Welcome to my complimentary block pattern for April - umbrella and gumboots. Living in Australia, rain is a welcome visitor, but, like a visitor, it’s only welcome til it stays too long because then it floods. The 12 inch block for this month is themed for spring rain and I’m happy to have an umbrella and gumboots to deal with our latest deluge.

the gumboot song

My grandparents owned a dairy farm in the Manawatu which is an area in New Zealand where the westerly winds bring clouds in from the sea, the clouds hit the mountains and dump all the rain. New Zealand isn’t called Aotearoa (land of the long white cloud) for nothing. I was brought up with gumboots at the time of Fred Dagg (John Clarke) and the gumboot song. So I have to share it with you with you:

“if it weren’t for your gumboots where would you be?

You’ld be in the hospital or infirmary.

You would have a dose of the flu or maybe pleurisy if you didn’t have your feet in your gumboots”.

And here’s the YouTube clip of ‘the gumboot song ‘

umbrella and gumboots 12 inch appliqué block

I have used freezer paper appliqué to make this block. I print the templates without seam allowances, reversed onto the matte side of freezer paper. Then cut them out and iron onto the wrong side of fabric. I cut the fabric with a seam allowance and use a glue stick or a starch pen (I.e. one of those clear plastic water brushes you can get from the art shop, but filled with starch, not water) to turn the seam allowances. Glue is more solid but more of a pain to get off. I find starch a bit weaker but I think that’s because it’s harder to get the stuff you mix yourself here.
I look at the way I’m going to layer the pattern and if a seam allowance goes under another piece, I don’t turn it. Then using a light box, I lay the pattern out in order and just use a dot of glue baste to keep the pieces together.

The next step is to go to the machine and set up for mock hand appliqué with an eenie teeny tiny hem stitch and a fine thread. Then, sewing on the background piece, I let the machine just pick up a few threads of the top piece. I love the look of this because it gives a very fine neat line and can be as invisible as hand stitching. Some people use a monofilament thread for this, I prefer a fine sewing thread in a colour that matches the piece I’m applying on.
Once the motifs are all together, I turn the edge around the outside, press it well, and remove the paper, spritzing with water if necessary. I place the motifs on the background fabric and appliqué in place.

I added the handle of the umbrella last. I turned the top bit and the handle, but the shaft of the umbrella … I just used a little piece of ribbon. Neat and no pain.