I have been intending to try the freezer paper method but always go back to fusible but think I will give it a whril,Thanks quiltwoman!

Piece O cake books are great to learn appligue I have the applique delight book and the welcome to the north pole. The books show you many ways to applique and are ere easy to follow
http://www.pieceocake.com/Books/Books.html
Dawn

No problem--glad to share my addiction with others :D
Julie

For me a good beginner applique project would be hearts on a solid square. You get to practice gentle curves and points. You can make them as big as you like. A six inch background (cut 7" then trim when applique is done) and a 4 inch heart would be good. I like to start on a straight side of the heart and head to the curve first. Use small straight pins or baste the heart in place. My preferred method is needle turn applique. When I took a class on Baltimore album blocks, I had to get bi-focals first. Guess that means my eyes are getting old. (I'm not, just my eyes!!!) LOL This could be a great scrap quilt or baby quilt depending on your choice of fabrics.
Good luck. No wasted timed allowed.

There is still another way to do applique. It involves using used dryer sheets. Cut your shape a little larger than the size you want to end up with and sew it right side down to the dryer sheet. Just trim your seam allowance a little, cut a slit in the dryer sheet and turn your shape right sides out. Press and attach to background fabric. It (the dryer sheet) is very light weight and won't add a lot of bulk or weight to your project and will keep all your raw edges neatly out of sight!

Do you mean the one called Summer Pond? The one that looks like the Koi Pond? If so, do you think you could email me the months I missed? I just found the site yesterday and love that pattern.

Oh and Okie I use silk thread, it hides and blends in soooo nicely.

Thanks so much for mentioning this!!! I had heard of it before but if I don't write it down, I forget . . .and I'm doing a hand applique quilt currently. I've always done the needle turn and just used about 30 zillion straight pins and stabbed the dickens out of myself - I bought freezer paper and then decided I didn't want to go that route. So thank you thank you for reminding me of the freezer paper!!

duh - the fabric softener sheets lol

Okie,
I love needle turn applique! I like to have a project going to work on while watching tv or waiting anywhere. It is a great take along project.
I use cardboard (cereal box, etc) & make templates for leaves & gentle curves. I cut my fabric with 1/4 inch or a little larger seam allowance, take a running stitch in the seam allowance, lay the template on the wrong side of the fabric & tighten the running stitch. I iron the pieces- still on the templates, then remove the templates just before stitching to the background. I usually just pin but if it's a to go project I use safety pins or baste it to the background, then use very small stitches to attach it to the background. I use thread the same color as the applique & have found prints are better than solids for hiding the stitches.
I used this technique on the quilt in my avatar.
I hope this is clear & doesn't just confuse you!
Jo

I'm going to try that dryer sheet technique right know. That might be just the way to go. I want to get started learning so I can do the Baltimore Blues patterns. I was going to start a Baltimore with machine emboridery but something that kind of took me back a little happened. I found some designs(Balitimore) I really liked on a lady's site. Her name was Vicki Key and her web site was "Embroidery by Design" I had looked at them for a month or so. I had to wait to purchase them because of life's little way of keeping you broke. Well I finally had the money, went to the site and all it said was "In loving memory of Vicki Key" I was shocked. There is a community of digitzens(I'm not a digitzer, don't want to be) online and one had Vicki as one of her links. I emailed her and she replied with this. She had chrone's disease and the medications compromised her immune system. When she came down with pnuemonia she was not strong enough to fight it. She will be truly missed by her friends in the embroidery community. I don't know if anyone will take up her work or continue to allow it to be purchased or not. It would be ashame to let her work die with her. She was 4 yrs younger than me and I'm a young sometimes old 58. I know I got a little off subject but I can' t help but think about the lady when I think about baltimore designs. Embroideryonline has a set I might purchase but I want to think about the hand applique now and get good enough to do the ones by Sindy. I can do both at the same time because the applique will be for when I'm waiting on my sister. I can't take along machine emboridery so will save that technique for home. This is turning into a book, I better get busy, times a ticking by.