I agree. I love to do machine applique and I use the buttonhole stitch most of the time. I would also shorten the length and the width. I don't use stabilizer behind my main fabric, but I do use Heat 'N Bond Lite to fuse each piece into place. I also use the open toe foot so I can see exactly where the needle is going to land, especially when making an inside or outside corner. Practice, practice, practice---but no beating up on yourself allowed. I've improved my applique work, but I CANNOT get the free-motion quilting thing figured out at all! :)

I think it looks good. Points are always going to be hard whether it be a blanket stitch or satin stitch. I think ince you have stitched the other petals, it will all come together for you. Good advice given on the Tear away stabilizer.

I say keep on going..looks good.

Oh you are so right - the yellow piece IS on top, but it didn't occur to me to start there, so I started stitching all round the petals until light dawned and I realized I did it backwards.

Love that hint about over-sizing the background square. I am using wonder under or something similar and it is fused and stiff, but I bet it is shrinking more where there is more applique.

Thank you for your help. :)

Lisa_ and leakus thanks for your advice. One u-tube video doesn't make someone into a machine applique-er.

I finished the red petals and the berries and discovered on the tiny round berries that shortening the stitch in both directions looked better. I think I am going to give up on the 'embroidery' stitch the Janome uses which is a double-thick blanket stitch, and go for a small neat button hole on the green leaves. I don't think I have a satin stitch but I can see if my zigzag can shrink up and if I can get it to line up.

You're doing fine.

Thanks all, for the encouragement and suggestions. It is true that when I got it more than a foot from my face, it started to look a little better.

NativeTexan, (and other helpful posters!) I think I was erring on the side of not putting the needle into the background and it made the fabric edge poke up instead and look gross along the outside of the curve..

But I am worried that I shouldn't have the red stitches showing over the edge of the fabric and onto the green background. Are there applique police?

Of course if I do a buttonhole stitch it will cover up the whole edge so it won't show, right? Can't wait to go home and try it out!!! :)

For the glue-up - I traced the template shapes onto fusible web paper, cut them oversized, pressed them to the fabric, cut them out on the template lines, peeled the paper off, pressed the fabric pieces together against a piece of translucent baking paper, under which was the black-and-white drawing of the whole project, peeled it up, and ironed the completed flower-thing and the other loose pieces to the background. It stuck well, rather stiff, and I did not use a tear-away behind the background.

I've also found out that I should change the stitch length and width to accommodate the pointy bits and the tight curves. And whoever said be sure to put down needle and move fabric when needle is outside the fabric - hohoho easier said than done. Going as slow as machine will go, using foot pedal, still miss it. Had to do one up-needle down-needle button at a time.

Well, hurry 5PM! :) :) :)

If you don't like it you probably take it out. Have you tried an open-toed foot? (I think that will allow you to see the edge of each petal and where one starts and stops. I would like the stitch not a wide, have you tried that?

I usually use a zigzag stitch but yours looks great.

That's what my machine gives me to use and using it I am.....My first piece didn't look the greatest but the more I did the better it looks....I shortened my stitch length and it looks even better!! The alternative is buying another machine and that would take money away from FABRIC!!