mechanical pencil to trace some of
the printed lines on the centre of
the template. Before moving the
template, trace around its outer edge
— this will be your cutting line.6
Position the template on
another motif, exactly matching
the lines you’ve traced in the centre
of the template with the printed lines
on the fabric. Trace around the outer
edge of the template. Continue in
this manner to trace the number of
matching shapes you need on the
fabric, each with exactly the same
motif in their centre. Cut the fabric
out on the traced lines using sharp
scissors.7
Use an eraser to remove the
pencil lines. You can now use
the template to fussy cut shapes
from a different part of the fabric if
appropriate. Note that for the petal
shapes, you need to cut eight petals
with the template face up on the
fabric and then flip the template
over and cut eight petals in reverse.
See Diagram 1. Sharon fussy cut her
petal shapes to create the illusion
of a continuous design across
neighbouring shapes.8
To mimic the visual impact of
Sharon’s project, fussy cut the
following shapes:- eight diamonds for the centre star
- eight squares to surround the
centre star - eight diamonds to surround the
squares - 24 diamonds in total to surround
the solid rectangles — Sharon
elected to fussy cut two different
groups of 12. These diamonds are
sewn together in groups of three,
with the diamonds in each group
of three all fussy cut from the
same part of the fabric. Sharon
ended up with four groups of
three featuring one pattern and
four groups of three featuring
another pattern. She alternated
the different patterns around the
edge of her project - eight petals and eight petals in
reverse.
From the solid fabric, cut: - eight squares, 1½in
- eight rectangles, 1½in x 2½in
9
Centre a paper shape on the
wrong side of a fabric one.
Run a thin smear of water-soluble
fabric glue around the outer edge
of the paper shape. Fold the seam
allowance over the edge of the
paper, one edge at a time.Tips for glue basting
- Sharon recommends glue basting because the papers remain in place in this
project. If, however, you are not planning to frame your work, but will perhaps
appliqué it to a background fabric, thread basting is a viable alternative. - When using a glue pen, hold it at an angle, just as you would a pen or pencil,
as shown in Diagram 2. Swipe the edge of the glue along the paper, avoiding
the very edge of the paper. Ensure that you have sharp points at each corner
of the paper. - Sharon recommends basting all your shapes in the same direction — clockwise
or anticlockwise. This will allow the ‘tails’ of fabric at the back of the eight-
point diamonds to nest together neatly and lie flat in your completed project.
GL
UEDiagram 2Diagram 3Diagram 4Diagram 5116