Thank you everyone for your suggestions. I will take your suggestions and do an internet search and try a sample of each type before I begin. The baltimore album I am doing is the PE Designs Baltimore Christmas BOM that I got from Stitchin Heaven. It is so beautiful and maybe, just maybe I may have it done for next year!

That's the same one I got - isn't it gorgeous?

I think the only way I will be able to do it justice is the starch method. It might take 8 hours to prepare the block for sewing, but once it's prepared, you can take it anywhere and have it completely sewn in just a few hours to a day. :)

Yes it is and it reflects one of my favorite holidays. When I did a web search, I did not find a "starch method" is it usually called something else?

Here's one tutorial:
http://erinrussek.typepad.com/photos...ial/index.html

It's pretty close to identical to the way I do it, but before I do anything else, I saturate the fabric with Sta-Flo and water and either iron it dry or let it dry part-way and then steam press it completely dry.

Lots of starch in the fabric makes it easier to handle and to draw on where necessary, plus it keeps the fraying down and allows you to cut smaller seam allowances.

The saturation and drying and pressing does most of the shrinking for you, too.

I also use Fray-Check wherever I am going to have to clip the fabric up to the seam allowance. :)

I draw on the back then needleturn. It's easy to be accurate and I get great, smooth curves. I also do most of my hand-applique on the NYC subway to and from work and it is still accurate

Laurie

I'm new to applique as well, but needleturn applique is a lot easier to work with than it looks. I just press the extra seam allowance around the pieces, and hold it in place with a pin.

thank you for sending me this! I did not see this one when I looked.