Ladygen that is adorable, those are probably the cutest butterflies that I have seen, seriously adorable. I am like you I do all applique by hand. I like the freezer paper method. I am a hand quilter so for me to use a fusible bond it makes the quilting process harder.
Applique can be so much fun so I would suggest trying all methods and see which one you like best.

That's the picture JLD was trying to post, not something I did! I dug it out of the file she sent and posted it separately, so it made more sense what she was looking to do!

I laughed when I read what you said. I am sure you are right - you see patience is a four letter word in my book. Something I have yet to gain :oops: - I guess this will help!

would you consider doing it the e. burns way? she cuts it as one with iron-on webbing. the webbing faces the right side of the fabric to cut. she cuts AND sews all around. she makes a slit [carefully] through the web in the back and turns it right-side out. now, she has a shape that is right side out with the bonding side right side out on the back. after poking all around the seams from the hole in the back, and finger pressing, she presses in place to her project. now that it's secure, she blanket stitches OR machine invisible stitches all around. if she has things like antennae, she embroiders them. eyes are french knots. she does NOT satin stitch. but she says that's her own preference.

That's what I was going to say, try this one

try this. it's in french, but once you click on the picture you like, the pictures
themselves show exactly how to do it.

http://quiltine.free.fr/page%2012_sampler_papillons.htm

another: http://www.qorsite.com/styles/mini/m...terflymini.pdf

another: http://www.fvqg.org/pdffiles/may08bom.pdf

one more: http://www.azpatch.com/bom/bom2001/05may01/bom01may.htm