machine applique is not 'hard' it is just a new technique- start with a good fusable such as steam a seam lite or heat & bond lite or wonderunder---- the lite part is VERY IMPORTANT! you want to make sure you choose a fusable that is made for sewing- some are not meant to be sewn down- and are very stiff- gum up needles and are next to impossible to stitch through-
there is also fusable bias tape made especially for stained glass applique- it comes in two widths- 1/8" & 1/4"
you trace your applique patterns onto the paper side of the fusable- rough cut the shapes- fuse to the wrong side of the fabrics- cut out on the lines- remove the paper & fuse into place on the background fabric- then use the fusable bias tape to apply the (leading) over the edges of your applique shapes- then stitch everything down- there are a few different ways to stitch down the bias tape- some people use a zigzag stitch the width of the tape- some straight stithc the edges- some people use their double needle and stitch both sides at once-
most of the patterns come with pretty good instructions- there are plenty of tutorials- and there are always (material recommendation lists with the patterns)
you may want to do some little thing- applique a daisy or something simple on a practice piece to get a feel for what you are doing- you will find it is quite forgiving- and enjoyable
