Umpqua Leaves Construction Detail



trapunto effect

 I thought it might be helpful to see how this applique technique works. After cutting out the leaf shapes and placing them on your square, you place a layer of batting behind the square and stitch the leaves down. You stitch on the leaf itself near its edge and then in the middle of the leaf. The leaves are raw edge and the batting piece is approximately the same size as the square.


trapunto effect

 Then you turn the block over and trim the batting away around the leaf. You try to trim as close to the stitching as possible. Once all your blocks are done you stitch them together to make the top.

The top is then layered with batting and the back, and quilted in the background around the leaves. This effect "pops" the leaves out.

I learned this in a class taught by Jill Howes at Flying Geese Fabric. I have used it to make other applique motifs pop out on other quilts.