Thanks for the input. I am ordering the Piece of cake book. There is a block of the month at a website that I LOOOOOVE and it is all applique and looks like small blocks. I am going to order it because I love it so much but am going to wait until I feel more comfortable with applique before I try it.

So is this how y'all get more and more projects lined up? It's addictive and I havn't even finished my first project yet (probably should have picked something smaller to start with.)

Christi and Rachel it is too bad we are not closer but we can support each other here (it would be a lot easier for Christi and I to get together than Rachel)

Lisa

I wish you all were close to where I live so I could teach you needleturn applique. It saves you so many steps, unlike the other methods. I use a flower head pin instead of a toothpick to turn under my seam allowances. The Perfect Circles by Karen Kay buckley are the absolute best way to make circles. If you see someone in your quilt guild that does really nice needle turn applique, ask if they would show you how. A friend of mine taught me and I've never used glue and I rarely baste (I learned to hate basting in Home Ec class!) Judy in Torrance

Rachel, I understand your frustration with applique and I am also determined to learn how to do machine applique better. That is why I started the BOM's and am not sure I am meeting my goals yet. But I am determined. (My next applique project is going to be a quilt with nine Hawaiian applique squares set on point with a quadrant of a Hawaiian square in each of the setting corners. -- I think I have lost my mind but if I can do that one well I may feel I can move on to a rhapsody which I really want to do)

So maybe us appplique newbies need a support group so we can share our pain before we do lose our Christian virtues LOL

Keep on trying I know you will get better with practice

Sharing your pain, Ann

I am a novice at applique as well and wouldn't you know they entire quilt that I am working on right now is Applique. I was hoping to have it done by mother's day but that is not happening. I am very frustrated but I am sticking with it. I am hoping that when I am done I will love it. (yea right) But thank you for letting me know that it isn't just me having issues. It makes me feel so much better. I know that probably doesn't help you much but just know that there is this lady in western New York growing very frustrated with a crib size squared quilt. Let me know how you are doing on yours from time to time and I will update you on mine that way we can offer eachother encouragement and angermanagment as well. Good luck I am going to go work on a different quilt for now though. I want to go to church in the morning and I have been very lose to losing my christian virtues too many times tonight. Rachel

Yeah for Piece o Cake. They were my first class also and made it so much easier. I went to Cracker Barrell and bought a whole package of their toothpicks!

I don't find much difference between other "HAND" methods really, just finer points, which I think we mostly discover on our own.

Now I'm learning Machine Applique.........the Sharon Schamber method.
Lynn

PS: Good luck with whatever you choose. It will be a learning curve...like it is for all of us.

Hi, I took one class on needle turn applique and really had a hard time so I didn't practice very much. Then I took the "Piece of Cake" way and really liked it. It's basically the same as needle turn, but you use a toothpick to turn the fabric. It is so much easier for me.
Frances

Hey Lisa! I wish we were closer, we could learn together! I really want to try appliqué, but I'm so intimidated by all of the different techniques. It's all very confusing!

There was a class on hand appliqué this week at the quilt shop, but of course I couldn't take it because of work.

Hi, I have decided to start on the block of the month project but have never done applique before. I can't decide if the best approach is to try a different style of applique each month to see what I like best or if I should use a style thru several months at least to get a better handle on it. Any suggestions?

Also do you have any suggestions on which type of applique is easiest to start with as a beginner?

Thanks

Lisa