When I did my SB I sewed my appliques on coffee filters(I bought very cheap from the dollar store) then turned inside right then did a blanket stitch around each piece.....you can do a blanket stitch by machine or by hand if that's more comfortable then you don't have that stiffness or hard pieces. And doing this way my needle didn't get all gummed up either. Hope you find something that helps.
Donna P