Tips And Tools Tuesday – Freezer Paper Applique

I love, love, love doing hand applique!

Why?  Well, for one thing, it’s totally portable.  I try to keep a hand applique project in my “Go Bag” so that I always have something to work on in case I’m sitting somewhere in  a waiting room. Like a doctor’s office, auto mechanic’s garage, or just any place where I might have to sit for any period of time. It’s perfect for traveling.

Using fusible web to applique pieces on some projects is very fast, and I do use fusible when I’m in a hurry to get a project done, but, that method is too confining. I have to be at home at my sewing machine in order to get anything done on that project.

That’s why my method of Freezer Paper Applique works so well. The pieces are prepared ahead of time. Because of the freezer paper, they hold their shape until I’m ready to applique them. The “tricky” parts of the applique pieces are secured to the freezer paper, making them a lot less “tricky”.

If you’ve shied away from Freezer Paper Applique in the past, I’d like to encourage you to be adventurous and give it a try.

The Tea Cozy in the photo above is part of a pattern I’ll be releasing very soon. It’s called “Gnome Place Like Home Tea Cozy and Wall Hanging”.  (The wall hanging is not pictured.) I’ve included full instructions for making both projects in one pattern.  A,”Two for the price of one”, kind of thing.

Here’s a sneak peek at another pattern that I’ll be releasing around the same time.  It’s called “In the Garden.  A tribute to Grandma Meyer.” It was her passion for making quilts that inspired me to want to learn the craft.

I thought I’d add a cleaning tip today that really helped me through a tough time. Eight years ago, I had bilateral partial knee replacements. Before I did, I really struggled with day to day household tasks. One of which, was cleaning the bathtub. I couldn’t kneel, and bending over to scrub the tub put too much pressure on my knees and caused terrible pain. I can’t stand a dirty bathroom, so, I had to come up with a way to clean it.

First of all, I have a cleaner that I spray on to dissolve any soap residue. I sprayed it, and let it sit. Therefore, my first cleaning tip today is…. Let the cleaner do what it is designed to do. Don’t rush it. Let it do a lot of the work for you.

Secondly, I used my kitchen mop to clean the tub.

It worked wonderfully! I could reach every nook, curve, and cranny. And, I could use it standing up! Yay!

I really liked the design of this mop because the sponge was rounded so the curves of the tub were not a problem. It has a handle that you push down toward the sponge to squeeze out the soap and water, so clean up was a breeze. It was a life saver for me. So, I thought I’d share it in case someone reading this might need a little extra help doing their chores.

Today is a good day to try something new. Maybe, it’s a new way to applique. Or, perhaps, a new way to clean the tub.

What kind of “hacks” do you have for making a less-than-enjoyable chore easier?

I’m all for getting the housework done quickly so that I can get back to quilting!

Have a great day!

Diane