Appliqué has been my quilting nemesis for years. My stitches always show and the thread really tends to stand out.
Because I have been so frustrated, and not very patient, I usually just opt to embrace the visible stitches and use my sewing machine with either a small hem stitch or go all out and use a buttonhole stitch with contrasting thread.
I am not at all against machine appliqué, in fact I am a big fan of the speed and consistency of the stitches. BUT (I’m sure you knew that was coming) I really WANT to be proficient at appliqué. I feel that any really good quilter should know how to needle turn.
Well this is it. This is the quilt where I learn the appliqué ways! I started out with my usual try to take a small stitch, but the stitches still show technique. Ugh! No matter how hard I tried, those stitches showed!
. 
Then I looked at the back and had a brilliant thought—
I said to my myself, ” look at those tiny pinpricks. Why can’t they be on the front?” Wait a minute–why can’t they? I know, I know, I’m very slow to the rodeo with this one! I think everyone else had this figured out long ago. Where have I been?!
This time I entered my quilt top completely next to where I came out on the last stitch. Do you see where I put the arrow in the above picture?
Here it is again. The picture on the left shows what I WAS doing. I was entering the fabric a few stitches ABOVE where I came out on the last stitch. The totally correct awesome way is once again to go back down RIGHT NEXT to where I came out of the fabric on the last stitch.
Look at how pretty that looks! You can BARELY see the stitches at all!❤️❤️. The back has the long stitches and I’m ok with that:)
I should be quite the proficient when I am done with this Down the Rabbit Hole quilt. In fact for the next few days I am really going to be stitching and stitching on these leaves! There are about 50 of them!
Yep, I think I will have the hang of it for sure by the time I’m done with them:)
Now I have to get the curves a little smoother, but I will get there! No one is going to be looking that close except me and you:)!
Thank you for stopping by! I hope my appliqué journey helps any of you who are new to appliqué:)
Life is SWEET!
It's a T-Sweets day! 