Peace and Joy is this years mystery button club by the Australian designer Lynette Anderson. The fourth installment is The Reindeer's Visit and the pattern arrived a month ago from Coast & Country Crafts and Quilts The pattern includes full size stichery design and applique templates to trace. You can use whichever method of applique you prefer, but I'm using the Apliquick method. There are lots of tutorials on YouTube demonstrating this method if you're not familiar with it...
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...the hand embroidery has been stitched with a selection of variegated Valdani embroidery threads, but you could substitute these for DMC threads if needed. Both Mr and Mrs Reindeer are looking very smart, with a fringed blanket on Mr Reindeer's back and a festive frock is worn by Mrs Reindeer, along with a hand painted wooden button hat - this will be stitched in place once the quilt is finished...
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...a narrow pieced border is added to the top edge of the block. Although these tiny squares are fiddly, the end result is well worth it. My top tip for stitching these is to use a straight stitch needle plate, a fine Schmetz Microtex size 60 needle and an extra small stitch length, with a back stitch at the start and end of each seam...
...I don't normally press my seams open, but found this was much easier for this pieced border to have the seams pressed open. A final press on my wool pressing mat and it was completed. This has been super cute to make, and now I'm finally caught up, ready for the next one which arrived in the post yesterday.
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