Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for fusing your stem pieces to your background fabric. After you do that step, you need to do something to the edges of the pieces so that they don’t come loose. Usually, this involves stitching around them in some fashion.

Usually, when I use the fusible method, it’s with pieces that I can do a hand blanket stitch around the edges of, and then I don’t mind. What I’m not so good at is fastening them down by machine. My machine does blanket stitch, but still and all, I’m the driver, and I’m not a good one!

But for purposes of this post, I sucked it up and did some of it. It’s not pretty, but it’s done.

On these particular pieces, I particularly don’t like how the stitching met in the middle, almost completely covering up the stem. But far be it from me to try to figure out how to change the size of the stitches!

You can also use a satin stitch, which makes a pretty edge on each piece as well. Maybe that’s what I should have done for mine. It might have looked better.

For the circles, using the fusible method, there is no special trick. Just do them like you do the other pieces and fasten down the edges.

For the layered flowers, however, you need to overlap the pieces. I showed you how to cut them leaving room for the overlap in an earlier tutorial, and now you’ll see how that comes in handy.

Lay down piece #9 in position . . .

Position piece #10 on top of it, overlapping the bottom edge of piece #9.

Then position piece #11 over those, again overlapping where you’ve left seam allowance.

This catches all the edges, and the only edges you’ll need to stitch down are the ones left exposed.

And that is all I have to say on that subject, since I’m really no expert at it. I hope what little I’ve explained has helped you in the event that’s the method you’ve chosen to use.

I’ll be back later with some more pictures of the needle-turn method as we finish up Block 1. Block 2 will be posted on February 1, so we need to get this first one done!

Meanwhile, I have posted a tutorial on how to applique those little berries over on my other blog, so go check out that post so you can get your next pieces sewn down.

Here’s the link: Perfectly Round Circles.

It’ll be time to start on Block 2 before you know it!

Oh, and for those of you who have asked, Uncle Damon came home from the hospital a week ago, and is doing great.

And I’ve gotten a little further along with updating the diary entries (albeit slower than I want to). You should go back and read them. Some of them are quite funny! Be sure to watch the shampoo commercial . . .

Naturally, we’re beginning with piece #1, that long stem, and I’ll go over it in detail below.

But first, in case it helps you any, you can read this tutorial on my other blog, to get an extra dose of basic “how-to” for how it’s done: “How To Applique a Leaf“.

If you’ve never done applique before, and you’d like to use the leaf tutorial to do a practice piece with scraps of other fabrics, that might be a good idea, just for you to get the hang of making the stitches, turning the edges under, and the way it all feels.

Our stem we’re doing today is a bit different from the leaf in that it has inside curves, outside curves, and inside (or “V”) points. That leaf only had outside curves and outside points, so it was more basic. It’s time to learn those other things so you can get this stem in place right off the bat. Nothing like jumping right in, is there?

The first thing you need to do is find your piece #1, and prepare it even further to be appliqued. By that I mean we need to clip some things to make it easier to fold the edges under as we go.

Inner points, like the V-shape between the “arms” of the stem, and inside curves, need to be clipped so that the edge folds under without puckering or pulling. Outside curves do not need to be clipped.

So, take your scissors, and clip into the V right up to the drawn line.

Then clip each inside curve along the curve. Don’t clip all the way to the drawn line on curves, only go about halfway.

Now you can peel the paper off your piece, and you’ll need your piece of background fabric. Locate where the piece is to be positioned on your background fabric, and line it up in place.

Now here’s where I’m going to discuss pins. I use sequin pins for applique because they’re short, and that keeps my thread from getting hung up on them as I sew. Plus, because they’re little, I can use a lot of them to hold my piece in position. Here’s how it compares:

The long pin is called a Swiss Iris pin, and those are the pins I use for machine piecing. They’re 1 1/4″ long, and thinner than regular pins, such as the one in the middle. The middle regular pin is 1″ long, and the sequin pin is only 1/2″ long.

If the 1/2″ sequin pins are too tiny for you to handle (they are sorta hard to get hold of sometimes), then they also make a version with heads on them for easier pick-up, and there’s also a 3/4″ version. And, you don’t have to use this kind at all. Use whatever works for you.

Whichever pin you decide on, go ahead and use them to pin your stem in place on the background fabric.

Next, thread your needle with thread that matches the color of the applique piece, not the background fabric. I’m using tan for mine. I discussed needles and thread HERE, if you need to go back and learn more about that before you start.

I cut my piece of thread about 24″ long and tied a knot in one end.

Now to decide where to start . . .

Generally, on a curved piece, you should do the inside curves first, and the outside curves last. This makes the piece lie flatter in the finished block. However, our piece undulates, so it really doesn’t matter which side you do first.

In addition, I’m right-handed, so that’s how I’m demonstrating; if you’re left-handed, you’ll need to reverse everything from here on, because this will seem backwards to you.

Since the end of the short stem will get overlapped by a berry, it can be left unturned, making this a good place to start.

Fold under the edge of the applique piece with your needle — to the drawn line. This line is the line you will sew on, so always use it as a guide to turn the piece under. Hold it in place with your thumb, and bring the needle up from the back side, barely catching the folded edge of the applique piece.

To begin stitching, go down only in the background piece directly under the point where you came up, travel over about 1/16″ on the back side and push the needle back up through the background fabric and barely catch the folded edge of the applique piece.

Continue in this fashion, making blind stitches to attach the piece to the background. If the pins get in your way, remove them as you go. When you come to the first corner, bring the needle up directly at the point.

See that little piece sticking way out at the end? You should trim that off.

Trimming it off makes less bulk for you to turn under as you continue, making for a smoother finished piece. Make sure when you’re snipping it off that you don’t cut your thread or your background fabric.

Push under the seam allowance on the next side with your needle and continue on.

Turn the next corner, keep turning under the seam allowance, and continue down the next side.

Here’s what the back side should be looking like:

Don’t worry if it seems like slow going at first. You’ll get faster with continued practice.

Continue on until you get to the end of the next stem that will be overlapped by a berry. This edge doesn’t need to be turned under, as the berry will overlap it, so you can stop here. Push the needle down through the background fabric to the back side.

Turn the piece over, and take a few tacking stitches in the background fabric behind the appliqued piece to secure the thread.

Now you’re ready to start again. Turn the other side of the stem under and proceed.

As you get near the “V”, you can take your stitches a bit closer together, but be sure to come up right in the point of the “V”.

Turn your piece, fold the opposite edge under, and continue stitching. As you come out of the “V” on the other side, you can take stitches closer together, and resume normal stitch length once you’re away from the “V”.

Continue around the piece, stopping at the appropriate places, until you’re back to where you started. And you’ve done your first piece!

Now you get to repeat it some more.

Attach piece #2 in the same manner . . .

. . . and piece #3 . . .

. . . and then you can move on to piece #4. Be sure to clip the inside curve of the leaf, and note that it overlaps pieces #1 and 3 in spots. Begin stitching on one side of the leaf — do not begin stitching right at the point.

Then you’re ready to attach piece #5. Here are mine all finished.

And that’s all we’re doing for today.

Next week, I’ll feature a tutorial on how to do perfectly round berries, and show you what to do with all the overlapping pieces of the flowers. I’ll also present more information on the fusible method. For now, I’m going to keep trying to get caught up on all the past diary entries. See you later . . .

If you’re following along, you’ll need your templates, your applique fabrics, a marking pencil that will show up on those fabrics, and your iron and ironing board.

I’ll discuss the hand needle-turn method first, then below that, we’ll talk about fusible.

OK, are you ready?

Yesterday I cut out my stem templates, pieces #1, 2, and 3. Since we want to applique our pieces down in numerical order so that everything overlaps properly, it makes sense to start with piece #1, right?

So, find your piece #1 template . . .

. . . and decide what color you’ll be making your first stem. I’m working on my second version of this quilt, so I’ve chosen a tan for my stems this time.

Press this piece of fabric, and lay it right side UP on your pressing surface.

Lay your template on top of it, shiny side down, and press it to your fabric. The coated side of the freezer paper melts just enough to stick it to your fabric and hold the template in place so it doesn’t slide.

Next, move the whole piece to your work surface, and using your marking pencil, trace around the edge of the template.

Cut out around the outside edge of the template, leaving 3/16″ to 1/4″ seam allowance.

Go ahead and repeat this for pieces #2 and 3. Here are all my stems . . . Don’t peel the paper off yet. That way you’ll know which piece is which, and won’t lose track of the numbers.

Now that you’re on a roll, you can proceed to pieces #4 and 5.

Cut out the paper templates . . .

Decide what colors you will make your leaves. Press the templates to the right side of your fabrics, and trace around them with a marking pencil. For the darker fabrics, I used a white marking pen.

Once you’ve traced around the shapes, cut them out, making sure to leave your seam allowance.

Pieces #6, 7, and 8 are the circles (berries) so don’t worry about those right now.

Let’s move on to pieces #9, 10, and 11.

Cut the templates out of the freezer paper directly on the drawn lines.

Choose your fabric colors, press the templates to the right side of the fabrics, and trace around them.

Cut them out, leaving your seam allowance.

I think you’ve got the hang of it now. You can go ahead and cut out the rest of your templates and get them prepared, if you’re ready. Tomorrow we’ll start sewing.

If you think you’d like to use the fusible method instead, read on . . .

You should have your fusible templates made from yesterday, and you’ll need the fabrics you intend to use for the applique pieces.

Press your fabric, and lay it wrong side up on your ironing surface. (Note that this is different from the method above.)

Place template #1 paper side up on the wrong side of the fabric and press it in place. Read the manufacturer’s instructions for the type of fusible webbing you’re using to make sure you’re doing this correctly.

Now, before you cut the piece out, read this:

Wherever one piece gets overlapped by another, you want to leave a bit of a seam allowance. This is why I put little “x”s on my templates. Everywhere there’s an “x”, I know that portion of the piece fits under another piece. So . . .

When you cut out your pieces, cut them out directly on the drawn lines on the paper side of the fusible web. But . . . everywhere there’s an “x”, cut about 1/4″ outside the drawn line.

Here’s a close-up of my piece #2 so you can see where I’ve cut on the line, yet everywhere there’s an “x”, I’ve left a seam allowance.

Here are all my stems cut out.

Here’s what they look like from the right side of the fabric.

Doing good so far? Then you’re ready for pieces #4 and 5. Cut them out of the paper, leaving space around them.

Press them onto the wrong side of your fabric.

Cut them out on the drawn line. These have no overlap, so you can cut all the way around them on the line.

Leave the berries, pieces #6, 7, and 8, for now. We’ll talk about those later. Move on to pieces #9, 10, and 11.

Cut out the templates, leaving space around them.

Press them onto the wrong side of the fabric.

Cut them out on the lines, except where there’s an “x”, and then be sure to cut outside the drawn line about 1/4″ so it can get overlapped.

Here’s what pieces #9 and 10 should look like. (Sorry this is a bit blurry.)

Here’s pieces #9, 10, and 11 ready to go.

Now that you’re a pro at this, you can go ahead and prepare the rest of your pieces, and in a few days, I’ll talk about what you need to do to get them onto your background.

Hopefully, you got your pattern printed out and taped together from yesterday, because you’ll be needing it to make your templates from today.

And before I forget, I meant to remind you:

If at any time during all this, you have any questions, or need me to clarify something, just leave me a comment (not a no-reply one) and I’ll get back to you. I read every comment, even if I don’t have time to respond to every single one, so I’ll be sure and see it. Or you can always just email me directly, too. I don’t want anyone getting “stuck”.

And also, I’d like to add:

What I’m teaching you here in these tutorials is only MY way of doing things. If you know of a better way that you’d prefer to use, you just go right ahead with that. Mildred used to always say: “There’s more than one way to skin a cat”! So you just go ahead and skin your cat however you choose, and take what I’m telling you here with a grain of salt. My way is not the end-all-be-all . . .

Oh, and I also recommend that you read through this entire post before beginning, so you can absorb and then apply what I’m telling you in the way that is best for you.

So, with that out of the way, let’s make some templates.

I’m talking about the hand needle-turn method first, then on below that, I’ll discuss using fusible webbing; so read both and then decide what you’d like to do.

Generally, for applique, each piece in a block is different. If I’m only making one block, then I don’t need to waste time making plastic templates that I’m only going to use once.

However, if it’s a block I’m going to be repeating a lot, or has a lot of shapes all the same, then I do use plastic to make my templates, so they’ll hold up under all the tracing.

For “Bouquets for Hazel”, we’re only making each block once, and each piece (except for the berries, which we’ll discuss later) in each block is different. No two alike. That means you’ll only be using your template one time. Just once, then you’re done with it. So no need to waste the plastic, right?

That’s why I put “freezer paper” on the supply list . . .

And we’ll be using it now, so go ahead and cut a piece of freezer paper at least as large as your paper pattern.

Lay it on top of your paper pattern, and commence to tracing the pieces. I like to trace them in numerical order, that way I make sure I got them all. BUT . . . you don’t have to trace the berries (the little round circles) because we’ll be doing those a different way that I’ll discuss later.

Here you can see how I did my stems . . .

And here are all my pieces. Note that I traced each leaf and flower as one unit. I did not separate the pieces out to trace them. That’s because we’ll be cutting them apart directly on the lines, so that way I can keep them together and not lose track of what goes where for now. Also, I write the template number on each piece, just as an aid for later on.

Once you have everything traced, just commit to working with a few pieces at a time. I’m starting with pieces 1, 2, and 3.

Cut them out of the freezer paper, directly on the drawn lines. Here are mine . . . they curl up a bit, but don’t worry. We have ways of taming them down . . . later. And don’t let your kids see you using the good scissors for this. I recommend using your paper scissors, just to keep yourself out of trouble.

Leave the rest as one big sheet so you don’t lose track of them. We’ll just cut them out as we need them, and I’ll discuss them each in turn in later posts.

And that is all you have to do today!

If you’d prefer to make your applique blocks using the fusible method, then read on . . .

For doing applique using fusible webbing, I use Heat ‘n’ Bond Lite. I’ve tried others. Steam-a-Seam works well, but I had trouble with TransWeb. Heat ‘n’ Bond Lite is just what I keep on hand and can get easily in my area, so that’s what I use. If you already have a favorite, then you’re all set.

To use the fusible web, the templates need to be reversed from the original pattern, and as we go, you’ll see why. If you don’t reverse them before tracing them onto the fusible web, your design will come out backwards. While not disastrous on a block such as the one we’re making, it would be if you had letters or an object that needs to be facing a certain direction.

Some patterns tell you if they are already reversed for fusible, but if they are not, you’ll need to do this part yourself. To do this, I simply turn my paper pattern over, and trace over it on the back side. I write the template numbers on, too, just to be on the safe side.

Note that I did not do the little “berries” because . . . you guessed it . . . we’re doing those differently a bit later. And I don’t do any work I don’t have to. My Cowboy calls it “working smart, not hard.”

Once you have the pattern reversed, you’re ready to trace the pieces onto the paper side of the fusible webbing.

For fusible, you do indeed have to separate out each individual piece, since these will not be cut out directly on the lines. So note that I separated the pieces of my leaves, and each piece of each flower. Be sure to leave space between the pieces for cutting them out. And write the template numbers on them. And be sure to smear ink everywhere, like I did.

For piece #12, I traced the piece that will go on top of it with a dotted line, to use as placement, and when we get to that piece in the actual applique process, it will become clear why that is a good thing to do.

You may also notice little tiny “x”s on some of the edges of my templates. I’ve made these marks to indicate where an edge of one piece gets overlapped by another. Then when I’m ready to cut them out, I can leave a bit of a seam allowance so it will get caught underneath the piece that overlaps it properly. You’ll see more about that in a later post as well.

When you’re all done tracing the pieces onto the fusible webbing, only cut out a few at a time to work with. I’m starting with pieces 1, 2, and 3 here. Cut them out roughly, leaving paper around the edges. DO NOT cut them out directly on the line.

And that’s all you have to do today.

I’ll be back tomorrow with information on the next steps. You’ll be sewing by the end of the week! How about that?

That’s what we’re doing today . . .

Oh, but before I start . . . Damon, Dale’s brother, is having open-heart bypass surgery today. So if you’re the prayin’ sort, send up a few for him . . . for everything to go well, and for a complete and speedy recovery. Thanks!

Now, where were we?

You need a pattern, don’t you?

Well, just click here to download Block 1: Bouquets for Hazel, Block 1

The link should work from here, but if not, you can also get it from the “Life of Hazel Ilene” web page on my regular web site. I’ve put a link to that page in the sidebar under “Favorite Links”.

Once you have it downloaded, print out the four pages of the applique pattern.

Then check the gauge to make sure that the pattern printed out the correct size. It should measure exactly 1″.

If it’s off, you need adjust your print size accordingly to get it right before you start.

Next, you’ll need to tape the sections together to make the full-sized pattern. I usually trim off the edge of one of the overlapping parts on the dotted line, so I can see to line things up correctly.

Line them up, and tape them together.

Repeat for the top two sections . . . and trim the top half along the dotted line.

Then line it up on top of the bottom half, and tape the halves together, and your full-sized pattern is ready to go.

You haven’t lost your background block you set aside yesterday, have you? Good, ’cause that’s what you’ll need next.

To prepare the background fabric for applique, fold it in half and press a crease in the fold. Fold it in half the opposite way and press another crease. You should have creases dividing your background square into 4 equal sections.

Position your fabric over the paper pattern, lining up the creases in the fabric with the dotted lines on the paper pattern. Tape this all in place so it won’t move, if you need to.

Now, using a marking pencil that will either wash or press out, trace the design lightly onto your background fabric. You do not need to trace the insides of flowers, as they will be covered up by the first piece of fabric you put on anyway. See how I just did the outline and not the middle part?

I also did not trace the little “berry circles”. Once you get the stems in place, it will be obvious where they go, so there’s no need to mark them. Saves you time and effort this way!

Mark only as dark as you need to in order to see the design. Be careful not to pull or stretch your fabric as you trace.

If your fabric is too dark to see through to trace the pattern, you can use a light box, or tape the pattern to a window, so that the pattern will show through the fabric so you can see to trace it.

And you’re all done with that step! Not too hard so far, is it?

I was going to talk about templates today, but I’ve decided to save that for tomorrow, since I’ve spent enough time writing today. I feel the urge to go quilt something, so I’ll be back tomorrow with the next steps.

Are you ready to make your very own “Bouquets for Hazel” quilt?

The first thing you need to do is fill out your Swatch Sheet, if you haven’t already done so.

Please visit HERE to download the swatch sheet file, or feel free to make your own.

The post about choosing your fabrics and which ones they will be, so that you know where to put them on your swatch sheet, is HERE.

Here’s how my swatch sheet looks:

Once you have everything sorted out, the first piece we’ll be using is the Background fabric; in my case, the white solid.

We’re starting off with the applique part, and I’ll post one pattern each month from now thru April. Every day or two (or three), I’ll post a tutorial on some part of the applique process, the way I do it.

I’ll be “tute-ing” about the hand needle-turn method.

If you already have your own favorite method for doing applique, then you’re free to just forge on ahead and work on your block at your own pace. During this first month, I’ll also provide some information on the fusible method, in case you’d like to do that. But mostly I’ll concentrate on needle-turn.

Are you ready to cut into that background fabric? OK, let’s go . . .

We’re going to cut all four of the background blocks at the same time, to save the hassle of having to go back and do them one at a time later. It’s just easier this way . . .

First, you want to have your fabric neatly pressed, and folded in half the way it comes off the bolt (lengthwise). Then you need to straighten one edge so that you have a straight edge to cut the pieces from.

Once you have your straight edge to go by, measure over 15″ and make another cut.

Then measure over another 15″ and make another cut. You’ll now have two strips 15″ wide by the width of the fabric.

Stack these two exactly on top of each other, and cut off the selvage edges.

Then measure over 15″ and cut. That little piece off to the right with the fold can be saved to cut block pieces from later, so put it back in your bin.

You’ll end up with four 15″ squares to use for the background of your applique. Since you’ll only be using one at a time, you might want to keep one out, and put the other three in your bin with a label, so you don’t accidentally cut them up for something else, and you won’t lose them.

I’ll try to be back later today with the actual pattern for you to download, but right now, I have to get ready and go to Aunt Ruby’s funeral.

Tomorrow we’ll talk about prepping the background fabric for the applique, and making templates . . . see you later.

Information about the quilt we’ll be making is HERE.

The fabric requirements can be found HERE.

The tools and supplies list is HERE.

I’ve got the swatch sheet ready, and you can download it HERE. If that doesn’t work, you can also find it HERE. It should be self-explanatory, but I’ll talk more about using it in a later post anyway, just in case.

Here’s a few other things you can do to get ready:

* Test your 1/4″ seam. (Testing Your 1/4-inch Seam)

* Know how to use your rotary cutting system. (Rotary Cutting)

* Join the Flickr Group. (This is optional, but I’m sure we’d all love to see your progress!)

* Let me know you’re participating, so I can put your name and/or blog in the sidebar. If you have already let me know, and you don’t see your name in the list, let me know again, just so I don’t miss anyone.

I’ve updated the Cast of Characters to include new people that Hazel’s been talking about that weren’t included before, and if you haven’t been following along previously, you can still learn who the people are that she’s talking about.

Tomorrow I’ll be working to get the Quilt-Along posts ready, and also trying to catch up on previous posts, so if you are a subscriber to this blog, I apologize in advance if you get flooded with emails saying that I’ve published something. I hope to be publishing a lot over the next few days, so I can get caught up and keep on track this year. Please bear with me.

Hazel’s aunt . . . my great-aunt . . .

A marvelous, wonderful, generous, terrifically funny and fun-loving lady . . .

She’s gone . . .

She passed away early this morning at the age of 93. So many good memories I have of her. She will never be forgotten . . .

I’ve written several times about Aunt Ruby, on both of my blogs. Here are some of the tales I’ve told on her:

Valentine Cookies

The Re-Onion

Aunt Ruby’s Divinity Recipe

On Being Pregnant

Ruby’s White Cake Recipe

Aunt Ruby’s Pie Crust

A Night at Joyland

Although I’m sad, I still smile every time I think about her.

And always will . . .

She will definitely be missed . . .

For the piecing part:

Sewing machine in good working order, with a new needle (to start out with) and plenty of bobbins on hand. The piecing is not difficult, so a simple straight-stitch machine will be just fine. I recommend a new needle because it makes such a difference, and I want your project to hum along without any stress. It’s also handy to have a few bobbins wound ahead of time, so you don’t have to stop sewing to wind more.

A rotary cutting mat and ruler(s). I always recommend to my students that they buy the largest cutting mat they can afford. While I assume that most quilters already have one, if you are a beginner, or are in the market for a new one, get a big one! I will also assume that most quilters have a ruler or two laying around somewhere, but just in case you don’t, the best size for this project is going to be a 6″ x 12″ ruler. Toward the end, a large square ruler, like a 16″ x 16″, might come in handy, and for straightening up fabric or cutting borders, a 6″ x 24″ ruler could be useful. However, if you don’t have any ruler at all, and want to buy only one, get the 6″ x 12″ one first.

A good rotary cutter. I use a Martelli ergonomic cutter, the 45mm size. I can cut for hours without even noticing. I’ve tried every kind, but I now think I can’t live without my Martelli. They say they’re in the process of redesigning it, so it should be even better in the future. My second favorite choice would be the Fiskars 45mm rotary cutter. And I wouldn’t be totally against using an Olfa cutter, either. I just can’t use one for an extended period of time without it hurting my wrist and hand. For this project, don’t get the little tiny rotary cutter. It’s too much work. The 45mm, whatever your favorite brand, will be the best. And since you’re only doing a little each day, you shouldn’t tire yourself out with cutting no matter which brand you’re using.

Thread. You’ll need a spool of thread in a neutral color that goes with your fabrics. I used white for mine, because my background was white, and I didn’t want a color to shadow through. This thread is for the piecing part. I’ll discuss applique thread farther down the page.

Storage bin. I really recommend a bin of some type to use for storing all the pieces and parts of this project all in one place. Since we’ll be working on it over the course of several months, you don’t want to have parts of it scattered everywhere, and you’ll want to be able to pull it out and yet put it away easily when necessary. If it’s all in one bin or drawer, that will greatly simplify things and hopefully prevent you from losing anything as you go.

In addition, for the applique part, you’ll need:

Freezer paper: For making slip-free applique templates. This is optional, however, and I’ll discuss several different ways of making templates as we get started. You can then pick your favorite.

Thread: For applique, it’s best to match the thread to the piece you’re sewing down, NOT your background fabric, so you’ll need thread that matches each of your applique fabrics. I generally use Mettler Metrosene Poly Plus, but I also have a few spools of silk and cotton that I use when the color suits me. The silk is expensive, but hides the stitches well. I’ve found that the poly is the next best thing for me, and is much more reasonably priced. It’s all a matter of personal preference and finding what you can afford and what works for you.

Scissors: You’ll need paper scissors and good fabric scissors, and I’ve found that in most quilting households, these are not one and the same. My daughters always knew not to use the “good scissors” to cut anything but fabric!

Marking pencil: You’ll need a fabric marking pencil that washes out or disappears with ironing. For dark fabrics, I use the Clover White Ball-Point Marking Pen. It rolls on liquid, and the line shows up after it dries. To remove the lines, you press. It makes an easy-to-draw fine line that shows up well on dark fabrics. For light fabrics, I use a Roxanne’s silver marking pencil, and mark as lightly as I can. There is also a new Sew-Line Mechanical Pencil out now that marks really easy fine lines and comes in several lead colors. There are so many choices of marking pencils out there to choose from, you should just experiment with as many as you can to find what you like and what works best for you.

Needles: If you’ve never tried applique before, I would not suggest starting out with the tiniest of applique sharps. Try something easy for you to hang on to, and easy to thread; then as you gain experience, you can graduate to the tinier ones (much like you would with hand quilting needles). I use applique sharps, size 12, but they’re very tiny and not easy to thread. Jeana Kimball makes a line of applique needles (straw needles) that are wonderful. If you’re just starting out, however, regular sharps in a size 10 would be a good place to start.

Thimble: Your favorite thimble might come in handy for the hand-stitching part. I use these: Greatest. Invention. Ever. But feel free to use what works best for you. Everyone has their own preference.

And of course you’ll need your fabrics that you chose, and a healthy dose of enthusiasm. Are you ready?