I see so many absolutely stunning quilts that many of you share with us and I assume, I know that's a terrible word, that they are all hand applique.

I have been quilting for over 25 years but have yet to do very much of it. I think I am a little intimidated by the whole idea of appliqueing anything but a very simple block. I'm wondering how many of you out there do the real thing and how many either machine applique or fuse. If you machine, do you use a buttonhole stitch or a satin stitch and if you fuse, what's the best fusible you use? What method works best for you? What tips can you give me? I need some help getting motivated and am hoping that your experience will light a fire under me. Thanks.

I machine applique with Heat n Bond . My machine has an applique stitch that I adjust a little , to make it smaller .

I just recently started applique also :wink: AND love it :lol:

I am not a fan of applique. BUT I have done it both ways--machine and hand. I hate hand work, but love the look of hand applique better than machine. Some can get the corners looking great with a machine, mine look like a disaster.... I usually do button hole stitch by hand and satin on machine (because of the disaster with button hole) I ALWAYS use some form of fusing. The last hand applique I did I use Steam a Seam 2 and it was very thick for me and difficult to needle. When I use a cheap fuse from a bolt from Jo-anns I don't have that problem. You just need to try different things to see what you like and go from there. Good luck on your adventure!

I fuse with Steam-a-Seam2 (or some other lighter brand, can't recall the name), and then buttonhole stitch around the edge on the smallest length/width settings that my machine will do to secure it down. It opens up a lot of possibilities! :)

I've done the "regular" way always, and have just recently tried machine applique and freezer paper. I hate both, LOL!

I love the regular needle turn applique. I could sit and do it for hours.

I have used fusible and then machine appliqued around it. It is definitely not my favorite thing to do, but I just played with all of the different stitches on my machine. I really like the feather stitch.

I do a lot of applique. Even though I love the look of hand applique, I don't do it. I hate hand work. I do raw edge machine applique. I fuse with wonder-under and depending on what I'm doing, I will use the applique stitch on my machine, which looks like a botton hole stitch, or the zig zag stitch. I use the zig zag stitch for more details work, like when I'm appliquing Airedales.

I only hand applique. It is so relaxing and it is also good to grab and go when you are going to be waiting around.

Hand applique can be relaxing. I've only done a little bit of machine applique. I guess I 'm not comfortable doing it in case I have to rip out. I hate ripping out.

I do some hand work but only if I want to go for the "rustic" look. SOmehow, my curves get a little choppy.

For machine applique, I like steam-a-seam 2 and I secure with a blanket stitch. If the piece is large, I trim the interfacing so the center of the piece is not stiff. I hear that steam-a-seam light also cuts down on the stiffness.