QNM Articles & Patterns

Quick Feathered Wreath

 Materials

• Freezer paper
• 9 1/2" fabric square
• Sharp paper scissors
• Pencil
• Ruler
• Washout fabric marker
• Cardboard, tag-board, or file folder
• 1/8" hole punch (optional)
• Circles--coins, spools, etc.

 Template Drafting Instructions

Step 1

Measure the area the feathered wreath will fill, allowing for seams and other quilting. Cut a square of freezer paper the required size. For this workshop, we will use a 7 3/4" paper square for a 9" finished fabric square.

Fold the freezer paper square accurately into sixteenths, as shown, and crease the folds sharply. (Note: If you were making a very large wreath, you might want to fold the paper into thirty-seconds.)

Step 2

Using a circular object that fills the space from side-to-side and touches the edge of the top layer, mark a curve on the folded paper. We used a spool of thread for the top arc. With the same, or another, object, mark the bottom arc about one-third of the distance up from the bottom point. In our example, we used a dime.

Step 3

Cut on the circular markings.
Cut a notch approximately in the center of one side. Fold the paper once more lengthwise and cut a notch on the opposite side in the same spot. This will indicate the placement of the feathers' spine.

Step 4

Open the folded paper.
Draw the spine of the feathers on the pattern by marking a circle using the notches as a guide. Sketch in the curves of the plumes, using the cut curves and spine as a guide. Try making several heart-shaped plumes in different areas of the wreath to experiment with which you like best.

Step 5

Choose the plume shape you prefer and trace it and its spine onto a scrap of freezer paper. Iron the freezer paper to a lightweight piece of cardboard, and cut out the shape. Make two small holes along the spine as placement guides.

Step 6

Fold your square of fabric in half in both directions, crease, and use the folds to center the freezer paper wreath you made in Step 3. Iron the wreath to the fabric and trace around the inside and outside edges with a fabric marker or pencil. Mark the notches made for the feather-spine guidelines on the fabric.

Step 7

Remove the paper wreath from the fabric. Mark the circular spine using the marks you made through the notches. Align the cardboard plume template with the marked curves of the wreath and the spine marks on the fabric. Trace the top of the heart, moving the template down and aligning it again to mark the next plume curves. Continue until all the wreath is complete. Your fabric is now ready to layer and quilt.

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