How to Tuesdays: Fixing a Lifeless Design

 

Have you ever made a quilt design that is just plain boring? Through the miracle of fuse-tacking I'd like to show you how to fix a lifeless quilt like this one above.

When constructing a fused art quilt, always use a technique called fuse-tacking.  Fuse-tacking is applying only 5 seconds of heat from the iron to a fabric element. (Too much heat for too long will kill the glue.) Aside from not burning the glue into the fabric, there is another benefit to fuse-tacking. Fuse-tacking gives you the option of removing fused elements and changing your design. Because they are not really fused fast into place, fabrics can be lifted off the surface.

To fix my lifeless design, I tried a little trick. By picking up the fuse-tacked grasses and stones in the design I was able to slip a bias cut tree trunk into the scene. With the tree in place there is now a sense of scale, a focal point, and my design is ready to stitch. I was able to change the design of the quilt all because of the technique of fuse-tacking. Now, don't you feel better?