I have been quilting for years but fell in love with applique. I like back basting because you get more accurate placement of your pieces. There are no pins for your thread to hang up. I have tried several methods and each method has a place. I started out with freezer paper but quickly went to back bastng. I am now working on an applique piece that has pieces about 1l/2 inches. Haven't started it yet but back basting will not work with this. As someone else said, there are many methods of applique, you just need to find what works best for you. Good luck. Your block turned out great.