Whigrose

TheMamaHauser,
Oh baby, I am the Queen of Applique - just ask QuilterMomma.

Here's one of the best tips I learned - Yes, Heat N' Bond is legit. The secret to using H n' B is to cut away all but 1/8-1/4" of the drawn pattern. This referred to as the 'donut method'. It leaves for a very soft applique piece. And the more you do it, you will even be able to get it so you are left with only 1/16 - 1/8" of the H N' B left to fuse to your fabric.

This moose I did for a block of the month swap had nary 1/16" fusible on the fabric. It had to, the antlers were so detailed. And I will admit, it was THE most detailed applique I have done to date. I'm not rushing to do anymore of those :-) Plus, the moose and the moutains are the same fabric making appliquing the hooves & legs where they overlapped the mountains quite a challenge.

I now use a buttonhole stitch - only a couple of years ago I was using a zig zag but always questioned the outcome.

best,
d