Mackintosh Rose

Mavis Haslam has taken inspiration from the classic floral designs of Scottish architect and designer, Charles Rennie Mackintosh and interpreted them in Stained Glass appliqué for a wall hanging

This project takes advantage of easy to use products such as fusible bias binding and new equipment including the Hot Foot lron and Appliqué Pressing Sheet.

1. Enlarge the design by the amount shown and retain as your master copy and design guide. Trace off the design and number the pieces. Cut out carefully to make templates. Note that all the pieces numbered the same are cut as one piece as shown by the colour - ignore the black dividing lines these are for your bias strips later.
2. Place the design sheet on the ironing board or suitable flat surface. Put the base fabric on top RS up. The design should show through. If it does not lightly draw the outline onto the base fabric.
3. Cut five 2 1⁄2in squares from pink fabrics excluding the darkest pink and put to one side for later.

TIP! You can move the tracing paper between each piece to make cutting the templates easier

Assembling the Rose

1. Apply Bondaweb to the wrong side of the pink and leaf fabrics, following the manufacturer’s instructions.
2. Place the template onto the RS of the fabric and pin. Do not worry about fabric grains. Cut out the pieces, no extra seam allowance is needed for stained glass appliqué, but on the flower and leaf templates allow 1⁄8in extra of the lightest colour where the shapes overlap.
3. Lay the acrylic sheet over the flower design. Gently peel the backing from your fabrics and position onto the sheet following the design. Remember you will have a slight overlap where fabrics meet and darker fabrics should always overlap light fabrics so no shadow appears. When the flower is complete, gently press down with normal iron.

   As if by magic, where there was slight overlap the fabrics are now bonded together, but the Bondaweb remains where there is single fabric.

4. Gently remove from the sheet as one complete flower and iron onto the base fabric. Use the same method for bonding two halves of leaves.

   Note: If you are not using the acrylic sheet, apply fabrics directly to the base fabric remembering to overlap darker shades. Then bond directly into position.

Main stem

1. Following Figure 1, place the seam binding on the calico and pin into position. No Bondaweb is needed here as the bias binding holds it in place. Using the Hot Foot Iron, press the fusible bias binding along each side of the stem – half on the stem and half on the base fabric. This iron allows total visibility and makes the application much easier. However, you could also use the tip of a travelling iron as an alternative.
2. Work down from the top of the stem but do not press heavily where extra stems will need to be inserted. Don’t worry if you do iron it all as the bias binding can be gently lifted with a pin.

Leaves and Bud

1. Cut bias binding to a point and lay it from the top of the leaf down the centre. Continue to join the main stem.
2. Apply bias binding from the base of the leaf around the edge and tuck both ends under the stem. At the top of the leaf, fold bias binding on top of itself to form a point. For the bud, repeat as for the leaf.

Flower

All the bias binding ends must be covered, so work out the order on your paper copy.

Note: Where there is a T junction, the stem of the T is applied first.

1. As the centre of the flower was cut as one piece, apply the bias binding across here first using the Hot Foot Iron. Slowly complete the coverage of seams, again lifting bias binding as necessary to insert the raw edge. Take time and if required make a note of the order on your design copy for future reference.
2. When all the bias binding is secured it can be sewn down each side either by hand or machine. If sewing by hand, use a slip stitch and if by machine, either a narrow zigzag (1.5 width and length) or a straight stitch. Mavis used a straight machine stitch, but the choice is yours.

   Note: Good light is important when stitching black thread on black bias binding. Sew slowly. It’s easier to begin sewing the leaves and stems, thus gaining confidence before stitching the flower.

3. Sew the five pink squares together and apply bias binding over the seams. Trim 1⁄4in from the two end squares, then sew onto the base fabric covering the bottom of the main stem. Apply and sew bias binding to the top and bottom of the strip.

TIP! Use an open embroidery machine foot, which just straddles the bias binding. Move the needle to one side and then over to the other for the second stitching. Sew the inside of a curve first and always sew in the same direction.

Border, Layering and Quilting

1. Press well then attach the borders. Measure and sew the sides first and then top and bottom. Again apply bias binding over the seams.
2. Lay out the backing, Vilene and then your appliqué. Pin well and tack, making sure there are no loose black threads – they will show through.
3. Quilting can be by hand or machine. Mavis quilted by hand 1⁄4in away from the design and then filled in with cross hatching.
4. Sew wide bias binding to each side, turn and hand stitch to the back. Sew bias binding to the top and bottom the same way.
5. Trim your sleeve to the exact width of the finished hanging. Make a narrow hem all round the sleeve, then stitch by hand to the top back of your hanging. This ensures it is just inside the edges of the hanging. Make a label and attach.

Photographs by Jonathan Farmer and Joe Haslam

First published in Popular Patchwork Volume 11 Number 1 - January 2003