Welcome to the world of applique! I have found a new love for handwork since I had my sons (oldest is 3). I no longer have time to get to my sewing machine, so I need projects I can do by hand. I love to do hand applique with fleece or felt material because it doesn't fray like cotton. I discoverd this weekend that the iron on light weight fusible (I happened to have some Pellon brand on hand in my stash) isn't too bad to applique by hand. The paper backed stuff is REALLY hard to do by hand--you may need tweezers to get it through the fabric!
I also prefer to cut the applique shapes with my die cut machine. I have used freezer paper before for copyrighted shapes and it is more labor intensive. I can't wait to see some pictures of projects you are working on!
Rose Hall