I mentioned last week that I’m going to attempt the applique blocks that Barbara Brackman is offering as a BOM called the Ladies Aid AlbumQuilt. I have the first block done and a second well under way. I learned the back basting method of applique from a tutorial by Jeanna Kimball. Here is a quick rundown of how it works.

First, the design is traced onto the back of the background block. I use a large needle and quilting thread to baste the applique fabric in place. I stitch on the lines to do this.

I used bigger basting stitches where the edge of the applique would be covered by another piece.

This is what it looks like when I turn it over to the front.

Now I trim away the extra fabric leaving a quarter inch seam allowance.

From here on out, it is basically needle turn applique. I just take out a few basting stitches at a time, turn the edge under, and applique it down. Using the large needle in the basting step perforated the edge and causes the seam allowance to turn under nicely.

I hope this makes sense. So far, this is the method of hand appliqué that works best for me, but clearly, I am no expert!

Have a great day!