HOW-TO: Stitching Applique BEFORE or AFTER Quilting?

At various times, people have been taken aback that I don’t applique per hand… ever. If we are laying it all out on the table, then you should know that I don’t even hand bind any of my quilts. In spite of my lack of affection for hand sewing, I am glad to have seen a revival of the slow stitching movement. I will never cease to be awed with the amazing work needle turn appliquers and English paper-piecing enthusiasts create… but when it’s all said and done, it’s simply not for me.No matter what applique technique you prefer, let me tell you why the starch applique technique (turned edge) has become my method of choice, and one that I am obviously super excited about: because it allows me to...

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Cool or Warm color palette?

My grandmother loved blue. She had piercing blue eyes and found beauty in surrounding herself with that cool and calm shade... every room, and even a large percentage of her wardrobe. Because my mother grew up with so much blue around her, she attributes that as one of the reasons why there was an extreme absence of blue in the house. Like my mother, blue is also noticeably missing in my home, but in spite of all of that... somehow blue seems to follows me.If you were to look at my most recent projects, you might get the impression that an ocean-inspired palette is what make my heart sing. Hmmm... there's Purdy Bird, then my second Fly High Dragonfly, my reverse applique quilt, and now my most...

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