Make fast fusible applique quilts with both beautiful sides of one focus fabric!
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
Table of contents
- The Angelina (ballerina) quilt was designed from a photo I took of my daughter on pointe.
- To me, pointe shoes are just beautiful.
- Pointe was the point!
- However, when I realized I was in the last few years of having pointe shoes in my life, I began to cherish those stitches.
- Now for this Angelina (ballerina) quilt pattern!
- The RIGHT side of things.
- The REVERSE is key.
- It’s all about VALUE.
- Background fabrics count, too!
- Determined girls wouldn’t have it any other way.
The Angelina (ballerina) quilt was designed from a photo I took of my daughter on pointe.
While her technical name is simply, “Angelina”, I call this quilt, “Angelina (ballerina)” for a reason.
To me, pointe shoes are just beautiful.
First, as a little girl, I always aspired to be a ballerina. However, in the small town in which I was raised, I only got to take dance lessons a few times. That’s how long the teachers stayed in town!
Moreover, both of our two daughters took ballet lessons for years (so I got to live out my dream through them). Of course, this explains why a ballerina quilt would be on my mind. Consequently, over the years, I have sewn countless elastics and ribbons to many pairs of pointe shoes. Keep in mind, most of the time, this was hurried and last minute, right before class. Therefore, most of the years, I didn’t WANT to be sewing ribbons and elastic to pointe shoes! I wanted to sew little pieces of fabric into bigger pieces of fabric, like the rest of my friends!
Pointe was the point!
Obviously, both of our daughters loved ballet. However, I’m not sure either of them would have stayed with it as long if they’d ever thought pointe shoes were off the table.
However, when I realized I was in the last few years of having pointe shoes in my life, I began to cherish those stitches.
The Angelina (ballerina) point(e) of this story is from the American Girl spin-off of the little mouse with the same name. Angelina Ballerina is a cute little mouse who loves to go to ballet lessons. We still have her, along with her stage, costumes and props. Like most of the American Girl stash, she’s going to stick around. And, Angelina Ballerina wore pointe shoes!
Now for this Angelina (ballerina) quilt pattern!
The Angelina (ballerina) quilt was also inspired by the fabric, which was originally used for the mason jar bouquet pattern, called Grace.
The RIGHT side of things.
The RIGHT side of the floral focus fabric is used to make the pointe shoes, ribbons and binding.
The REVERSE is key.
Angelina (ballerina)’s tights and the sole of her left shoe is made from the REVERSE of the same floral focus fabric.
It’s all about VALUE.
I knew I had to get things correct when drawing out this pointe shoe template. Having never been on pointe shoes myself, I checked with my daughters to make sure Angelina was standing properly on top of her shoes!
Background fabrics count, too!
Once you’ve chosen the perfect focus fabric for your ballerina quilt, you’ll want to choose background fabrics carefully, too. You learn how to audition both sides of focus and background fabrics in the pattern. Using a variety of background fabrics adds interest and sparkle to your quilt!
Pointe isn’t all glamour and glory, though. Mom’s of pointe students are well aware of the time spent stitching in ribbons and elastic. Additionally, girls generally never outgrow point shoes because they break down too quickly and must be replaced often. They take special fittings and there are hundreds of options from which to choose.
For the young dancer, pointe shoes seem to be a right of passage. It takes determination, maturity, time, and skill…and the acceptance of bloody toes, ugly feet, and a large collection of expensive and eventually smell shoes!
Determined girls wouldn’t have it any other way.
Neither would Angelina Ballerina!
