Happy Trails

This post is a thank you to some bloggers who pointed me in the right direction.

I was stumped on the hand applique when I began my last project. It's been years and I wasn't sure how best to go about it. I did a bit of searching and found this wonderful Australian gal who was blogging about just what I needed to know. Great isn't it!

Following the trail is half the fun so I'll retrace my steps with links to the blogs. First I visited, Cactus Needle Quilts by my Superior Threads buddy, Nedra in Utah. From there I picked up Janet's blog in Australia called Quiltsalot. Janet is participating in a Jospeh's Coat Quiltalong hosted by Kelly on her Don't Look Now! blog also in Austrailia. And Kelly, bless her! had fantastic tutorials for a quick, easy and effective way to hand stitch those leaves to my squares.

Kellie's project is much more challenging, but I was able to adapt it to my needs. Instead of freezer paper I used a Stitch and Wash Fusible product called Floriani. This comes on a roll and, like freezer paper it's cut out and ironed to the applique fabric. But it can stay in as it will wash out later. The other time saver was using an ordinary (washable)glue stick to stick down the edges of the fabric to the back of the leaf. This meant no basting or needle turning so the project was simple enough for the those 'occasional sew-ers' who helped with the project.

Well, the hand applique was a big hit. Lot of people were surprised at how much they enjoyed it. So many thanks to Nedra, Janet and Kelly! I'll be following the breadcrumbs back to your blogs - I can't wait to learn more!