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Create a delightful summer-themed triptych featuring three mini quilt blocks adorned with colorful flip flops. Perfectly sized for a 9”x 4” frame, this project captures the essence of casual summer living. A wonderful addition to your home decor or a thoughtful gift for beach lovers. Step-by-step instructions are included.
Each 8” x 4” quilt mini quilt is embroidered, appliqued and quilted in the hoop. Only the binding is applied by machine. A hanging sleeve is attached to the back by hand. These are super simple to make and slip on to the wire frame from Ackfeld Manufacturing. The right side flip-flop is a mirror image of the left flip-flop, so if you have capabilities to mirror the design please feel free to do so. The mirrored file is offered for those that are not accustomed to mirroring designs.
Step 1:
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Cut all fabrics for all three mini quilts per the materials list above.
Step 2:
Press all fabrics with Magic Sizing®, press the applique fabrics with Magic Sizing® a couple of more times, it makes them easier to trim and reduces fraying, then press the Heat N Bond Lite® to the back of the applique pieces.
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Step 3:
Tautly hoop the no-show stabilizer and run color stop (CS) 1 as a placement line.
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Step 4:
Spray adhesive on the back of a blue rectangle and position it over the placement lines so that the fabric exceeds the placement lines by ½” on all sides. Tack down the fabric with water soluble thread for CS 2.
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Step 5:
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Run CS 3 in a color in which you will want to border the applique fabric as a placement line for the flip-flop.
Step 6:
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Remove the Heat N Bond Lite paper backing from the Flip Flop applique. Spray the back of the applique fabric with adhesive and position over the placement line so that the fabric exceeds the placement line by ½” on all sides. Run CS 4 in the same thread to tack it down.
Step 7:
Trim the applique fabric right next to the tack down stitches and press the applique with an applique iron.
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Step 8:
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Run CS 5 to border the applique.
Step 9:
Switch to a thread color that goes with your strap fabric. Following the instructions in Steps 5 through Step 8 to applique the strap to the flip-flop.
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Step 10:
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Run CS 9 in a coordinating color for the inside petals of the flower; CS 10 in the same color as you bordered the straps and CS 11 in Golden Rod for the center of the flower.
Step 11:
Remove the hoop from the machine, do not unhoop, and place the hoop face down on a flat surface. Spray adhesive on the Battilizer® and position over the placement lines on the back of the hoop aligning the Battilizer® with the fabrics on the front of the hoop. Spray adhesive on the wrong side of the back fabric, place it over the Battilizer® aligning all edges.
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Step 12:
Return the hoop to the machine and run CS 12 in water soluble thread. This is a good example of why we use water soluble thread. Note the difference in the line of stitches from running the first water-soluble thread tack down and the second tack down. This is caused by the embroidery pulling in the fabric as it is stitched. You will now use that outside line when measuring the seam allowance when instructed to do so. If that inside WST line shows after you bind the mini quilt it can be removed with a sponge dipped in warm water.
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Step 13:
Change to white thread to run the last CS to stitch the quilting. Before the quilting starts to run bring up the bobbin thread to the top of the work to keep the back neater. To do this thread the top thread through the presser foot. While holding onto the tail of the top thread press the needle up button on your machine twice, this will bring the bobbin thread to the top of the quilt block. Pull the bobbin thread tail out to the length of the top thread tail. White holding onto both run an inch or so of quilting. Stop the machine and trim the thread tails, continue stitching the quilting.
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Step 14:
Remove the project from the hoop. Lay the ¼” line of a see through ruler along the outside water soluble thread stitches and trim the seam allowances to ¼” on all sides.
The middle mini quilt does not have an applique. Follow Steps 2 and 4 then follow the color chart through CS 7. Remove the hoop from the machine, do not unhoop, and place the Battilizer® and back fabrics on the back of the hoop as in Step 11; complete the block as in Steps 12 through 15.
Step 17:
Now we just need to add hanging sleeves to the backs of the mini blocks to be able to hang them from the triptych frame. Cut 3 squares of fabrics 3” x 4”. Fold the short ends in ¼” twice and stitch to hem the ends.
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Step 18:
Fold the raw edges together and press. Open out and fold each raw edge side to the center and press. Open out and fold in half right sides out and stitch the raw edges together with approximately a ¼” seam.
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Step 19:
Pin one side crease ½” below the top of a quilt block. Whip or blind stitch across the top edge. Pin down the 2nd side crease, ignore the original center fold. Stitch down the sides of the sleeve where it touches the quilt block and across the bottom of the sleeve.
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Step 20:
Slip the hanging sleeves over the split rods in the wire frame. Congratulations your Life is better in Flip Flops triptych is complete!
Award winning Digitizer, Embroidery Educator, Author and a Consultant to the Industry, Pat Williams has 30 years of experience in the embroidery industry. Pat has won multiple awards for her digitizing expertise including the 2007 Impressions Awards Grand Championship, Best of Show as well as the 1st and 2nd Place Awards. Pat’s love of digitizing has afforded her the opportunity to write numerous articles for Impressions magazine in the United States and Images Magazine in Europe. In 2001 Pat was named “Embroidery Educator of the Year.” For many years Pat taught digitizing seminars at the ISS Shows in Long Beach, CA and for Compucon software. She now resides in Tucson, AZ.
