Applique is great fun by hand. For me its a way to enjoy my sewing while sitting with my family in the evenings. When starting an applique project I like to do my prep work first. I use the freezer paper method of needle turning. So I cut out my blocks, pencil my pattern on my block, make freezer template patterns of my appliques and iron them on the fabric. Then I put each block with its appliques in a seperate platic bag to keep it all organized. Use a sewing box to keep your bags, threads, and scissors! By your travels end you could come home and sew your blocks together and have a finished quilt top!