Berry making

We're getting ready to send out the last section of Pomegranates and Berries - a quilt with lots and lots of berries. I'm getting familiar enough with blogging to try and show what I think is the easiest way to make lots of berries. And those of you that know me know that I love to put berries on quilts. This method works great for any kind of circle though, not just berries. So here goes.

Trace the circle on your pattern the required number of times onto freezer paper and cut the circles out.
Or if the berries are the right size (and most of mine are) buy Avery dots at your local office supply store.



Iron the freezer paper dots to the wrong side of your fabric - or simply place the Avery dots there.



Cut the fabric 1/4" larger than your pattern - 1/8" for very small berries.



(I like to keep my patterns and fabric circles in a ziploc bag so I don't lose any.)



Make a knot in your thread and do a running stitch around the outer edge of your fabric.



Pull the thread until the fabric is snugly around your paper berry. Backstitch and cut your thread.




Applique berry to background. Cut out the back and remove the paper with your fingers or with tweezers. This is one of 4 sections to a Pomegranates and Berries block. Each block has 24 berries and there are 9 blocks to the quilt. It is totally awesome to behold. Can't wait to get it on my bed - if I can keep Kelly away from it. She loves black quilts and the border is black.



If I'm doing lots and lots of berries in a block I use glue to anchor the berries before sewing. You don't need much glue - just put a dot on each side of the fabric.



Now sew the berries on by sewing up one side of a string of berries and down the other. That way you don't have to keep starting and stopping.
This is a flower from the beeskep block from "Across the Wide Missouri" by Edie McGinnis and myself. It's the KCStar BOM for 2010.



Love those berries!