What is Heather Working On? Echinacea Quilt Part 3 (of 3)!
, by Heather Cousins,
6 min reading time
Little updates and thoughts as I work on my projects...
And here we are — the final chapter of the Echinacea quilt journey! When we left off in Part 2, all of the petals and cones were fused down onto the blocks and the quilt top was done. Now it's time for my favourite part: the appliqué stitching.
(Now the grey-headed coneflowers are out in the garden.
These are a taller variant with skinnier, "droopier" petals)
This is where the quilt really comes to life.
Before we begin, it's important to square up your blocks. It's a bit tricky with the stems because they don't always line up nicely, but do your best. If you look closely at my quilt you might see some mismatches, but the eye is too busy with the lovely colours to stop and see it as an issue.
(I stacked 2 rulers here to give me 14.5". Some quilters might shudder at this approach, but it works for me. It does require some hand strength to keep the rulers in place)
Getting Ready to Stitch
Because we used Steam-A-Seam 2 to fuse everything down, the fabrics are beautifully held in place — which makes the stitching stage so much more enjoyable. But there's one thing you absolutely need to sort out before you sit down at your machine: your needle.
The adhesive from the Steam-A-Seam means your needle is working through a lot of sticky layers, and it will pick up residue as you go. I used aSuper Nonstick needle, and it made a real difference. I still got a little gunk on it, but not enough to slow me down. Trust me — don't skip this step!
Thread: Have Some Fun With It
I decided to use a variety of King Tut variegated threads to complement the colours on each block. I wanted the thread to be part of the design — something that pops and adds another layer of visual interest. The variegated colours played so nicely against the bold fabrics.
That said, if you prefer a more consistent look, there's absolutely nothing wrong with choosing one thread and sticking with it throughout. This is your quilt — make it yours!
Trying Out Different Stitches
One of the things I really enjoyed about this stage was experimenting with different decorative stitches. I wanted to show a range of what's possible, since most of us have more options on our machines than we ever actually use. Some stitches were quick and easy; others needed a bit more patience and attention to keep them looking tidy. It was a great reminder to slow down and enjoy the process.
A Tip for Working the Petals and Cone Head
Here's a workflow tip that made a big difference for me: stitch down all of your petals first, then press down the cone head. The cone head will cover up the stitches at the top of the petals, which means you can stitch continuously from left to right across all the petals without stopping and starting after each one. So much more efficient!
Once your cone head is pressed down, go ahead and stitch around it — you can use the same thread and stitch as the petals, or switch things up with something different. Either way looks great!
Putting It All Together
Once all the blocks were appliqued, I laid them all out to figure out how I wanted to arrange them. There's something really satisfying about this stage — seeing all those beautiful flowers together for the first time!
(I use my floor to lay out my blocks... do you?)
Once I was happy with my arrangement, I sewed the blocks together in diagonal rows, starting from the top left corner. To keep things manageable — and to stop the top from getting too heavy as I worked — I sewed the top half together first, then the bottom half, and finally joined the two pieces together. It's a small thing, but it makes the whole process so much easier to handle at the machine.
The Finished Quilt Top
And with that... it's done! I am so happy with how this quilt turned out. The colours, the texture, the stitching — it all came together even better than I imagined when I first bought that kit back in 2023.
If you'd like to see it in person, come visit us in the store — I'd love to show it off!
Thinking About Making This Quilt?
The pattern has actually been re-released this year, and the new version is a little different from the one I've been working on. My quilt uses 25 blocks at 14.5", while the new pattern features 50 smaller 10" blocks — which gives you so much more flexibility with your fabric choices and a wonderful opportunity to really play with colour and variety. Both versions are stunning, just in different ways!
The new pattern is available in our shop and comes with high-quality plastic stencils and complete instructions. We also have a class coming up with spots still available — and if demand is high, we'll be adding an evening session so even more people can join in. Don't miss out!
We also have the Indelible fabrics lined up for the kits and are waiting on the Tango collection (arriving in August) from Anna Maria for you to have stripes.
Oh, and to complete the trio of photos, it was hot the day I pieced the top. Jasper enjoyed the fan in my studio as I worked away on the quilt! As you can see, he's all healed up now.
Missed the beginning? Catch up with Part 1 and Part 2.
