Five Fun Reasons to Try Hand Applique

Country Songbird Quilt Pattern by Cheryl A. Benner and Rachel T. Pellman

  

Have you ever tried hand appliqué? Here are five fun reasons to give it a try.

• You can carry your work with you wherever you go since most projects are done in blocks.
• It’s not as hard as you think. If you master only one stitch and the prep technique, you’re ready to start. Check out Sarah Fielke’s great class, Big Techniques from Small Scraps. It includes a section on appliqué. I took the class and she makes the process easy and fun.
• You get to use many of those small bits of fabric you just loved, but couldn’t find a use for. I like to think of appliqué as painting with fabric.
• You can draw your own designs and patterns. It’s easy to make templates for the shapes and fun to pick out the fabric for something you created yourself.
• Applique is pretty. Most designs are simple in nature. I think simple is the most beautiful. When you love what you are creating, the hard part of the process seems to disappear.

The photo above is one of my projects in progress. This is The Country Songbird Quilt, designed by Cheryl A. Benner and Rachel T. Pellman from the Lancaster, PA area. The Country Songbird Quilt book is out of print, but you may find it where used books are sold or on Ebay.

I hope you pick a pattern you love and give appliqué a try. It's fun and beautiful too..