What's in a Quilt - The Green Man - Part 3: Reverse Appliqué

For block number three, let's look at reverse appliqué. 

Appliqué usually means that we add a patch of fabric on top of the foundation fabric. 

In Reversed Quilting, holes are cut out in the top fabric to reveal the foundation fabric underneath.

This technique is quite fun.

Here is a tutorial:

Layer two pieces of fabric, both right way up. Mark the cut-out design on the top piece.

Baste the two layers together outside the stitching line.

Cut out an opening in the top layer only, be sure to leave a seam allowance. Make small slits along any curved lines.

Use the needle to turn the seam allowance under the marked line. Make small stitches.

This technique is used for Hawaiian Quilting, Mola, and Stained Glass Quilting among others.

Have a look at Mola master Fumiko Nakayama here. (The website is in Japanese with computerised translation into (funny) English. 

Updated: If the website is in Japanese and you can see the mark indicated by the red circle in the browser bar, click it and select the language you wish the page to be translated into.

My Green Man was made from two sheets of prints in green.

(The two pupils are appliquéd in the usual way.)

If you are interested in reading more about The Green Men found in Norfolk churches, check out this website.

To be continued...