Posies Wool Table Mat

Designers: Tammy Johnson and Avis Shirer of Joined at the Hip

• 12-1⁄2 ×22-1⁄2" piece of light tan felted wool for appliqué foundation
• 18×22" piece (fat quarter) of camel checked felted wool for tongues
• 8"-square piece of green felted wool for appliqué stems and leaves
• 3×9" piece of rose felted wool for appliqué flowers
• 3×12" piece of pink felted wool for appliqué flowers
• 1⁄3 yard of cream stripe for binding
• 1⁄2 yard of backing fabric
• Scraps of blue wool roving and pink wool roving for flowers (see Designer Notes, below)
• 36-gauge felting needle
• 78 assorted small off-white buttons
• Lightweight fusible web
• Foam block for needle punching

Finished quilt top: 12-1⁄2 ×22-1⁄2"

Quantities specified for 44/45"-wide cotton fabrics and 54"-wide wool fabrics.

All measurements include a 1⁄4" seam allowance.

The wool roving used for the flowers' swirl centers is carded into a ropey length with the fibers in random directions. To use the roving for embellishing, as Avis Shirer did, remove a small section of the roving, pulling and stretching it slightly. Roll it between your fingers to even it out and make an 1⁄8"-thick strand. The only tools you'll need are a felting needle (with burrs that blend the fibers together when the needle is punched through them) and a 3"-thick foam block. Used as a base beneath the appliqué foundation, the foam absorbs the needle tip when it is poked through the fibers from the table mat's right side.

"The roving is so easy to work with," Avis says. " After the first few needle punches hold the piece in place, you can finesse the roving into position and manipulate it slightly to get the finished look you want."

To make the best use of your fabrics, cut the pieces in the order that follows. To felt wool, machine-wash it in a hot-water-wash, cool-rinse cycle with a small amount of detergent; machine-dry it on high heat and steam-press. Click on "Download this Project" above for pattern pieces. To use fusible web for appliquéing, as was done for this project, complete the following steps.

1.    Lay the fusible web, paper side up, over the patterns. Use a pencil to trace each pattern the number of times indicated, leaving a small space between tracings. Cut out each fusible-web shape just outside the traced lines.

2.    Following the manufacturer's instructions, press the fusible-web shapes onto the backs of the designated fabrics; let cool. Cut out the fabric shapes on the drawn lines. Peel off the paper backings.

From camel checked wool, cut:

• 2 each of patterns A and B

From green wool, cut:

• 2 of Pattern C
• 4 of Pattern D
• 12 of Pattern E

From rose wool, cut:

• 2 of Pattern F

From pink wool, cut:

• 4 of Pattern G

From cream stripe, cut:

• 2--2-1⁄2 ×42" binding strips

1.    Referring to the Appliqué Placement Diagram, arrange the appliqué pieces on the light tan 12-1⁄2 ×22-1⁄2" appliqué foundation. When you're pleased with the arrangement, fuse the pieces in place.

2.    Using threads that match the appliqué fabrics and working from the bottom layer to the top, machine-blanket-stitch around each appliqué piece.

3.    Referring to the photograph for placement, arrange the 78 assorted off-white buttons on the camel checked tongues. When pleased with the arrangement, sew in place.

4.    Tear a small section of pink wool roving off, pulling and stretching it slightly. Roll the roving between your fingers to make a 1⁄8"-wide, 5"-long strip. Center the foam block under the appliqué foundation beneath a rose wool F flower. Referring to the Appliqué Placement Diagram, roughly coil the pink wool roving strand and place it atop the rose wool F flower. Use the felting needle to poke the wool roving into place, using a quick up-and-down motion and keeping the needle perpendicular to the foundation. Poke several times in the same place, then move a short distance and poke several more times. Continue poking the roving into the flower center until it is nearly flush with the rose F flower. Repeat for the remaining rose wool F flower.

5.    Repeat Step 4 using a blue wool roving 1⁄8"-wide, 2-1⁄2"-long strip and centering the foam block under the appliqué foundation beneath a pink wool G flower. Repeat for each pink wool G flower to complete the quilt top.

From backing fabric, cut:

• 1--12-1⁄2 ×22-1⁄2" rectangle

1.    Lay the quilt top on the wrong side of the backing; baste.

2.    Use the cream stripe 2-1⁄2 ×42" strips to bind the quilt.