LoriJ, love your beach ladies! That is super cute! With the fusible, did you have a raw edge, or did you do the turning right side out method?
Lots2do, okay, dumb question. What's a "whip stitch"? When doing this stitch, are you just trying to catch one or two threads of fabric on your applique piece? When you cut behind the background fabric to pull out the paper, how does that work for layered pieces? Are the top pieces only sewn onto the bottom applique pieces or are they sewn all the way down onto the background fabric? Okay, I just thought about that after I posted it. I guess you cut the behind the background fabric after each layer is appliqued, right?