I am a big fan of back basting for appliqué You mark the pattern on the back of the background fabric. Then pin a piece of fabric roughly the size (with some extra) of the item you will appliqué on the front and baste from the back using an obvious color of thread and a big needle so it makes good sized holes. Turn back to the front side, remove the pin(s) and trim excess fabric away leaving bought 1/4" or less to turn under. Now you can get out your favorite appliqué needle and thread. Take out a couple of the basting stitches, turn under using the holes in the fabric and background as your guide and stitch it down. The basting keeps everything in place with no pins in the way. Keep taking out a stitch or two and sewing down until you reach the end. This is very portable because you need no templates, starch or other tools.
I also use fray check on the clipped areas. Comes in a little bottle and works great but best after the point has been sewn rather than before. If there are tiny whiskers sticking out, just drop a bit of this on the spot and sweep them under with your needle. Stays in place without a problem.