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Learn tips from Laura Wasiloski as she shows you how to take your fused quilts from "pretty" to "pretty amazing" with the addition of hand embroidery. Laura's book, Fanciful Stitches, Colorful Quilts, gives you step-by-step guidance that makes it a snap to create your own whimsical and charming "little quilt." It's brimming with lots of great tips, too. Here are a few:

Hand-dyed and batik fabrics work best for raw-edged, fused quilts, as the color penetrates all the way through the fabric.

• Select fabrics with a high thread count as they fray less when cut.
• Use the release paper from your fusible as a base for building your project elements. When the entire layered element has been built, pull it away from the paper and apply to quilt top as one unit.
• A variegated size 8 pearl cotton thread is the most versatile for hand stitching; it adds interest and shows well on your work.
• Stitch through the quilt top and batting layers only, using a maximum 18" length of thread. Too long a thread is unwieldy and tends to fray at the eye of the needle.