August PAM!!

 Here where I live in Michigan once a year is a celebration called the 'Michigan Challenge'.  People come from all over to participate.  What do they do?  It is a hot air balloon competition.  Here is the link to tell you about it:  http://www.michiganchallenge.com/
It is quite a beautiful site to see all these gorgeous balloons get filled on the ground and then stand up and take off.  In the past the competition has been in  August this year it was in June.  If you are ever in the area at this time you must come!  It is quite a site to see.

This competition is the inspiration for this month's PAM.  I hope you enjoy it.  I sure enjoyed designing it.  God bless!


Hot Air Balloon Placemat
By Emmy Prewitt
August Placemat  Up, Up and Away!!
Down-load is on the right side. There are two files, directions and pattern.

Supplies:

8” (20cm) x 17” (45cm) white fabric for cloud
5 scraps fabrics, various colors measuring approx. 5” (15cm) X 14” (35cm)
1  5” (15cm) x 8” (20cm) basket fabric (I used burlap)


Once the pattern pieces have been cut out lay on paper large enough to trace around.  A pattern for batting and backing will be made by doing this.  Trace around the whole lay out making it large enough for error.





Cut out all pieces for balloon making sure all patterns are facing up.




  

Now for sewing the curves!  Match up the top of the first two pieces.  You can go from left to right or vice-versa.  It doesn’t matter.  After the center piece is sewn the whole work will have to be flipped for the last two.






Turn piece one on top of piece two, right-sides together.  The point of one will be above two.

 Place one pin at the top.  Put under the pressure foot and take a couple of stitches.  Remove the pin.

 Hold the top piece up with the left hand and hold the under piece with the right.

Sew, keeping an eye on the 1/4” seam allowance.  Sew slowly because you will have to also watch that you keep the fabric edges even and at 1/4”.

If you get a pucker, remove only the stitches that make the length of the pucker and re-sew.  Puckers are only good for eating lemons and kissing your honey!!

Finger press front and back.

Follow above for remaining pieces.  Remember you will need to flip over work after the center is sewed on.






Now place the backing fabric and lay right-side down.  Place batting on top and the drawing made earlier on top, right side up.  Cut around the pattern through all layers.

Remove the pattern and layer for placement of the basket.  Pin basket down, remove balloon.   Set machine for tight zig-zag (satin stitch), medium in width.  Begin sewing in the front of the basket, top left.  When coming to a corner to turn put the needle down to the right of the basket.  Go around the top, right side bottom and back to starting point.

Sew across the front of the basket to the front point on the right.  This gives the illusion of an open basket.    Where my finger and thumb are in this picture the fabric will need to be trimmed as well at at the bottom of the balloon.



I surged around the balloon.  I rounded out any corner, convexed and concaved so I can do this.  You can zig-zag around or do a binding.

 I finished around the balloon with a zig-zag stitch on the sewing machine around the bottom of the balloon.

Now take a marking pencil and mark the “ropes” for the balloon from the top on each of the second pieces both on the right and left sides to the front corners of the basket.

Use black thread and a zig-zag following the lines.
Sew the same stitch under the curve of the balloon on each side to the back corners of the baskets to make the “ropes” look as if they are coming from the back.

One last thing!  Quilt the cloud to make it billowy!  Do this by putting on the darning foot and do some free-motion sewing.

All done!!  Enjoy!