Starting on my first needle turn applique project
 

I watched the Missouri star Quilt Company tutorials on needle turn applique. I decided to go ahead and order the kit and try it out. The kit is here:

http://www.missouriquiltco.com/kits/...uilts-inc.html

I am hoping that I enjoy this process.

The video tutorials made the whole process seem so easy. We shall see!

That is so cute! I took a class at the City Quilter called something along the lines of aplique without tears. We cut out templates out of freezer paper and then ironed them onto the back of the fabric. We cut out the fabric 1/8 or 1/4" bigger than the template and then folded the edges over rhe freezer paper and pressed with iron. Once the edges were turned over we removed the freezer paper and were ready to start the aplique. Good luck!
By the way, I ran out last night to a horribly overpriced LQS and got myself an aplique kit just to find out it is not needle turn but fusible. I was maaaaad!

Are the applique pieces precut? If you have to cut your applique pieces out, all is not lost. Just add the 1/4" seam allowance when you cut and you can still needle turn.

I've been watching those tutorials, too, and I am going to order the kit. I've been afraid to try applique, but I agree that these tutorials are great!

Needle turn is not as hard as i thought. However, my DM gave me the Nancy Chong video from Pacific Rim quilts and it is incredible. Slow, precise and logical directions with perfect results. I have fallen in love with needle turn appliqué.

I was wondering what you would pick up! I really can't wait to hear about the stores there. Hopefully, you'll be able to salvage the kit. Again, applique is something that I seem to have had an irrational fear about. Kind of like the flying geese. I don't know why, but in my mind I thought that you had to scoop the 1/4" under with the needle as you stitched. So silly!

That's not silly, that's EXACTLY what "needle-turn" appliqué is. You must have seen someone somewhere using this technique! Thankfully, there is more than one way of doing appliqué. You can fuse it; you can stitch the raw edges with a buttonhole stitch or a satin stitch; you can turn under the appliqué seam allowances and starch them, then hand or machine stitch. No rules except have fun and enjoy the process!

I picked up McKenna Ryan's Hanging in the Hood from Home Tweet Home collection. Some pieces are so intricate and narrower than 1/4", such as bird feet, so it is impossible to turn them under. They must be fused. Live and learn I suppose. People at the LQS are nice but the prices are outrageous!!! So, i found a walmart, got a sticker shock there too ($2.50 for a poopy fat quarter which is $.99 in the US), and bought a jelly roll instead. All is well in my universe now. I have just finished 1600 top. I will NEVER complain about our LQS prices ever again. Good luck with your appliqué. You will get addicted. It is calming and portable. By the way I am horrified of flying geese. Maybe you can teach me when I come back from this land of prohibitively expensive fabric.

I love needle turn applique. So fun to do. Takes practice to get your stitches to be just so, but I'm wondering if this Missouri Star kit could be used as a wool project. I love their kit pattern and would do one of each if I thought it could be done in wool as well as cotton.

Take it slowly, be kind to yourself and remember that only practice makes it easy. I used to be the person who said "if god wanted me to sew by hand, the machine wouldn't have been invented." Hmm...fast forward to about eight years ago when a friend showed me her method and I am a convert. I do needleturn applique like a fiend now.