Quilty Pleasures Wednesday: Paradise Stitched-Sashiko and Applique Quilts

I received a new quilting book for Christmas and I already have a project from its pages in mind. Hand quilting large spaces should be left to the pros, in my mind, but I'm okay with small projects. Large hand quilting stitches are even better and the Japanese quilting form of sashiko gives me permission to make it big.

Do you like to try new stuff? Spicy grasshoppers have not crossed my palate yet, but it's always fun to try something new with sewing.

Paradise Stitched by Sylvia Pippen offers several wall hanging projects using applique to add blooms and birds to plain fabric. Quilting, embroidery and sashiko, a simple running stitch, complete the projects.

Advice about how to choose the appropriate fabric to get the shading and brights needed is clear enough that even I can understand it.

Here is something I think I could do and it would be a reminder of my California roots.

 

The detail below gives you an idea of the techniques involved. I will be a fused applique person for this project.

So I think this may be a project for 2013. What do you think?