Roses Applique Quilt
My first blog. This is just too exciting. I have so much to share. I just finished Sue Garman’s Bed of Roses Quilt. I ordered this as a Block of the Month (BOM) and started stitching in December. Everyone asks how long it takes to stitch an appliqué top. Well, I sort of timed myself, and it took just under (30) hours for each block or (2) “half blocks” for the side set-ins or the (4) triangle corners. I thoroughly enjoyed the process. Sue’s patterns just speak to me. This is what the quilt looked like from the pattern:
Sue Garman’s Bed of Roses Quilt
I am fortunate to have a fairly large design wall (8’ x 6’). As I completed each block, I put it up on the design wall. Just looking at the blocks daily, motivated me to continue. My monthly appliqué group that meets at my house offered eloquent words of support. I found that those stitches that were not perfect, the corner that would not come out as pointy as I would like, the curved leaf that ended up with a little bump . . .
really didn’t make a difference when incorporated into a queen size top. If I could pass on one piece of advice, it would be to “forgive yourself.” I had to learn to quit being so critical of my work, relax, and enjoy. What a difference it made in both my appliqué and level of enjoyment. I finished the top close to the end of March, but had not put the outer borders on (I call them the humpy, humpy borders). My husband put it up on the design wall, we both stepped back and admired it – then simultaneously said “It needs to be bigger.” Don’t judge me, but we USE our quilts . . . and the original size of this quilt was 80” x 80;” not quite big enough for a queen bed.
Continue Reading →