Handi Quilter Sweet Sixteen Day 16 - Christmas fused quilt in process

So far all my Sweet Sixteen experiments have been with pieced tops. Now I am going to fuse a top and then quilt it on the Sweet Sixteen. I wonder how different that will be?

When I am between projects, or stuck during a project, I sometimes fuse my scraps. So, today, when I want to fuse a Christmas tree, I can pull out my supply of pre-fused scraps and dive right in. 

I am assembling my Christmas tree on release paper. Laura Wasilowski has a couple of great fusing classes on Craftsy if you are interested in learning the basics. The brown stuff behind the white release paper is a goddess sheet, which is basically a pressing sheet designed to allow you to peel the fused project off it after ironing. I like to add as many protective layers as possible as 1. I am a klutz and 2. I hate cleaning fusible off things they shouldn't be sticking too, like my iron and my ironing board. 

A mixture of leftovers from batiks and hand-dyes. Once I have the rough shape blocked out, I will give it a good press and then cut it out. 

The background is some white on white print that I dyed. The printing stays white and the background white cotton takes the dye. I must have scrunched it as it is mottled. 

I stabilized the tree on release paper while I assembled the shape. The presents are very simple shapes, so they are ironed straight on to the goddess sheet awaiting their ribbons. The great thing about the goddess sheet is that when the ironed shapes are removed from it, the backs are very shiny. This is helpful as it is sometimes difficult to tell which is the front and which is the back. 

When fusing on the ribbons I am using another smaller goddess sheet between my iron and the fusible. The ribbons are very thin and it is really hard to see if they are the right way up. 

Sure enough I got one the wrong way up. Without the goddess sheet that sucker would be stuck to my iron about now. Luckily, I can peel it off the goddess sheet and start over. 

Fused Christmas tree ready for stitching!

Ready for stitching! With the pre-fused fabric, that didn't take long at all!