Planning, Cutting, and Marking
You'll enjoy this quick way to create a splash of spring sunshine for your home. The design elements are fused in place. Other than piecing the background, no stitching occurs until quilting, which secures the appliqué. Joyce's clever use of fine bridal tulle for the vase adds a 3-dimensional touch to the design.

Note: Appliqué templates are printed reversed and without seam allowance for use with paper-backed fusible web. Downloadable Template diagram in PDF format. (You'll need to have Adobe's Acrobat Reader program, Version 5.0 or later, installed on your computer to view and print this PDF file. If you do not have the Reader installed, get the "free" Adobe Acrobat Reader.)

Special Instructions for Freezer Paper Templates
Fabrics like tulle are slippery and hard to control. Bonnie Lyn McCaffery, author of Fantasy Fabrics: Techniques for Layered Surface Design, recommends using freezer paper templates to keep things under control.

A. Trace design on dull side of freezer paper.
B. Iron freezer paper template to tulle, using a dry iron on a medium temperature setting. The freezer paper will stabilize the tulle while you are cutting.
C. Cut out shape with sharp scissors.
D. Carefully remove freezer paper template from tulle.

Quilting and Finishing
Step 7. Layer and baste quilt top for quilting method of your choice (see Basic Quiltmaking Instructions). Joyce machine quilted using a wide (1/2" - 3/4") free-motion zigzag with green thread to secure the stems. Using gold or green thread (to match fabric), Joyce covered each flower and leaf with a free-motion design that roughly follows the template shape. The fun of Joyce's quilting is that it is not precise. Lines cross, and no lines are spaced evenly, adding a natural, dimensional feel to the piece. Using thread to match magenta background, Joyce quilted an allover swirl pattern. The olive green background was quilted with wavy lines parallel to the seam with matching thread.
Step 8. Referring to photo, place prepared tulle vase (Step 3) on quilted background. Joyce used wide ( 1/2" - 3/4") machine free-motion zigzag with olive green thread to secure sides of vase. She used a (1") free-motion zigzag to secure the base. The top opening the vase is left unstitched.
Step 9. Bind with gold mottle fabric (see Basic Quiltmaking Instructions).

Further Information
Check out Bonnie Lyn McCaffery's book, Fantasy Fabrics: Techniques for Layered Surface Design. Bonnie teaches all over the world. You can contact her at HC-8, Box 8526, Hawley, PA 18428; bmccaffe@ptd.net.