Using a GO! Cutter for Applique

Weekends don't count unless you spend them doing something completely pointless.
~Bill Watterson

What a great weekend we had.  Friday afternoon we headed south to my BIL and SIL's.  Four and a half hours later through LA traffic we finally arrived at their home.  Saturday was very relaxing as we visited and just enjoyed each other's company.  Sunday we ventured further south to a fantastic little Mexican restaurant for a delicious lunch.  After stuffing our faces, we headed even further south to San Diego's Balboa Park for a viewing of Tornado Alley.  I am so happy to have been able to see that movie in IMAX - what amazing cinematography.  Afterwards we headed back north to SIL's home where she prepared a scrumptious dover sole piccatta.  We are heading home today, possibly as you are reading this post.  I so enjoyed our visit and being able to where long pants and my zip sweatshirt for three days.  I hope you had a wonderful weekend too!

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PHOTO FACT OF THE DAY

Today, August 22, is National Tooth Fairy Day.  Hundreds of years ago in Europe, when a child lost a tooth, often they would bury it, a sort of symbolism that a new tooth would soon grow in its place. They also believed that if a witch or evil spirit were to acquire their lost tooth, then a curse could be placed on the child. That’s why they buried them underground; it seemed like the best way to avoid such a curse.

When Europeans began moving west to America, they brought their beliefs and traditions with them. However, since many of them lived in cities and towns where land was scarce, people started burying lost teeth in a household planter or flowerpot. Eventually the original meaning faded, leading them to placing the tooth under a pillow.

The tooth fairy as we now know her didn't make an appearance until the early 1900s, as a generalized "good fairy" with a professional specialization. The child loses a baby tooth, which is put under the pillow at night, and the tooth fairy exchanges it for a present, usually money but sometimes candy. She became widely popular from the 1950s onward, with a veritable eruption of children's books, cartoons, jokes, etc., including more focus on children's dental hygiene. Parents cheerfully bought into the idea and the tooth fairy became part of family life.

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APPLIQUE WITH A GO! BABY CUTTER

I have discovered one of the best uses for the GO! Baby Cutter by AccuQuilt.  Cutting applique pieces!!  Well, and as I have previously mentioned, hexagons.

I'm going to use the Critters die for this tutorial.  First I outlined the different shapes with a Sharpie as I had seen suggested by others.  This helps so you know exactly where to lay your fabric for cutting.

After cutting the appropriate size of fabric, I adhered the Pellon's Wonder-Under according to the manufacturer's instructions to the wrong side.  Of course, you can you use your favorite fusible web for this step.

I placed the both of the (2) prepared fabrics over the two critters that I want to cut out.  After placing the fabric on, I then topped it off with a cutting mat (I forgot to take a picture of that)

After easily rolling the die through the cutter this is what you get.  Two perfectly cut critters.  Well, actually their are four but you can't see the layers here. 

Peel off the backing and now you are ready to press it onto your quilt.

And here is the little bee all ready for stitching.  I used a satin stitch on this as I know it will be going through the washer many times.

And here are the 3 of the 4 little critters completed.  You can't get any easier than that.  No tracing of patterns on the fusible web, no cutting out of fabric into tiny little spaces.  Just run the fabric through with the fusible web already attached and your ready to GO!

PS.  Keep an eye out because I just may be having a GO! giveaway some time in the not too distant future.

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TODAY'S GOAL

Today I will be working on my September little quilt

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GIVEAWAYS

Sew 4 Home is having a giveaway.  You could win a Free Spirit Artist Trio: A generous selection of Loulouthi fabric in one-yard cuts , a copy of Seams To Me by Anna Maria Horner, and Anna Maria Needleworks new pearl cotton threads and 6-strand embroidery threads.  This giveaway ends September 16 at midnight PT.

Jackie's Art Quilts is having a giveaway.  You could win 6 FQ's from the new collection Taza by Dena Fishbein for Free Spirit from Intrepid Thread.  This giveaway ends Friday, August 26.

Lily Pad Quilting is having a giveaway.  You could win a Flurry charm pack, a roll of Heat Press Batting Together, and some Presencia threads or six fat eighths of Flurry, a roll of Heat Press, and yummy Presencia thread.  This giveaway ends Thursday, August 25.

Hanging On By A Thread is having a giveaway.  You could win a cute little pouch made by Patty.  This giveaway ends Thursday, September 1.

Quilting Ranny is having a giveaway.  You could win a beautifully created handmade blessing bracelet from It's A Blessing.  This giveaway ends Tuesday, August 30, at noon.

Woolie Mammoth is having a giveaway.  You could win one of four charm packs.  This giveaway will end Sunday, August 28.

Little Bits and Pieces along with Peas In a Pod are having a quilt along.  And to help spread the word they are also having a giveaway.  You could win 5 pretty fat quarters.  This giveaway ends Friday, August 26.

I'm Just A Guy Who Quilts is having a giveaway.  You could win some pieces of Strawberry Fields.  This giveaway ends Wednesday, August 24.

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FINAL THOUGHT

With all of the modern conveniences in the sewing room do you sometimes feel like we are cheating in our craft of quilting?  Do you feel it shouldn't be considered an art if it isn't hand cut, hand stitched and hand quilted?  I don't.  I love all of the shortcuts that are out there and available to us.  If it weren't for my ruler and rotary cutter, I probably wouldn't have a straight line in any of my quilts.  If it weren't for my CutRight Bind Up Tool I would still be fighting making that final bias joint in my bindings.  If it weren't for my sewing machine it would take me years to complete just one quilt.  Yes, I know that the sewing machine isn't really considered a modern convenience but to me it is.  If it weren't for the computer, I wouldn't be able to find all of the wonderful fabrics, patterns, and notions that are available to me today.  And, most importantly, we probably wouldn't be friends.  Now how sad would that be!?!  I say thank you for all of the modern conveniences!  How about you?

Do what you can, with what you have, where you are. 
~Theodore Roosevelt