Project Simplify - Day 14

Shadowing - at least that's what I call it.

It's an evil thing that happens when you applique a lighter fabric onto a darker one and the dark fabric shows through.  This is a pillow I made for my daughter 4 or 5 years ago.  (Notice the cross-hatching?  Told ya I need to learn FMQing!)

See how the dark hearts show through the pink?

What does this have to do with the green flower?  Right.  I'll get there. 

I had chosen a rather busy paisley print for the flower's center and it worked great with the light green polka dot. 

However, I thought the paisley was too busy to go with the busy-ness of the new green print and I wanted more contrast between the petals & the center of each flower.

So I went with a solid white which I'm also using for the scallops on the border. 

And here's where the problem lies - shadowing.

Ugh.  Now, one could always just cut away as much of the green from underneath as possible.  But you'd still see a shadow line just inside the seam.

My solution?  Reverse applique!  That means instead of positioning the flower's center on top of the petals, I cut out the middle of the green petal piece and put the white fabric underneath.

See?

And then just trimmed away the excess.

In the clear?  Not quite.  See how the stripes of the background are now shadowing through the white? 

It's a little hard to see in the picture, but trust me, it's there.  And the shadows will only get worse after top-stitching.  (I've made the mistake of hoping that top-stitching over shadows wouldn't make a difference ... )  So I just cut them out too.

It might seem like a lot of trouble for one little flower.  But every time I look at my daughter's heart pillow, I cringe.  And I just couldn't - in good conscience - make a quilt with shadows.  To me, it was so worth the effort.

Comments

[Rebecca S.]

I love this post, because it would drive me nuts too. I still cringe when I look at a quilt I made where I reversed one of the fabrics so that the wrong side is showing. I didn't even realize until the quilt top was done! No one else notices, but I know.

[Claire]

aaahhhh!! i love cath kidston fabrics! love love love! Ive got my first part of the quilting sandwich complete! I need to get some batting and i think il use an old duvet cover for backing :)

[Thimbleanna]

When my youngest was little and he'd solve a problem, he'd proudly say, "that's 'cause I'm a Thinker!" You, my dear, are a Thinker!!!

[greenrabbitdesigns]

I know exactly what you mean, you have to get it right or it will annoy you forever!
Vivienne x

[Gigi MInor]

A girl after my own heart you are! I know what you mean about getting it just right and I applaud you for taking the time to do so : ) Here's a famous Winston Churchill quote I'm sure you'll agree with: “They say that nobody is perfect. Then they tell you practice makes perfect. I wish they'd make up their minds.”

[frayedattheedge]

It might have been a bit of work to sort it out - but now you will know what to do when the problem arisies again!!

[WendyMT]

Beautiful work ... yes, I have some items like that from my earlier quilting days too ... I've also learned that sometimes interfacing works behind light-colored fabric over the darker prints, though your solution totally takes care of it all. Great Work!

[Sally]

I have had that problem in the past and I started lining my white with another piece of white. I cut the piece underneath a quarter of an inch smaller and then hand appliqued it down. I think with machine applique that you could cut the lining the same size. I hope this makes sense.

[happy zombie]

I'm totally sucked in at your BEAUTIFUL blog, Kristyne! I love your reverse method and I need to jump on that… I hate when the fabric shows through too. Thank you for showing! And love the Flower Sugar fabrics you used too. Can I just stay here all day? Please?

[Angela Steyn]

Once again, I have NO IDEA what you are talking about but I love reading about it! I just adore your choice of fabrics... so pretty :)

Angela xx

[Daniela Caine]

Hi Krystine!
Just wanted to check in with you in regards to your beautiful finished quilt! Would you like me to ship it to you? I'd still show the finished quilt on our site if you don't mind. What's your shipping address?
Thank you again so much!
Daniela

[HollyCraft]

Love this...and you can send all those little scraps my way...lol :)

[Mary]

Oh! Been there, done that. But, I fused mine first...Now, I can't trim it away. I still like it, but will always see it. Glad you fixed yours. It looks beautiful!