That is seriously good for a first attempt... hell, mine don't look that good and I've been doing it for ages!

I can't add any new tips, but definitely agree with all the ones above, slow and steady, take note of the fall of the needle... left, right, left, right, left... so you know where to stop it.... and don't be afraid to do only one or two stitches before stopping and turning a little, one or two more, stop and turn a little again.

I haven't done applqiue yet it is on my to do list, which is very soon anyhow I think for your first time you did a wonderful job, probally better than I'll do.

Personally I think you are being a tab-bit picky.... it's adorable and I love it!

Odessa, I'll keep your instructions in mind on the next practice round.

Ladies, my Sue is blushing from all your kind words about her.

Yours look fine. Just remeber like everyone else has said, take a few stitches and pivot ever so slightly. You will get puckers if you try to pivot without raising the presser foot. Been there done that! Keep up the good work. Sue looks good! :D

Sometimes when I applique I do it in two passes. On the first one I lengthen my stitch so that the zig-zag is further apart and looks skimpy; this gets the piece in place. Then I go over the first stitching with the "real" applique stitch which fills in all the gaps. For some reason that helps. Many people say to slow down, but I have sometimes found that speeding up actually works better if you have a good grip on your fabric and can rotate the fabric in a smooth motion. When I first learned to applique I would practice on scraps with a faster speed just to get used to the feel of turning the curves. Good luck, I love your pattern.

I would definitely use a tear away stablizer, It really makes a difference in your stitching. Always start and stop with the needle to the right of the fabric. {needle down if you have that feature} I've done alot of satin stitching around my fusibles. When I have to pivot, I always backstitch a couple stiches and then proceed forward. It seems to blend the stitches together better.

Your Sue is adorable. I think you did an awesome job!

Are you using an open toe applique foot?? My machine has a red line that I keep the fabric aligned up to. It looks good. It just takes practice.

I think you are doing a great job for your first try! I found the satin stitch to be very hard to do on applique and get it looking right. I've done it a few times and have been...well....really LESS than happy with the results. I usually do a blanket stitch and I like that much better.

Either way...you are on the right road...good work!