Trying something new

In February some of us in my applique group will start work on the fabulous Vintage Valentine quilt. I decided to get all my pieces prepped this afternoon so that I can start sewing on the 1st.

Over the years I have tried lots of different applique methods and always come back to needleturn, it works well for me. I cut the pieces out of freezer paper and iron them to the right side of my chosen fabrics.

I draw round the FP pattern with a silver or white Gelly Roll pen and cut them out. I normally leave the freezer paper on until I am about to stitch, then using a vinyl overlay I place each piece in position one at a time, remove the freezer paper and stitch in place. This method works well but it can be a slow process placing one piece at a time. I have noticed a number of people have started gluing all the pieces in place before taking a stitch so I thought I would give it a try.

I used a Sewline glue stick to attach all the applique. I like that I can see how the finished block will look before I start stitching. The block is now completely portable. The pieces lift off with a little pressure very easily and the glue dissolves in water. I don't know how easy it will be to stitch and I don't know if the pieces will start to fray. I can always go back to my old way if this doesn't work. Sometimes it's good to try something new!