I love needle turn as others have mentioned but I am not afraid to use other techniques. I have a current project with some applique blocks scattered among pieced. I have used a combination of methods depending on what shape i am working with. I had to make block with several leaves of the various shapes but multiples of each so I opted to use starch with a non-melt template. I made flowers with glue stick and stabilizer then glue basted to the back ground. I had some other flowers it was easy to do needle turn. It really depended on what method gave me the best results for the shape I was creating. Finding the easiest way to make the hardest shapes is my guide.